Yesterday I posted an essay called, Grandma’s Sweet Rolls, which really was more a story about Grandma than her rolls.
Today I am giving you her potato cinnamon rolls recipe.
Word of warning: this is not a recipe for calorie counters, health fanatics or sugar busters. Nor is it a recipe for individuals who possess zero patience. What it really is, is a step back in time, a time when women spent hours in the kitchen, made food from scratch and swapped stories with each other while they baked.
Grandma grew up on a working ranch in Wyoming — although she eventually traded that life for California — the traditions that shaped her remained.
If you decide to try your hand at this please let me know how it turns out. This much I can promise you — every bite you take will include a little slice of heaven — enjoy.
Grandma’s Potato Cinnamon Rolls:
The base of the recipe is the potato. Making mash potatoes for dinner? Reserve ⅔’s cup mash potato, add ⅔’s cup potato water and mix. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl.
In a separate container (I use a Pyrex glass measuring cup) dissolve 2 ¼ teaspoons of yeast and a pinch of sugar in half a cup of hot water. Allow mixture to proof, then add it and 1 ¼ cups of scalded milk, ½ stick of softened butter, ⅓ cup of white sugar, 2 beaten eggs and a teaspoon of salt to the potato mixture in the mixing bowl.
Once the mixture has a sticky consistency, add more flour and knead together with your hands.
Then flour a hard surface, transfer dough to it and knead until it is soft and velvety.
Clean mixing bowl, then place the round of dough in it, cover then place it in a warm place (I use the top of my dryer) and leave it until it has doubled in size.
Now the fun begins. On a hard lightly floured surface punch down the dough and divide into two balls. Then using a rolling pin, roll out the dough, you want a large rectangle of dough when you are done. Then lightly butter the dough and sprinkle a mixture of cinnamon sugar all over the dough surface. Once it’s completely covered sprinkle a handful of raisins, then, slowly roll the dough in jelly roll fashion. Transfer dough log to a surface you can cut on.
In a small saucepan combine ½ a cup of dark corn syrup, 4 tablespoons of butter and 1 cup of brown sugar. (Trust me, it’s worth it!) Heat until all melted together.
Add the melted sugar mix to a baking pan then sprinkle chopped pecans on top of it.
Slice the dough log into 1 plus inch pieces and place cut side down in the pan.
Bake at 350° until light brown (about 20 minutes +/-). Remove from oven and immediately flip upside down onto a cookie sheet or pan. Eat while hot!
Recipe:
⅔ Cup Mashed Potatoes
⅔ Cup Potato Water
1 ¼ Cup Milk, scalded
Dissolve 2 ¼ teaspoons of yeast in ½ cup hot water with a pinch of sugar
½ stick of butter
⅓ cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
Combine above ingredients and flour to make a medium soft dough. Let rise until doubled in bulk. Roll small portions, jelly-roll fashion. Sprinkle on sugar, cinnamon, and raisins after first buttering dough. Roll up and slice. Place cut side down in a 9 X 12 pan that has the following mixture:
4 tablespoons butter, melted with 1 cup of brown sugar, ½ cup dark corn syrup. Pour into the pan then sprinkle with chopped pecans.
Bake at 350° till light brown and rolls spring back to touch. Once you pull baked rolls out of the oven, turn pan upside down immediately onto a platter or into a pan.
I just gained a pound! Those look delicious.
Ha! Trust me, I know about that! 🙂
I’m with Linda, except I just gained at least 5! Looks fantastic, Elin. Love that it’s your grandmother’s recipe.
She was actually Jimmy’s Grandma, the sweetest lady ever, totally miss her.
I’m still stuffed from yesterday so I’m not salivating as much as I might usually, but I do want to tell you that your incorporation of stories and recipes as per yesterday, is inspirational. I thought about this as I was making deviled eggs yesterday. I’m going to include a few recipes in my memoir.
Thanks Nancy! I have seen a few people weave recipes into their books, I think it’s a fun way to share.
Oh, this sounds heavenly. I *just* got to where I can make pretty yummy cinnamon rolls using my bread maker. This filling sounds even yummier, though, so I’ll have to give it a try. Thank you!
It’s a labor of love that is for sure, but worth it! I look forward to learning how they turn out!
I love punching down the dough and kneading! No, not for the calorie counter but sure looks wonderful! Thanks for sharing Elin!
I love that part too, Ruth. I used to make fresh bread all the time when I was younger and lived in the cold of Northern NH. These days in CA it’s hard to even want the oven on!
Okay, even though I ate enough for ten people yesterday, I’m drooling just looking at these. And now I’m going to forward the recipe to my mom 🙂
Ha! I hope she makes them! let me know if she does. 🙂
So many things to love about this recipe, but let’s just start with the potatoes. Yeah. Any recipe that begins with last night’s mashed potatoes is going to be a keeper. And the pecans. And the sugar. And the cinnamon. I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture.
Of course, life being full of trade-offs, as it so often is, I’m not a fan of anything that requires yeast to “proof”. I don’t know why, but it almost NEVER works for me. Because I am persistent, I continue to try, though. (Yes, I’ve tried new yeast. Yes, I’ve measured the temperature of the water. No, I do not always get the damn yeast to proof!)
Also, I’m putting the whole shebang into my KitchenAid, they may not have had them in turn-of-the-century Wyoming, but we have them here in 21st Century New Jersey. I’m not kneading nothing that I don’t have to. I will still have to roll the circle into a rectangle, which may be easy for some folks, but tends to confound me. Still, this recipe seems worth all the effort.
I’ll let you know how I make out. The next time I make mashed potatoes, I will actually peel them first and hide 2/3 cup for these cinnamon rolls.
I will thank you now for sharing this recipe now, I may be cursing you later, but you’ll never know 🙂
If I owned a kitchen aid mixer? I’d probably do the same! And I will understand if you curse me. 😉
Those look incredible. I’m going to have to pin it for my “sweet tooth” daughter. And I always wondered how the potato got into potato rolls. Now I know. 🙂