**Caramel Pecan Cinnamon Rolls, like grandmother Leona used to make

Beautiful to look at but not perfected yet

This is as close to the recipe I used for my business in my small town.   I spoke about it in an earlier blog.  Although this recipe is close, it has its drawbacks, that is why it is only a two star recipe.   First and foremost, at the oven temperature required to bake the rolls, the center section of the batch comes out way too sticky, almost like glue and thus, have to be discarded.   So, my recommendation is to wait until I have this perfected.  There is a creative weekend coming up at the end of January and I hope to have another chance then.  My  attempts to correct this will be in this sequence:   roll the layers thinner, let it rise until more than doubled in size, cut the rolls into smaller pieces, place them in a pie pan instead of a rectangular pan, keep an inch between each roll and keep everything else the same.


RECIPE FOR CARAMEL CINNAMON ROLLS (with added corrections for the next time)
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees), I never measure it, I only run the hot water when I start to think about making the rolls and by the time I have found the yeast, it is warm enough
1/2 cup lukewarm milk (scalded then cooled), that's easy I turn it on high and by the time I remember to look again, it is scalded, I only have skim milk so that's what I use
1/3 cup softened shortening (I use butter, sweet cream, doesn't matter if it is salted, and instead of softening it I put it in the scalded milk to make it cool down
1 tsp salt
1 egg
3 1/2 to 4 cups of flour (I used 3 cups)

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl.  Stir in milk, sugar, shortening, salt, egg (make sure the water is not hot when you put the egg in) and 2 cups of the flour.   Beat until smooth (I hand stir).  Mix in enough of the remaining flour to make a dough easy to handle.  It is usually a little sticky, but doesn't stick to your hands.  Because I only used 3 cups, there was only one more cup to add, so it never got too dry.   Cover with a kitchen towel and lit rise in warm place about 1 hour, kneading every 15 minutes.   Roll dough into rectangle 15 by 9 inches on  a lightly greased or floured surface.   Spread with soft but not melted butter (my grandmother used to melt the butter, that makes a mess on your table).  Sprinkle with cinnamon (however much you prefer) and about 2 Tbsp brown sugar, I used 1/2 cup of brown sugar.   Roll up tightly, beginning at 15 inch side.   Cut into 1 inch slices.    Place slightly apart on a caramel lined pan (spread butter onto bottom of pan,  sprinkle as many pecans or walnuts as you want,  spread 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1 Tbsp of cream or milk, you can add 1 Tbsp brown rice syrup or more, more will make the pecans kind of crystallized, which is tasty).

Bake at 375 degrees or until golden brown about 15 to 20 minutes.   No more or the rolls become too dry.