Friendship Cinnamon Rolls

I make cinnamon rolls quite often, but they're usually for the weekend. This week, however, I made them on Tuesday. They weren't my usual cinnamon rolls, though. Beth had brought home some Amish Friendship Bread starter, which she made bread with and divided into additional starter just like she was supposed to. But she failed to give any of those extra bags of starter to anyone, except me. The day came to add flour, sugar and milk to the starter, and I refused to do it for all of those extra bags, so we put them in the freezer for later.

Image by bcmom via Flickr

When it came time to add to and separate my own starter, I didn't really feel like having additional bags of starter, and I didn't really want to pass them out. So, instead of adding milk, flour, and sugar to the starter I had, I just measured it out. The bread recipe calls for 1 cup starter, and I had about 2-1/2 cups, so I figured I could just divide that and make 2 batches. I made one recipe (2 loaves) of the traditional Amish Friendship Bread, and I made cinnamon rolls from the other half of the starter. I had a recipe that I had tried another time, but I didn't follow it exactly, so I'm posting my version.

Friendship Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

In large bowl, combine:

• 1 cup Amish Friendship starter
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups flour

Let sit at room temperature overnight or 10-12 hours. You'll know it's ready when it's all bubbly and has risen up the bowl. Stir down.

Combine:

• 3 t. sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
• 1 t. salt

and add all at once to the larger bowl. Mix well, then add as much of 3 cups of flour you can mix in with a spoon. Turn dough out onto a well-floured counter and knead in enough additional flour that it is no longer sticky. Cover with a cloth and let rest for about 30 minutes.

Divide dough into two halves; roll each half out in a rectangle about 12x8-inch. Brush dough with soft butter.

For each half, combine:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 t. cinnamon

Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over dough. Beginning at the wide side, roll up, and seal seam. Cut each roll into 10 slices. Place in greased 13x9 inch pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place till nearly double (about 30 minutes to an hour). Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until done.

FOR ICING: In a small mixing bowl stir together powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in enough milk to make a smooth icing of drizzling consistency. Drizzle over rolls. Serve warm or cool.

The original recipe also called for 1/2 t. baking soda and 1 t. baking powder, but it really doesn't need it. The only leavening is from the fermentation of the original starter. These rolls are a little more filling than my usual cinnamon rolls. I can only eat a couple at a time, so they've lasted all week. Beth and I have been enjoying them for breakfast. I guess I can forgive her for bringing home, and keeping, all that starter in the first place.

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