its just not christmas without cinnamon rolls

for as long as i can remember, my mom home made cinnamon rolls on special occasions. its quite a big to-do and it just doesn't seem like the holidays if without cinnamon rolls. and so she made them when we were in ky having our early christmas gathering.



i have the recipe and have made it several times. but honestly, yesterday just wasn't one of them. we got some frozen things, baked them up, and they were remarkably yummy. just not my mom's. and truth be told, if i'd made them from scratch, they still wouldn't have been like my mom's, in that childhood memory vs real thing sort of way. buts its a very nice recipe and after one more confession, i'll share it with you. i don't actually know how to make bread. funny how i've made these several times and don't know how to make bread. i know how to set the bread maker on the dough setting. so i'm sure that when my mom gave this recipe to me, if was very clear on ingredient order and warming some of the liquids and whatever else you do for breads. my recipe is basically dump it into the machine (though definitely yeast first, then dry ingredients, then the wet stuff).



so this is your basic white bread recipe, passed from my grandma to my mom to me to you. you can do anything with it. cinnamon rolls. dinner rolls. a loaf. add some cheese or italian seasonings. really just whatever you like. i've never had it not turn out well.



mom's bread

1 package yeast
1/4 cup sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
1 t salt
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup water

once the breadmaker has turned this into dough, you can turn it into anything. if you roll it and shape it and play with it, you'll want to let it rise again. place in a warm spot for about 30 minutes. and then bake at 350 for about 20 minutes until golden brown. enjoy!