this side of heaven

Grandma's sour cream sweet rolls

I made my husband's Grandma's sour cream sweet rolls this morning for breakfast; it is traditional for us to have them at Christmas. HereÂ’s the recipe:

1/3 c milk, scalded
1 T sugar
1 T baking yeast
3 c flour
1/2 t salt
3 T sugar
1/2 c cold butter
1 egg
1 c sour cream

Add 1 T sugar to scalded milk; cool to lukewarm. Stir in yeast, let soften. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender. Beat egg and sour cream, stir into flour, then stir in yeast. Turn dough out onto floured surface; knead only 1-2 minutes until a smooth dough is formed. Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top, cover, and let rise in refrigerator overnight. In the morning, make rolls or coffee cake. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double. Bake at 350˚ as directed, let cool and glaze.

The yeast I use for baking is saf-instant, and it comes in a 500 g package (1 lb 1.64 oz). I buy it in bulk from a local vendor and keep it in the deep freeze, then when I open a new package it goes in a mason quart jar and I keep it in the fridge. The yeast is really fresh, and it is a lot cheaper than buying the packets in the grocery store. 1 T of yeast is the same as 1 packet of the grocery store yeast; you just have to make sure to soften it before adding it to the dough.

I also used Bob's Red Mill all purpose GF baking flour instead of regular flour this time. The finished texture of the rolls was more like biscuits than yeast rolls, so I will have to work on that, LOL. If you are not gluten intolerant and use regular flour, the rolls are really wonderful. Here is the rest of the recipe to make sour cream cinnamon rolls:

Roll out dough to 1/2" thickness. Spread with melted butter. Combine 1/2 c sugar with 2 T cinnamon, sprinkle over dough. Sprinkle chopped walnuts or pecans if desired over the cinnamon. Roll up lengthwise, slice into 12 slices. Place cut side down on greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise to double. Bake for 12-15 minutes, then glaze when cool.

Vanilla glaze:

Combine 1/2 c sugar, 1/2 c sour cream, 1/4 c milk, and 1/4 c butter in saucepan; stir till sugar dissolves. Boil 3 minutes, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 t vanilla.

Here is the rest of the recipe to make sour cream orange rolls:

Roll out dough to 1/2" thickness. Spread with melted butter. Combine 1/3 c sugar, 3/4 c coconut, and grated peel of one orange; sprinkle over dough. Roll up lengthwise, slice into 12 slices. Place cut side down on greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise to double. Bake for 12-15 minutes, glaze with orange glaze when cool: combine 1/2 c sugar, 1/2 c sour cream, 1/4 c orange juice, and 1/4 c butter in saucepan; stir till sugar dissolves. Boil 3 minutes, stirring constantly; remove from heat.

I am trying to learn gluten-free baking, and sugar-free baking, but I didn't want to experiment on my family on Christmas, LOL. If anyone has experience they can share to convert recipes, I would appreciate it. Plus, I will keep working on the recipe (non-holidays, LOL) and post any changes that don't compromise the quality of the finished rolls.