Betty's Famous Cinnamon Rolls

1. Make the dough: Whisk warm water and yeast together in a bowl. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar over top and whisk until well incorporated. Set aside until yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam, 10 to 20 minutes.

2. Combine warm milk, 2/3 cup sugar, 2/3 cup melted butter, eggs, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add yeast mixture and mix until all ingredients are incorporated. Mix in 4 cups flour on medium speed until dough is completely smooth, about 5 minutes.

3. Transfer dough to a large bowl. Knead remaining 4 cups flour into dough with your hands until dough is slightly stiff and sticky, about 10 minutes.

4. Grease another large bowl. Place dough into the greased bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

5. Remove plastic wrap from the bowl and punch down dough. Set dough aside to rest for 5 minutes.

6. While the dough is resting, make the filling: Mix pecans, sugar, and cinnamon together in a bowl.

7. Roll dough out onto a well-floured surface, forming a 15x20-inch rectangle. Brush the entire surface with remaining 1/2 cup melted butter, then sprinkle filling mixture over top. Starting at the long end, tightly roll dough over filling and pinch the edges together to seal. Use dental floss to cut roll into 18 pieces.

8. Prepare the baking dish: Brush melted butter over the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish, then sprinkle sugar over melted butter.

9. Arrange cinnamon rolls, cut-sides up and close together, in the prepared baking dish. Let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.

10. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

11. Bake rolls in the preheated oven until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

12. While the rolls are baking, make the glaze: Beat confectioners' sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and maple extract in a bowl until smooth. Drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls.

Tips

Substitute walnuts or raisins for pecans if desired.

The glaze can thicken depending on the brand and freshness of the powdered sugar. If it's too thick to drizzle, add a little more melted butter, one teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.