How to Make Perfect Cinnamon Rolls

Making homemade cinnamon rolls is a challenge. Like making other from-scratch, really wonderful but difficult baked goods, such as pie crusts and cheesecakes and fudge, practice makes perfect. You have to get used to the amount of time it takes and the specific job and how the ingredients come together, so that you figure out the technique and can replicate the same results each time. That being said, I've got the absolute BEST recipe shared from one family member to another, and I've figured out a few tips to help ensure that a cinnamon roll is everything a cinnamon roll should be.

First of all, the recipe. I'm not sure where it originated. I just know an aunt brought a batch of cinnamon rolls made with this dough recipe to a family gathering and my mother got it from her. Then, when I asked Mom a year ago for a good cinnamon roll recipe, she immediately passed this one onto me. She gave me a different icing recipe, though, that she thought was better. I agree. I will never use any other icing recipe for cinnamon rolls. It is the best. But I make 1 ½ recipes of it because I don't think one recipe is enough.
Dough:
1 C oatmeal (old-fashioned, preferably)

3 T softened butter

2 C boiling water

2 pkgs yeast, dissolved in 1/3 C warm water (not hot)

1 T white sugar

2/3 C brown sugar

1 ½ t salt

5 C all-purpose flour

6 T melted butter

1 C sugar mixed with 2 t cinnamon

In large bowl, pour boiling water over oats and butter. Stir until butter is melted and let cool to lukewarm (takes about 10 minutes in a stainless steel mixing bowl placed in the freezer). Meanwhile, dissolve yeast in water with white sugar. Add yeast mixture, brown sugar and salt to oatmeal mixture. Knead in flour one cup at a time, just until flour is blended. Cover and allow to rise in warm place (such as the stove top above a warm oven) for 1 hour. Punch down and roll out on a well-floured surface into a 1"-thick rectangle shape. Spread with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Roll up and cut into rolls 1" wide. Place in a lightly greased, 9x13 glass baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees 20-25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes and top thickly with icing.

Icing:

1-2 T milk