Cinnamon Rolls

A quick yeastless cinnamon roll built on biscuit dough, so it goes from bowl to table in well under an hour. A few of the terms and quantities need translating.

• "Hot oven"In books of this period a hot oven is 425-450F. At 425F, rolls this size need about 15 minutes; watch the bottoms, since sugar against a greased pan browns fast.
• The biscuit doughThe recipe assumes the book's own baking powder biscuit recipe, which is not reproduced here. Period formulas run in the region of 2 cups flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder, salt, 2 to 4 tablespoons fat and roughly 3/4 cup milk, but proportions differ from book to book. Handle it as little as possible once the milk goes in.
• Sugar and shorteningBoth appear in the method without amounts. Figure 2 to 3 tablespoons melted butter to brush the sheet of dough and 1/3 cup brown or granulated sugar for the filling.
• CitronThis is candied citron peel, sold in tubs at holiday baking time and easy to miss the rest of the year. Chop it fine; candied orange peel or additional raisins substitute without complaint.
• CinnamonA third of a teaspoon is very restrained by current taste. A full teaspoon mixed into the sugar is closer to what most people now expect from the name.
• Rolling and cuttingRoll the dough into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick, roll it up snugly from the long side, and cut 3/4-inch slices with a sharp thin knife or a length of thread rather than pressing down with a blunt edge, which squashes the spiral.
• YieldA two-cup biscuit recipe rolled and cut this way gives about twelve rolls. Bake them nearly touching in a round pan if you want soft sides, spaced apart for crisp ones.
• TimingBiscuit dough with sugar in it stales quickly. These are at their best within an hour of leaving the oven.