This recipe is from June Snell. She brought it home from
Europe with her in the early 1950’s when she and her husband, Philip, helped
build a distribution center for goods donated to Church World Service, I
believe. The center was built in Holland after a devastating flood. This was
typical of the kind of things Philip and June did. They gave often and readily,
to help others.
Butter Horn Rolls
1 envelope dry yeast- dissolve in ¼ cup warm water
Warm together until butter gets soft:
¾ cup milk
½ butter cut into small chunks- microwave is ok, but watch
it that it doesn’t get too hot.
Add the following ingredients and the dissolved yeast (if
milk is too hot, it will kill the yeast, use caution. Take care of your yeast
and it will take care of you)
½ cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 t. salt
Once mixed, add:
4 to 4 ½ cups flour (I used 2 cups white whole wheat flour)
I use a Kitchenaid mixer with a dough hook, but you can mix
with any mixer up until you add the last couple cups of flour. Then you may
have to knead it in by hand. Continue kneading or using the dough hook for 2
minutes. Put in a greased bowl and cover with clean dish towel, in a warm area
until doubled. This could take one to two hours. To test if it is ready to
punch down, leave a finger print in the dough and check in a few minutes to see
if it is still raising. If it is, leave it covered for a while. You can rush
this process by putting the covered bowl in the (unheated) oven, with a pan of
warm water below it on a different oven shelf. Close the oven and let the dough
proof. Once it has doubled, punch it down. You may want to put some flour on
your hands so the dough won’t stick.
For the caramel rolls, prepare a 9” x 13” pan by putting in
it: ¼ cup melted butter, 2 Tablespoons water, ¾ cup brown sugar, mix. Roll out
into a rectangle for cinnamon rolls, spread ¼ cup melted butter and a mixture
of 1 cup sugar & 2 teaspoons cinnamon over it. Roll up like a jelly roll
and slice into one inch pieces (I use dental floss to cut with, but thread works,
too). Put in 9 x 13 pan, on top of brown sugar mixture, with swirl side up.
Cover. This is where I froze the rolls.
To bake immediately, just cover the 9 x 13 pan with a clean
dish towel and let rise until doubled. Bake in a 350 degree oven until done
(test by pushing down in the middle. If too squishy, bake longer). It will take
15 -25 minutes, I think. I just wait until I smell it (yummy cinnamon rolls
smell). If you find a perfect time, let me know.
To bake if you have frozen the cinnamon rolls: The night before you want
the rolls, take them out of the freezer, put in refrigerator, still covered. In
the morning, set the rolls on the counter until they rise. If you need to hurry
this, set in (unheated) oven with pan of warm water until they rise. It will take
up to a couple hours on the counter. Once they are puffed up a bit, bake at 350
for 15-25 minutes or so. Turn out of the pan once baked, so the caramel will be
on top. Enjoy!
