photo by: Mike Yoder

Parker House Cinnamon Rolls

If you’re from Kansas, you may remember eating chili and cinnamon rolls at school lunch. For me, it was one of the few school lunches I would eat.

My poor, long-suffering mother had to pack my lunch nearly every day of my public-school-going life because I was spoiled and picky, and beef tater bake was not going to pass my lips.

Thankfully, I’ve become much more liberal and willing in my food choices, but chili and cinnamon rolls remain in my repertoire of favorite food combinations and to this day represents the comforts of childhood.

When the weather turns fallish I am always the first to flip the food switch to warm stews, saucy pasta dishes, and, of course, chili. Which means I’ve had a lot of time to perfect a cinnamon roll recipe. I’ve tried a lot of things, and of course there’s always room for improvement, but as of now, this is the best I’ve done.

Basically, I just use the dough from my Parker House Roll recipe and add gobs of butter, sugar and cinnamon. The Parker House dough is already sweet and laden with fat. Let’s be honest; this will win no prizes for health. It is a treat, and should be considered as such. I don’t make them but once or twice a year, which makes it all the more exciting.

Johnny, my 5-year-old, gets them so infrequently that he still calls them “Casse-rolls” on accident. The phrase “cinnamon roll” isn’t quite firmly embedded in his vocabulary.

But because the Parker House rolls are already so soft and fluffy, and a little sweet, the dough is ideal for a cinnamon roll. It’s almost embarrassingly easy to execute because the dough comes together so nicely and is virtually fool-proof. I know, because I’m a terrible baker, because of impatience and lack of attention to detail.

I usually make the dough on Saturday and then make the cinnamon rolls on Sunday morning. They rise all day and are ready for an early Sunday dinner with my favorite chili (which includes chipotle seasoning and hunks of steak, and while it never wins the prize at the St. Patrick’s Day chili cook off, I know in my heart it’s the best).

I will, heretofore, call these “Parker House Cinnamon Rolls”. Because.

Parker House Cinnamon Rolls
5 cups of flour, plus more for rolling out
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup shortening, melted
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
Separately
1 stick of butter, maybe more
1 cup sugar
Ample cinnamon (several tablespoons)

Add the yeast to the warm water and “proof” it for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the sugar, 4 cups of the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. With a dough hook on your stand mixer, combine the dry ingredients.

Add the yeast/water mixture to the dry goods and combine.

Add the melted shortening and stir.

Next, add the eggs and the last cup of flour, and stir everything together. Use your hands if necessary. The dough will be wet and rather pliable.

I let it rise until it doubles in size or more, about 2 hours. Then I punch it down, cover it with a tea towel, and put it in the refrigerator to rise again overnight.

The next morning, sprinkle some flour on the counter, divide the dough in half, and roll it out rather thinly (1/4 inch). Melt a stick of butter and slather half over the rolled-out dough. Sprinkle liberally with sugar and cinnamon. Roll it up into a long log (I like to start close to my body and roll away), and slice into 1 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place the slices into a cake pan, and repeat with the other half of the dough.

Bake at 350 F for about 13 minutes or until the tops begin to brown.

Remove from the oven and cool a little. Drizzle with the frosting of your choice. My favorite simple frosting is this:

1 bag (about 4 cups) powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring

Mix it together until you get the desired consistency (I like it rather runny so it soaks into the cinnamon rolls) and drizzle over the tops. Serve still warm, alongside a bowl of piping hot chili. Divided school lunch tray totally optional.