French rolls recipe from Breakfast, Luncheon and Tea
By Marion Harland, 1875
This book and many other recipes can be found in the open stacks at the Mercer Museum Research Library.

Adapted Recipe by @But.First.Dessert (Instagram)

French Rolls*

Ingredients:

1 cup milk
1 egg – beaten
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 tablespoons melted butter
3 cups flour

2 tablespoons instant yeast

To make cinnamon rolls:

Cinnamon filling Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons soft butter

Frosting Ingredients:

4 ounces cream cheese, soft
3 tablespoons softened butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Warm the milk slightly (about 105° F), and add the beaten egg, sugar, salt, and melted butter. Using a wooden spoon, stir together the warm milk mixture and the flour. Once ingredients are well incorporated,  add the yeast.
2. Knead well (or use a stand mixer with a hook attachment for 5 to 7 minutes), and let it rise for three hours, or until the dough is light and begins to crack on top.
3. Instead of forming into rolls like the original recipe states, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until you form a rectangle about 14” x 9”. Spread the softened butter on the dough, then sprinkle with the cinnamon and brown sugar mixture. Starting at one of the shorter ends, roll the dough into a 9” log. Cut the dough into nine sections, about 1” wide each, and place in a greased baking dish or pie pan.
4. Let them rise for an additional twenty minutes in a warm place. Bake at 350° F for 20 to 25 minutes or until the rolls turn a light golden color.
5. While the rolls are baking, mix cream cheese, butter, sugar, and vanilla for the frosting. Top the cinnamon rolls with the frosting once they are out of the oven. Best served warm.

* The ingredient portions were halved from the original recipe but the instructions were followed as listed.

Original Recipe:

1 pint of milk
2 eggs
4 table-spoonfuls of yeast
3 table-spoonfuls of butter
1 teaspoonful of salt
3 pints of flour, or enough to work into a soft dough

Warm the milk slightly, and add to it the beaten eggs and salt. Rub the butter into the flour quickly and lightly, until it is like yellow powder. Work into this gradually, with a wooden spoon, the milk and eggs, then the yeast. Knead well, and let it rise three hours, or until the dough is light and being to crack on top. Make into small rolls; let them stand on the hearth twenty minutes before baking in a quick oven. Just before taking them up, brush over with white of egg, Shut the oven door one minute to glaze them.