Ingredients
Basic roll dough:
1 1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 egg
Cinnamon rolls:
Basic roll dough (above)
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
1/2 - 1 cup raisins, if desired
Preparation
To make the dough:
In a bowl, combine milk, sugar, shortening and salt. Heat in microwave until warm (not hot) and shortening is almost melted.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 1/2 cup flour with yeast. Add milk mixture and egg. Beat at low speed using electric mixer for 30 seconds, scraping bowl, then beat on high for 3 minutes. Stir in remaining flour by hand to make a soft dough.
Turn out on a floured surface and knead until smooth. Place dough in a large, lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubles in size (1-2 hours). Punch down; turn out onto floured surface. Cover, let rest 10 minutes.
To make the cinnamon rolls:
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough until 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick. Spread melted butter over dough. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar on dough. Sprinkle with raisins if desired.
For rolls, roll as for jelly roll, lengthwise. Cut in 1 1/4 inch slices. Place in greased 8x8 baking pan, wiht a bit of space (1/4 - 1/2 inch) between the rolls.
For twists, fold dough in half lengthwise, slice and twist. Put on a greased baking sheet.
Let rolls/twists rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes. Bake rolls in 375 degree oven for 20 minutes, or a bit less for twists. Remove from pan, lightly brush tops with butter, cover with cloth and allow to cool.
