Easter (sort of) Cinnamon Buns... by Barbara (Ruth)

Forgive me dear readers, for I have sinned. It has been 5 weeks since my last blog posting! My blogging partner (Angela) Jean and I were out last night talking about our blog (which, by the by, celebrated its one year blogiversary on March 6th), and about how we have been remiss in our regular postings lately. (Angela) Jean has a great excuse in the form of a horrible 3 week flu followed by a family vacation. I, however, have no excuse. In the absence of her posts I simply forgot! I have been quite taken up with my new business, Whiteboard Consulting, but that's no excuse.

Anyhoo, I'm back.

Last year at this time I made hot cross buns and posted (here) about why they are part of my Eastertide celebrations. I thought that today I would write about another sweetbread that my Mother often made around the same time. (To be honest, she made them all year round, but baking seemed a great way to get me back into the blogging frame of mind.)

I have a recipe that is so special it's written down in several places - all on scraps of paper covered in drips of oil and egg. The recipe is simply "Muzzer Rolls" (as a kid we called my mother Muzzer), and is incredibly easy and tasty. She used to make them to go with "Muzzer Soup" (also written on scraps of paper) to feed the hungry teenagers on school nights. I've made them for dinner parties and usually there are no leftovers!

One of the variations is to turn "Muzzer Rolls" into cinnamon buns, and that's what I did today. I'm headed to a friend's family cottage north of Kingston, Ontario tomorrow, and the cinnamon buns are part of my contribution to the Easter treats. Baking them was almost as much a treat for me, as I think of my Mother every single time I make these. Also, the house smelled terrific!

I hope you enjoy these. They aren't at all healthy, but man they are delicious!

Ready to go in the oven...

Fresh out of the oven...

Turned out, gooey, warm, and delicious!

Muzzer Cinnamon Rolls

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together 1C warm (not hot) water, 1 tablespoon yeast, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup white sugar, and let it bubble.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup warm water, 1/4 cup canola oil, and an egg.
3. Once the yeast mixture has bubbled, stir in the egg mixture. 
4. Using the dough hook attachment, stir in about 4 cups of white flour, and allow the dough hook to mix thoroughly (about 10 minutes on slow). The dough should be sticky but not wet.
5. Turn dough out onto floured countertop, and knead by hand for 5 minutes or so, until the dough is smooth. 
6. Shape into a ball and place back into the bowl. Cover with a dishtowel and let rise until double, about 90 minutes.
7. Melt a stick of butter, and pour half into a 9x13 baking pan. (I use a glass pan so I can tell if the sides and bottom of the bread is done before taking it out of the oven.)
8. Use your finger to grease the sides, bottom, and corners of the pan. There should be lots of butter left in the bottom of the pan.
9. Pour a healthy amount of corn syrup over the bottom of the pan. I can't tell you how much - just drizzle it all over. It depends on your sweet tooth, I guess.
10. Put the dough back on the shelf and punch it down, then knead for a few minutes. Use a rolling pin to roll it out into a rectangle, about 12 inches wide, and about 1/4" thick.
11. Use a pastry brush to spread melted butter all over the dough. Pour any remaining butter into the pan.
12. Sprinkle brown sugar, raisins, and cinnamon over the buttered dough. Again, I can't tell you how much - it depends on your taste. The more the better, in my opinion.
13. Start at a long edge of the dough and roll it up into a long cylinder shape. Using a serrated knife, cut into 12 equal pieces, and place into the pan.
14. Cover with a dishtowel and let rise for about an hour.
15. Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes. 
16. Check the rolls and if the tops are browning quickly, cover with tin foil.
17. Bake another 5-10 minutes, checking to see if the sides are cooked.
18. Turn out onto a cooling rack covered with tin foil.
19. Best served warm, but also terrific heated up the next day!