A Christmas Tradition...

A long, long time ago, when I was about 10 years old, my mom taught me how to make bread. She taught me with my grandmother's recipe:

"For every package of yeast use 2 cups of warm water, two teaspoons of salt, three tablespoons of oil, two tablespoons of sugar, and approx. 4 cups of flour - bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes."

I usually double this recipe - and it will make two loaves. Delicious! This recipe is also the base for the most amazing cinnamon rolls. I make them on Christmas Eve, and then that is our breakfast Christmas morning while we open our presents.

Bread:

1 package of active dry yeast

2 cups of warm water

2 teaspoons of salt

3 tablespoons of oil

2 tablespoons of sugar

4 cups of flour (approx.)

Put warm water in a bowl, add yeast (Fleischmann's "active dry" yeast) and let sit for about 5-10 minutes until yeast expands a little. Then add salt, oil, sugar and stir. You will start adding flour until the dough is ready to knead...then you add a little flour as you knead it on the counter. I usually knead it for a few minutes, then pop it right back in the bowl I mixed in, put a towel over it and let it rise. After it rises, push it down and split it to roll out your rolls. Flatten out a slab of dough (see photo below) and slather with butter, sprinkle with lots of sugar and cinnamon....roll into a long log. Prepare your pan (I use a glass pyrex lasagna pan) with butter and sprinkle it with sugar....cut the cinnamon rolls (maybe 1/2" thick) and put in the pan. Let them rise until doubled and then bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Make sure and take them out of the pan and onto a wire rack (with a paper towel under to catch the melted butter) right away....the bottoms will be gooey, but get harder as it cools.