Cinnamon Rolls and Lucy Jane – A Taste of Family History
Cinnamon rolls and Lucy Jane go hand in hand. While we don’t have her exact recipes or written memories, the tradition of warm, homemade cinnamon rolls has been passed down through generations—and we know it began with her.
Lucy Jane was a mother and grandmother deeply rooted in faith, family, and the land. She was known for her baking, her vibrant gardens, and her devotion to raising a home filled with love. Farm-to-table wasn’t a trend for her—it was simply the way she lived.
She managed both the farm and the kitchen, creating meals that brought people together. Her skills and techniques were passed on to my mother and grandmother, shaping the way our family cooks, gathers, and loves today.
Though the recipes may not be written, the legacy of Lucy Jane’s kitchen lives on—in every batch of cinnamon rolls made with care and shared with joy.
The Sweetest Smell
There are few things in life as comforting as the smell of cinnamon rolls baking on a chilly morning. For me, that scent is more than just sugar and spice—it’s a time machine. It takes me straight back to the heart of my childhood, to the kitchens of two remarkable women: my mom and my grandma.
My earliest memories are filled with the soft hum of the mixer and the gentle clatter of pans as my grandma worked her magic in her kitchen. She never needed a timer. She just knew when the dough had risen enough or when the rolls had turned that perfect golden brown. Her cinnamon rolls were a ritual, an offering of love wrapped in butter and sugar, always ready for holidays, snow days, or just because.
Mom learned from the best. When I was little, I’d perch on a chair in our kitchen, watching her hands—so much like Grandma’s—press the dough flat, sprinkle it with cinnamon and brown sugar, then roll it up with care. I loved how she’d let me help slice the roll into perfect spirals, each one like a little cinnamon galaxy, sweet and endless.
When the rolls baked, the whole house would fill with that warm, buttery scent. It wrapped around me like a blanket, telling me I was safe, loved, and home. I’d press my nose to the oven window, watching the sugar bubble and caramelize, counting down the minutes until we could dig in.
No store-bought pastry ever came close. These weren’t just cinnamon rolls—they were family history. A pinch of Grandma’s patience, a dash of Mom’s joy, and a whole lot of love in every bite. They tasted of early Saturday mornings in pajamas, of flour-dusted hugs and laughter at the kitchen table. They tasted like childhood.
Now, even as the years go by and my life takes me farther from that kitchen, I still carry the memory. Sometimes, my wife will bake a batch for me, trying to recreate the magic. They’re never quite the same—but they’re close. And when that familiar scent fills my home, I close my eyes and smile, because for a moment, I’m a kid again, and everything is warm and good and sweet.
Just like Mom’s. Just like Grandma’s.
Contributed by Uncle Troy Dennis
Lucy Jane’s Story
Lucy Jane was born January 12, 1887, in Wilard, Utah, to Susannah Viola Pettingill and James Lewis Bronson. At the age of three, the family moved to Raft River, and she attended school there. They later moved to a ranch at Almo. Her mother died in 1904. She left eight children, most of them very small, and some of them were also suffering from typhoid fever.
Lucy stepped up to assist in raising her siblings. She married Ernest Dennis, Albion, on April 11, 1906. She was pregnant at the time of their marriage. The marriage was later solemnized in the Logan Temple on June 7, 1922. They had 5 children: 2 sons, 3 daughters. The 2 sons passed by suicide. 18 grandchildren, 52 great-grandchildren, and 17 great-great-grandchildren.
Her hobbies were gardening, baking, and making quilts. She made over 100 quilts, most on a foot treadle sewing machine. Her son, Ross, finally put a motor on the machine. Her lifetime span went from horse and buggy to cars, planes, landing on the moon, and the first personal computer. She lived in Springdale, UT, Oakland Bay, CA,** and Rubert, ID. Her husband died in 1969. She moved to Burley in 1971; this is where she lived out her life. Lucy Jane died July 10, 1984.
Miscellaneous
Lucy Jane’s Quote, “Long life is a lot of hard work, keep busy.”*
The burning of toast, not just burnt but burning, was a morning treat for Grandma Lucy Jane. She loved this cooked in the oven on broil. A treat I would make for her each morning when spending time at her Burly home. She would go out and garden in the morning. The afternoon brought a praline and cream ice cream cone from the A&W across the apartment parking lot. I was sent to get the treat, not sure how they made the journey home. We would sit outside and eat the treat. Days with Grandma Lucy were filled with game shows, soap operas, and gardening.
She made me a quilt that brought me so much comfort, warmth, and peace many nights. In 1997, I took that quilt apart as it was fraying. I made a quilt that connected the past with the current generations. This quilt had the living generation for the Mormon pioneers’ feet, with the names of the ancestors who made the trek west. Her influence in my life is there every day.
Cinnamon Rolls and Lucy Jane
Ingredients
- Dough:
2 cups whole milk
¾ cup butter
1 tablespoon salt
½ cup sugar (or ¼ cup sugar + ¼ cup honey)
2 whole eggs well-beaten
6–7 cups all-purpose flour
2 pkg yeast - Filling:
¾ cup brown sugar (my mother/grandmother used white cane sugar)
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
¼ cup softened butter
½ cup raisins or chopped nuts, optional - Icing (optional):
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon softened butter
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Warm the milk mixture:
Heat the milk, butter, salt, and sugar/honey in a saucepan until the butter melts. Let it cool to lukewarm (about 110°F).
Mix the dough:
In a large mixing bowl or Kitchen Aid, add 3 cups of flour and yeast, add the milk mixture, and blend well. Add eggs to the flour and mix well.
Gradually add more flour (1 cup at a time), blending well after each addition until a soft dough forms. The dough should be slightly sticky but pull away from the sides of the bowl.
Knead:
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 8–10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic.
Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1–1½ hours, or until doubled in size.
Make the filling:
Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Punch down dough, roll it out into a large rectangle (about ¼-inch thick). Spread the dough with softened butter, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the surface. Add the additions you want in your cinnamon rolls.
Shape the rolls:
Roll the dough up tightly from the long edge. Slice into 1–1½ inch pieces and place in a greased 9×13-inch pan (or two smaller pans).
Second rise:
Cover and let rise again for 30–45 minutes, until puffy.
Bake:
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20–25 minutes, until golden brown.
Icing (optional):
Mix 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 TBLS softened butter 2-4 TBS milk/cream (add 1 TBLS at a time), and 1 TSP vanilla. Drizzle over warm rolls.
Susanna Viola
Susanna Viola was born on 28 December 1864 in Willard, Box Elder, Utah Territory, to Elihu Ulysses and Emma Maria Zundel Pettingill. She was the oldest of eight children, four girls and four boys.
Her family came to the Utah Territory with the James C. Snow Company in 1852. Starvation was the struggle on the trail. They killed a couple of buffalo for meat on August 1. They had to rely on buffalo chips for fuel because there were no trees.
They had a severe snowstorm on October 1 and could not travel because it was so severe. On October 5, there were 5 wagons from the valley bringing flour, they were becoming destitute for food. They finally entered the Salt Lake Valley on October 9, 1852.
Susanna sang in the Tabernacle Choir when Evan Stephens was director. James and Susanna settled in Willard, Utah Territory, where three of their children were born. They moved from Willard to Almo, Idaho, before 1889. The rest of their children were born there. Her husband was a rancher with cattle and sheep. Susanna died at the age of 39, on September 18, 1904, in Almo, Cassia, Idaho, “from a typhoid fever epidemic that hit the little town of Almo. She was silently buried in the Sunny Cedar Rest Cemetery, Cassia, Idaho.”***
Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon rolls evoke the senses and memories. The memories of Halloween cinnamon rolls. Grandma Ruth’s baking bread smell and cinnamon would fill the air when visiting on occasion. You knew it was ice cream and a cinnamon roll treat. The cinnamon roll traces back to Sweden’s kanelbulle and Germany’s schnecken, both sweet, spiced bread rolls. Immigrants from Scandinavia and Germany brought these recipes to the U.S. in the 18th and 19th centuries.
In the early 1900s, American bakers began modifying traditional recipes with richer ingredients: more butter, sugar, and often a glaze or frosting. The U.S. version became sweeter and heavier, often served warm and sticky. (Facts generated by ChatGPT)
Aunt Tara Lynn, mother to 3 cute little boys, took the cinnamon rolls on a new journey with her Cinnamon Roll Cookies. This recipe may be found on Lemon8. The family recipe has been altered from Grandma Ruth’s Basic Sweet Rolls to create these cinnamon rolls. Tammy Ann created this to work well with modern equipment and taste. Remember to try the recipes and accommodate your family’s tastes and changes in food culture. Keep your recipes with the ancestors’ recipes to pass down.
Sugar in Southern Idaho
Almo, Idaho, is a small rural community near the City of Rocks National Reserve in Southern Idaho. While Almo itself wasn’t a hub for sugar production, it is historically tied to the sugar beet industry, which was a major agricultural force in southern Idaho in the late 1800s and early to mid-1900s.
- Sugar beet farming expanded rapidly in Cassia County and neighboring areas like Burley, Declo, and Rupert, with irrigation from the Minidoka Project.
- The Amalgamated Sugar Company, founded in 1897, operated multiple processing plants in southern Idaho and played a key role in the region’s economy.
- While Almo’s terrain is more suited for ranching and dry farming, residents may have:
- Participated in sugar beet harvests in nearby towns.
- Traveled seasonally for work in beet fields.
- Sold or traded crops like wheat or livestock to neighbors engaged in beet production.
- Sugar was precious and rationed, especially during the Great Depression and World War II.
- Many recipes used honey, sorghum, or fruit as sweeteners when sugar was scarce.
- Traditional sweets (like cinnamon rolls or pies) often featured minimal sugar, relying on flavor and texture over sweetness. (Facts generated by ChatGPT)
Food is the great connector, linking us to our ancestors through recipes, memories, traditions, and love. It evokes the warmth of a grandmother’s kitchen and the comforting aromas of something simmering on the stove, speaking a language older than words. With every bite, we remember who we are and carry those stories forward, nourishing the future with the essence of the past.
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Resources
*FamilySearch. (n.d.). [Lucy Jones 90th Birthday Dinner – 1977]. FamilySearch. Retrieved May 24, 2025, from https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/memories/KWZ4-Q5L
**United States of America, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790-2007; Record Group Number: 29; Residence Date: 1950; Home in 1950: Oakland, Alameda, Ca
*** FamilySearch. (n.d.). [BIOGRAPHY OF SUSANNA VIOLA PETTINGILL BRONSON]. FamilySearch. Retrieved May 24, 2025, from https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/memories/K2WS-XB7
