“Mom” Gunderson’s Cinnamon Rolls

Mrs. Gladys Gunderson, the Dean of Women when I first attended Bethany Bible College, was not only an amazing woman of God and surrogate mom to us girls in the dorms, but was famous for her cinnamon rolls. The aroma wafting down the hall was unmistakable; it drew old and young alike to her door.

I only recently re-obtained this treasure. Read how it was “lost” for over 30 years.

In my opinion, the secrets to her recipe are the cream she poured over the rolls before baking and the sauce she topped them with on the platter. I’ve never heard of this combination being done in any other cinnamon roll recipe, and would never want to make them any differently.

Mom Gunderson’s Cinnamon Rolls

3 loaves Bridgeford frozen bread dough (or your own recipe)
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup whipping cream (not whipped)
1/2 cup brown sugar

Optional: 1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

1. Thaw loaves of bread dough until easy to cut through, but still very cold (or prepare your own and chill). Cut each loaf into 12 equal-sized pieces (36 pieces total). Continue to thaw until they can be rolled out into a “rope” shape.
2. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and place on a plate.
3. While dough is thawing, prepare a 9 X 13″ baking dish. Melt the butter and pour into the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the melted butter, and sprinkle generously with some extra cinnamon (maybe 1 tsp.).
4. Optional: sprinkle chopped nuts over butter mixture.
5. Roll out each piece of dough into a 7-8″ long rope. Dip dough into cold water and let excess water drip onto a piece of paper towel. Roll dough rope in the cinnamon sugar mixture, and tie into a knot. Roll the knot into the cinnamon/sugar again and place on top of butter mixture in dish. Repeat, taking care to have all the knots face the same direction in the pan with uniform spacing.
6. Cover lightly with waxed paper and let rise until doubled in size, about 2-3 hours.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Right before baking, drizzle the whipping cream over the dough knots and bake for about 25-30 minutes. Rolls should be lightly browned, but sound “hollow” when tapped. If they brown a little too quickly before the middle is done, lay a piece of aluminum foil lightly over the top.
8. Remove the dist from oven and let rest for 3-5 minutes. Loosen the edges with a knife and flip over onto a platter. Spread with the sauce (see below) and enjoy.
9. You can make the rolls the night before, cover them with plastic wrap, and put them in the fridge. Remove and allow the dough to rise the 2-3 hours (or a litte longer) prior to baking.

Sauce
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup whipping cream
Mix and bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium and simmer about 10 minutes. Sauce should reach a “soft ball” stage. Stir in additional chopped nuts, if desired. Pour the sauce over the hot rolls.

No, there is NOT a calorie or nutritional breakdown for this recipe! You wouldn’t want to know…