Multi-grain Whole Wheat Harvest Bread

M is for Multi-grain Whole Wheat Harvest Bread

M is for Cindy Mushet, the creator of this recipe and author of

The Art and Soul of Baking, a new favorite in my cookbook library

M is for Mouthwatering, which this bread definitely is

M is for Mark, my husband, and Marjorie, my talk-to-everyday kind of friend,

who have eaten and complimented this loaf of bread

M is for Me, author of this blog, Marzipan, who made this bread, and if I can do it, you can too!

This is my poem about M. Lovely, eh?

Seriously, this bread is easy as long as you have the ingredients on hand. Most of the time is spent waiting for the dough to rise, and you can have a beautiful loaf from start to finish in 3 to 4 hours. So if you have half a day to hang around the house, bake some bread in between doing your laundry and writing poetry that doesn't rhyme.

My favorite way to eat this bread is toasted with smooth peanut butter and banana slices. It's just not the same on white bread.

Multi-grain Whole Wheat Harvest Bread
from the Art and Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet

Makes one large round loaf

Note: The original recipe called for 9-grain cereal but you can substitute any multi-grain non-instant cereal. I happened to have 6-grain and 10-grain cereal in my pantry and have made this loaf with both. Bob's Red Mill is a common brand you can find in a well-stocked supermarket or health food store. You can also add a handful of sunflower or flax seeds to the dough in step 2 when adding the cooled cereal to the yeast mixture.

1/2 cup (3 ounces) 6- to 10-grain hot cereal mix (not instant) - see note above
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water (110 to 115F)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon active dry yeast, or 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1/4 cup honey
2 3/4 cups bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt

1. Make The Cereal Mix: Pour the cereal into the medium bowl. Add the boiling water and stir to blend. Let the mixture sit for 20 minutes or refrigerate overnight (bring the mixture to room temperature before continuing).

2. Mix, Rest, And Knead The Dough: Pour the warm water into the bowl of the stand mixer. Add the sugar and yeast and whisk by hand to blend. Let sit for 10 minutes, or until the yeast is activated and foamy or bubbling. Add the cooled cereal, honey, bread flour, whole wheat flour, and salt. Knead the dough on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp lint-free cotton towel and let the dough rest for 20 minutes to allow it to fully hydrate before further kneading. Turn the mixer to medium-low and continue to knead until the dough is firm and elastic, 4 to 7 minutes.

3. Rise The Dough (First Rise): Lightly oil the tub or bowl, scrape the dough into the tub, and lightly coat the surface of the dough with a little oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp lint-free cotton towel and let the dough rise until doubled in size, 35 to 45 minutes (longer if the room is cold). If you are using a tub, be sure to make the starting level of the dough with a piece of tape so it’s easy to tell when the dough has doubled.

4. Punch Down And Shape The Dough: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Press down on the dough firmly to expel some of the air bubbles, but don’t knead the dough again or it will be too springy and difficult to shape (if this happens, simply cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp lint-free cotton towel and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes to give the gluten some time to relax.) Shape into a round, taut loaf. If you are using a baking or pizza stone, transfer the loaf to the semolina-dusted pizza peel, or form a makeshift peel by lining the bottom of a baking sheet with parchment paper. If you are not using a baking stone, transfer the loaf to the center of a parchment-lined baking pan.

5. Proof The Dough (Second Rise): Lightly cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp lint-free cotton towel and allow to rise until it is almost doubled and looks like it has taken a deep breath, 20 to 30 minutes.

6. Prepare The Oven: Place the baking or pizza stone in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400F. Be sure to allow 30 minutes to 1 hour for the stone to fully heat.

7. Bake The Loaf: Dust the top lightly with flour. Slash a pattern in the top of the dough with a lame, razor blade, or chef’s knife. If the dough is on a pizza peel, transfer to the baking stone; if on a baking sheet, simply set the baking sheet on the baking stone or oven rack. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown and the internal temperature registers 190F on an instant-read thermometer. If the crust is getting too brown and the loaf has not reached 190 degrees yet, tent the bread loosely with foil for the remainder of the baking time. Transfer to a rack and cool completely. Slice with a serrated knife.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

After a very busy December, I am enjoying the slower pace of life. I have never liked cold weather or the shorter days, but I think I've finally made my peace with it. The lack of sunlight doesn't affect me like it used to and I've learned to embrace the grayness that is winter in Pittsburgh. And when the bright sun does happen to come out, I take notice and appreciate it that much more.

Unlike in the summer, I have an excuse to stay inside, within the coziness of a warm kitchen while the snow falls quietly outside the kitchen window. So while I am hibernating this month, I am taking the opportunity to make some of my family's longtime favorite recipes (like this one), along with trying some new ones, and freezing the leftovers when possible for that inevitable day when things are crazy again and there is no time to cook.

Homemade marinara sauce freezes wonderfully and the best way to freeze meatballs is right in the sauce, so make a double batch of this recipe and freeze the rest in quart sized containers. Square Ziploc containers are my favorite for freezing. I use a permanent marker on peel-off address labels to label the containers with the contents and date. When thawing, either take the container out of the freezer and place in the refrigerator overnight, or run hot water over the bottom of the container and transfer the sauce and meatballs to a bowl to heat in the microwave, or to a pot to reheat over the stove. (Never heat plastic containers in the microwave, especially with tomato sauce. The plastic will get pitted and stained.)

Spaghetti and Meatballs

adapted from a little pamphlet-type cookbook called Pasta Favorites

Note: My kids like a smooth sauce with absolutely no chunks, so often I will use only garlic and spices in the sauce and omit the onion. Alternatively, if you are not chunky-averse, you could also add a diced carrot or two along with the onion to increase the veggie content of the recipe. Just be sure to cook the carrots until they are pretty soft before adding the garlic and spices.

For the Sauce:

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped (see note above)

2 large cloves garlic (more if desired)

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

28-ounce can crushed tomatoes in puree

2 16-ounce cans plain tomato sauce (not marinara sauce)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon dried oregano, rubbed between your fingers to release flavor

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 bay leaf (if you have it on hand)

For the Meatballs:

Note: my supermarket sells packaged ground meat labeled meatloaf mix which is a combination of beef, pork and veal side by side in one package. It works quite well in this recipe.  You could also use any combination of only beef and pork.

1 pound lean ground chuck

1/4 pound ground veal

1/4 pound ground pork

1 large egg

1/2 cup fresh or dried plain breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 pound of spaghetti

To make the sauce:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and carrots, if using (see note above), and cook over low heat until the onion is translucent and the carrots are soft, about 5 minutes or so. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for one minute more. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes while you make the meatballs. This is a good time to start heating the water for the pasta.

To make the meatballs:

Place all of the meatball ingredients into a large bowl. Using clean hands, gently mix and fold the ingredients until they are well combined, but be careful not to overwork the mixture. It should stay relatively loose. Form the mixture into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter (or use a medium cookie scoop to portion the meatballs). Gently place the meatballs directly into the simmering sauce. When all of the meatballs are added, carefully push any exposed meatballs down into the sauce so that all the meatballs are covered. Continue to simmer, partially covered if the sauce is thick enough or uncovered if the sauce still needs to thicken more, for 15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. Remove and discard the bay leaf and spoon off any excess fat that rises to the surface. Serve over hot cooked spaghetti with some grated parmesan cheese for sprinkling.

Homemade Plain or Sesame Bagels

It's amazing what a little yeast, some flour and some water can create! Admittedly, it was special high-gluten flour and the directions were four pages long (that included pictures), but come on - bagels! Chewy and flavorful bagels that aren't from a bagel shop or supermarket - that's pretty cool!

I've been poring over Peter Reinhart's book, The Bread Baker's Apprentice, that I checked out from our library. It turns out the library won't let you keep books forever, so when they wouldn't let me renew it one more time, I went straight to Amazon and ordered a copy for myself. While I was at it, I ordered another of his books, Whole Grain Breads, too. Now I've got bread-baking fever. It's addicting!

So don't be surprised if you see a few more bread recipes here - and maybe I can convince you to make your own bread too!

This was my first attempt at bagels, and the next time I'm going to try to get a lot of sesame seeds over all of the bagel. I can't get enough sesame seeds and these just were not sticking. Since I made these, I have read that brushing the bagels with egg wash just after the boiling step and then sprinkling with seeds will help them stick better so I have included this step in the instructions.

{Note- I have changed the original recipe posting to reflect the following findings}

1. You don't need high gluten flour - I've used King Arthur Bread flour, found in most supermarkets and I found no difference in the results.

2. You really must try to incorporate almost all of the flour in the recipe. It takes a little while and even my Kitchenaid has trouble kneading the stiff dough so I knead it by hand, adding a little more flour every few kneads, until you're sure the dough couldn't handle another bit of flour. The one time I didn't add as much flour, the bagels were a little flat.

3. It took some trial and error, but the best way that I found to make your toppings stick, is to brush the bagel with egg white wash not once, but twice. Whisk an egg white with a teaspoon or so of water. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg white on, let it dry, then brush a little more egg white on and sprinkle on the toppings while the second coating is still wet. This method worked better than just one coating of egg, better than just water, and better than a water and cornstarch mixture.

4. I boil the bagels in the water bath for exactly 45 seconds per side, instead of one minute or more, so that they are the perfect chewiness.

5. You can bake these with your convection oven at 25 degrees F less than the original recipe's temperatures

Plain or Sesame Bagels


adapted slightly from The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart
makes 12 large

Sponge


1 teaspoon instant yeast


4 cups (18 ounces) unbleached high-gluten or bread flour (I use King Arthur Bread flour)


2 1/2 cups (20 ounces) water, room temperature

Dough
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast


3 3/4 cups (17 ounces) unbleached high-gluten or bread flour


2 3/4 teaspoons salt


2 teaspoons malt powder or 1 tablespoon barley malt syrup, honey, or brown sugar

To Finish


1 tablespoon baking soda
Cornmeal or semolina flour for dusting (I prefer semolina flour as I think it resists burning better)
1 egg white mixed with a tablespoon of water (egg wash)
Sesame seeds, poppy seeds (optional)

1. Day one: To make the sponge, stir the yeast into the flour in a 4-quart mixing bowl. Add the water, whisking or stirring only until it forms a smooth, sticky batter (like pancake batter). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the mixture becomes very foamy and bubbly. It should swell to nearly double in size and collapse when the bowl is tapped on the countertop.

2. To make the dough, in the same mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer), add the additional yeast to the sponge and stir. Then add 3 cups of the flour and all of the salt and malt or sugar. Stir (or mix on low speed with the dough hook) until the ingredients form a ball, slowly working in the remaining 3/4 cup flour to stiffen the dough. (Warning - it takes a while to add in all the flour and my kitchenaid couldn't handle it, so I added the rest by hand.)

3. Transfer the dough to the counter and knead for at least 10 minutes (or for 6 minutes by machine). The dough should be firm, stiffer than French bread dough, but still pliable and smooth. There should be no raw flour – all ingredients should be hydrated. The dough should pass the windowpane test and register 77 to 81 degrees F. If the dough seems to dry and rips, add a few drops of water and continue kneading. If the dough seems tacky or sticky, add more flour to achieve the stiffness required. The kneaded dough should feel satiny and pliable but not be tacky.

4. Immediately divide the dough into 4 1/2 ounce pieces for standard bagels, or smaller if desired. Form the pieces into rolls.

5. Cover the rolls with a damp towel and allow them to rest for approximately 20 minutes.

6. Line 2 sheet pans with baking parchment and mist lightly with spray oil. Poke a hole in a ball of bagel dough and gently rotate your thumb around the inside of the hole to widen it to approximately 2 1/2 inches in diameter. The dough should be as evenly stretched as possible (try to avoid thick and thin spots.)

7. Place each of the shaped pieces 2 inches apart on the pans. Mist the bagels very lightly with the spray oil and slip each pan into a food-grade plastic bag, or cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the pans sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

8. Check to see if the bagels are ready to be retarded in the refrigerator by using the “float test”. Fill a small bowl with cool or room-temperature water. The bagels are ready to be retarded when they float within 10 seconds of being dropped into the water. Take one bagel and test it. If it floats, immediately return the tester bagel to the pan, pat it dry, cover the pan, and place it in the refrigerator overnight (it can stay in the refrigerator for up to 2 days). If the bagel does not float. Return it to the pan and continue to proof the dough at room temperature, checking back every 10 to 20 minutes or so until a tester floats. The time needed to accomplish the float will vary, depending on the ambient temperature and the stiffness of the dough.

9. The following day (or when you are ready to bake the bagels), preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (475 degrees F for convection oven) with the two racks set in the middle of the oven. Bring a large pot of water to a boil (the wider the pot the better), and add the baking soda. Have a slotted spoon or skimmer nearby.

10. Remove the bagels from the refrigerator and gently drop them into the water, boiling only as many as comfortably fit (they should float within 10 seconds). Boil the bagels for 45 seconds per side. The longer they boil, the chewier they will be. While the bagels are boiling, sprinkle the same parchment-lined sheet pans with cornmeal or semolina flour. (If you decide to replace the paper, be sure to spray the new paper lightly with spray oil to prevent the bagels from sticking to the surface.) Brush the bagels with egg wash, allow it to dry, then brush them again with egg wash and top with sesame seeds or other toppings while still wet.

11. When all the bagels have been boiled, place the pans on the 2 middle shelves in the oven. Bake for approximately 5 minutes, then rotate the pans, switching shelves and giving the pans a 180-degree rotation. (If you are baking only 1 pan, keep it on the center shelf but still rotate 180 degrees.) After the rotation, lower the oven setting to 450 degrees F (425 for convection)and continue baking for about 5 minutes, or until the bagels turn light golden brown. You may bake them darker if you prefer.

12. Remove the pans from the oven and let the bagels cool on a rack for 15 minutes or longer before serving. (Slice and freeze any bagels that will not be eaten within 2 days.)

Slow-Cooker Chili and Amish Cornbread

In my last post, I mentioned how we were still waiting for that big snowfall. Well, we finally got some snow and the kids got their snow day! Of course, the kids think the snow day came because they went to bed with their jammies inside out and slept with a wooden spoon under their pillows. (Think about this the next time your wooden spoons go missing!)

I couldn't have planned it better. The snow day happened on Wednesday - the perfect mid-week break. We got just about 6 inches of snow - enough to get you out of school and plenty for sledding, but not enough to break your back trying to shovel it all. The snow started to fall and after an hour, we had about an inch already.

I just love this cute little bird - this is just where I would hang out too if the snow was coming down that quickly - a nibble of food whenever you get hungry and a roof to stay dry - or maybe he's just trying to peek through my kitchen window to see what's baking. I'm not sure he'd like the chili, but maybe the cornbread??

Slow-Cooked Chili

Serves 10

Note: This is your basic chili recipe, tried and true. The recipe came from my husband's Aunt Donna. (Thanks, Donna!) It freezes well too, so you could make this when your green peppers are plentiful in your garden and freeze it until the cold weather comes along.

2 pounds ground beef

1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, undrained
1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped green pepper

1 jalapeno pepper, minced (optional)

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 16-ounce cans kidney beans or beans of your choice, undrained, or one cup
         soaked and cooked dried beans

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Brown the ground beef in a pan and discard the rendered fat. Transfer the browned meat to the slow cooker. Using a clean pair of kitchen shears, coarsely slice the tomatoes into smaller chunks right in the can and then add them to the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low setting for 7 to 10 hours. Add a little water if the chili seems too thick, or cook uncovered toward the end of cooking time if the chili seems too thin. Keep in mind that it will thicken as it cools.

Amish Cornbread

Note:This cornbread is the best - moist and delicious - and super easy. The cornbread recipe came from my good friend at Joy Beadworks who came upon the recipe when buying cornmeal from an Amish grower at a farmer's market. Make the cornbread the day you are going to eat it, or it will become dry. (Nothing a few seconds in the microwave and a spoonful of honey can't fix though.)

1 cup coarsely ground corn meal
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup plus 2 tblsp. milk
4 tblsp. oil
1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. (The original recipe stated 450, but that seemed a little high to me.) Spray an 8" square baking pan with Pam.

In a bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, oil and egg. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and pour in the milk mixture; stir until blended. Pour into pan, bake for 25 minutes, or just until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean and the top is lightly browned.

Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies

It's been cold here in Pittsburgh, but we're still waiting for that big snow. It seems that we've had a constant flurry of snow coming down, but no accumulation to speak of. It's been beautiful and I should probably count my blessings that the roads are clear and we haven't had to shovel, only brush the walks. Annie's been dying to get out there and play in the snow, but there's not even enough to build a proper snowman. We can even still see the tips of grass poking through the snowy white layer on the ground. Even our friends half an hour north have had enough snow for sledding, but somehow it's missed us so far.

In my mind, it's been perfect - I can get to the store without any problems, and there's no buildup of snow on the old slate roof to cause trouble. But I do love to watch the kids after a big snow. (Admittedly I watch them through the window most of the time! What can I say, I like to be warm.) There's just that happiness, when they have the day off from school and can trod around in the deep snow, that can't be matched. Ah well, they'll just have to be patient. It will come. Meanwhile, I'll watch the light snowfall out my kitchen window and keep on baking.

These hazelnut sandwiches are amazing! The dough, made with ground toasted hazelnuts (also called filberts), is made into a few skinny logs which are then frozen, then sliced and baked. My logs weren't all the same size, but I found that the thinner logs made a more elegant cookie, just the right size to have two with an afternoon cup of chai tea. The most difficult part of making this cookie is toasting and removing the skins from the hazelnuts - it's a pain and a little messy - but so worth it.  I have since found toasted and skinned hazelnuts at Trader Joe's - well worth seeking out.

The cookie itself is the perfect consistency - not too hard when you bite into it, that all the filling oozes out, and not chewy either - they're soft with a bit of a sandy texture.

The Nutella filling, already made so you don't have to dirty more dishes (although you could make your own if you wanted to), complements the cookie wonderfully. If you don't have Nutella, substitute raspberry jam.

Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies
adapted slightly from A Passion for Desserts by Emily Luchetti
Makes about 45 cookies

1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skins removed
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 ounces cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup Nutella or your favorite jam, or as needed

Directions
1. To toast and skin the hazelnuts: Preheat oven to 350° F. In a baking pan, toast hazelnuts in one layer in middle of oven 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly colored and fragrant. Wrap nuts in a kitchen towel and let steam 1 minute. Rub nuts in towel to remove loose skins (don't worry about skins that don't come off) and cool completely. In a food processor, finely grind the hazelnuts with 1/2 cup of the flour.

2. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light in color and smooth, 1 minute with a stand mixer or 2 minutes with a handheld mixer. Add the egg and mix until combined.

3. On low speed, add the ground hazelnuts, the remaining flour, the salt, and the baking powder and mix until smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

4. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. On a lightly sugared work surface, roll the dough into 4 logs, between 1 and 1 1/4 inches in diameter. Place the logs in the freezer for at least 1 hour until firm. (Note: because the dough is kept frozen, you can bake a few as needed and keep the remaining dough in the freezer. Perfect for unexpected visitors or a short-notice gift.)

5. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

6. Slice the dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart and bake until golden brown around the edges, about 8 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

7. Sandwich 2 cookies together using about 1 teaspoon of Nutella or jam for each.

Planning ahead: The cookie dough can be made several days in advance and kept frozen. The cookies can be baked several days in advance (without the filling). Store at room temperature in an airtight container. Sandwich the cookies the day you plan to serve them.

Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls

I have no less than 18 cinnamon roll recipes bookmarked on my computer. Eventually I'll try them all...

So far there have been Maida Heatter's Cinnamon Rolls, and Food Blogga's Blueberry Rolls, and Cook's Illustrated Sticky Buns.

Then there's Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls. You know I had to try them. Anyone who unequivocally claims that they're cinnamon roll is the best - well, how could I resist?

I made them once as written, and then tried them with butter replacing the oil. It was a slight difference, but I think the recipe made with butter tastes just a bit better.

These are some of the easiest I've made, with no unusual ingredients, except maybe the maple flavoring used in the icing. The addition of leavenings (baking soda and baking powder) was a new concept for me. The dough is easy to work with and delicious. Seeing all the blog posts on these cinnamon rolls tells me that this recipe works - they all look identical!

As Ree says, don't skimp in the icing - let it pour all over. It's a good thing!

Are they the best?

Hmmm...I've never met a cinnamon roll I didn't like, but I'll have to try the other 18 recipes to know for sure... do you have a favorite cinnamon roll recipe? Please share! There's always room for one more cinnamon roll recipe!

Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls

from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Makes about 24 rolls

Ingredients:
1 quart whole milk
1 cup vegetable oil or butter
1 cup sugar
2 packages active dry yeast (5 teaspoons)
8 cups (plus 1 cup extra, separated) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (heaping) baking powder
1 teaspoon (scant) baking soda
1 Tablespoon (heaping) salt
1 cup butter, melted or warm room temperature
2 cups Sugar
Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon
_____
MAPLE FROSTING:
1 pound Powdered Sugar
2 teaspoons Maple Flavoring
½ cups Milk
¼ cups Melted Butter
¼ cups Brewed Coffee
⅛ teaspoons Salt

For the dough:
Mix the milk, vegetable oil (or butter) and sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat, transfer the mixture to a bowl of a heavy duty mixer, and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together using paddle attachment. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).

When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 cup melted butter over the dough, or if using room temperature butter, you can spread it all over the dough with your fingertips or the butter wrapper. Sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.

Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.

Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in each of 4 round foil cake or 9" pie pans, or two 9x13 pans. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans - you should get about 12 rolls from each half of dough.

Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 375 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

For the frosting:

Mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls.