Old-Time Cinnamon Crisps

1-1/4 cups milk 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup butter 1 teaspoon salt 1 package yeast 1/4 cup warm water (110-115°)

2 eggs 5-1/2 to 6 cups flour 1/2 cup soft butter 1-1/2 cups sugar 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions:
Heat the milk until very warm. Add 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup butter, and 1 teaspoon salt and stir to combine. Cool to lukewarm. Meanwhile, sprinkle yeast on 1/4 cup warm water and set aside to dissolve. When milk mixture has cooled, stir the yeast to dissolve any clumps.

Combine eggs, 2 cups flour, milk mixture, and yeast mixture in a large bowl. Beat 1 minute with electric mixer on low speed, then beat for 2 minutes at medium speed. (Or beat with a wooden spoon until mixture is smooth.)

Mix in enough remaining flour, a little at a time, to make a soft dough. Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes.) Round the dough into a ball, place in a large greased bowl, and turn the dough over so greased side is on top. Cover with a clean towel and let it rise in a warm place until dough is doubled in size.

Meanwhile make the filling for the cinnamon crisps. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup softened butter and 1 cup sugar, blending well. Set aside.

Also, make the topping for the cinnamon crisps. In another small bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon, blending well. Set aside.

Prepare several cookie sheets by greasing them generously.

When dough is well risen, punch it down thoroughly. Turn dough onto a lightly floured board, divide in half, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Then roll each half into a 20x13-inch rectangle.

Spread each rectangle with 4 tablespoons of the butter/sugar filling. Fold each rectangle in half and squeeze the dough together around the edges to seal it. Roll each rectangle again into another 20x13-inch rectangle. Spread each rectangle again with another 4 tablespoons of the butter/sugar filling. Repeat the process of folding the dough, sealing the edges, and rolling it back out to a 20x13-inch rectangle. Sprinkle each rectangle with 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon/sugar topping.

Starting at the wide side of each rectangle, roll up each one tightly like a jelly roll. Seal the ends and edges and stretch the roll slightly. Cut into 1-inch slices.

Place each slice on the cookie sheet, leaving at least 4 inches between the slices. Flatten the slices by pressing down and gently pulling outward with fingers. Try to make them about 5 inches in diameter. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture over the tops of the crisps.

Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place about 30 minutes. Bake at 400° for about 10-12 minutes or until browned. Makes about 40 rolls.

Notes:
I don't remember where this recipe came from, but I do remember sitting at my mother's dining room table and copying it. Bakeries used to sell this sort of a cinnamon crisp, but they are rarely seen anymore, at least in Kentucky. I remember going to Farber's Bakery in Ainsworth, Nebraska, with my father when I was very young to buy cinnamon crisps like these. Oh, the wonderful smell inside that bakery!