What was wrong with my cinnamon rolls?

Question

I made some cinnamon rolls for church. The first rise went very well but the second rise pooped out. Could it of been the yeast? It wasn't old.
Although the rolls didn't rise much, when I baked them they were passable.

I have a inkling what might of happened - the recipe called for milk sugar and stick margarine to be warmed up. The recipe said that it was warm enough when there are still bits of unmelted margarine. I had gotten my margarine straight out of the freezer, it took longer for the frozen margarine to melt, in the end the milk mixture got too hot.
Your answers helped me to zero in on what the problem could of been. Thanks.

Answer 1

Your water was too warm when you first added it. The hot water reacted with the yeast initially, but killed it quickly. This is why the second rising was nonexistant. Make sure to properly temp the water when you're baking bread because so much depends on a balance of temperatures.

Answer 2

Some of these problems are easy to fix. Whether or not they "look" done, bake them for the amount of time indicated in your recipe. They are coming out hard and dry because you're ignoring the proper cooking instructions. I've never heard of the filling melting out of the roll. Once the butter/sugar/cinnamon is spread on the dough, roll it up, cut it into individual servings and bake.. I suspect you're cooking them too long at too high heat.

Answer 3

It is very possible it was not warm enough the yeast rise a second time. Maybe it will work for you next time.