You can definitely cut the recipes in half, but I used to multiply them when I made them at the restaurant where I used to work in San Francisco. I made a more or less regular bread dough with a small amount of sugar added, and after the first rise, I would roll the dough out into a long rectangle, add butter to two thirds of the rectangle, and the fold the dough over as in making a puff pastry, and then I followed the methods for making puff pastry in order to get many layers of butter and dough. Then I would roll the layered dough into a long rectangle (like Pioneer Woman) and add brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped walnuts and roll the rectangle like Pioneer Woman and cut into rounds. Instead of putting these into one pan, I put them into muffin pans, so that they would make nice individual servings. I didn't bother to glaze mine, but that might have been a good idea, although I think they might have been too sweet if I did that. I added the walnuts because the restaurant always had barrels of walnuts (and other nuts), and so I thought I might as well use them. I think it is difficult to make a bad cinnamon roll. I worked graveyard at the restaurant (11 PM to 7 AM - later when I made yeast dough), and so my rolls were ready for breakfast when the restaurant opened. The restaurant was owned by a commune of hippies, and so the staff ate many of the rolls before customers had a chance to buy them. I could physically only make so many in one night, and I had to make three different recipes each night - generally of the coffee cake or dessert variety - something to have with coffee in the morning or afternoon. Lars

This should do it: Quick Cinnamon Buns with Buttermilk Icing from the cookbook, Here in America's Test Kitchen Makes 8 buns. Melted butter is used in both the filling and the dough and to grease the pan; melt the total amount (8 tablespoons) at once and measure it out as you need it. 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, for pan cinnamon-sugar filling 3/4 cup (5 1/4 oz) packed dark brown sugar 1/4 cup (1 3/4 oz) granulated sugar 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/8 tsp ground cloves 1/8 tsp salt 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted biscuit dough 2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus additional flour for work surface 2 tbsp granulated sugar 1 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 1/4 cups buttermilk 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted icing 2 tbsp cream cheese, softened 2 tbsp buttermilk 1 cup (4 oz) confectioners' sugar 1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Pour 1 tbsp melted butter into 9-inch nonstick cake pan; brush to coat pan. Spray wire cooling rack with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. 2. TO MAKE CINNAMON-SUGAR FILLING: Combine sugars, spices, and salt in small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon melted butter and stir with fork or fingers until mixture resembles wet sand; set filling mixture aside. 3. TO MAKE BISCUIT DOUGH: Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Whisk buttermilk and 2 tablespoons melted butter in measuring cup or small bowl. Add liquid to dry ingredients and stir with wooden spoon until liquid is absorbed (dough will look very shaggy), about 30 seconds. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead until just smooth and no longer shaggy. 4. Pat dough with hands into 12 by 9-inch rectangle. Brush dough with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle evenly with filling, leaving 1/2-inch border of plain dough around edges. Press filling firmly into dough. Using bench scraper or metal spatula, loosen dough from work surface. Starting at long side, roll dough, pressing lightly, to form tight log. Pinch seam to seal. Roll log seam-side down and cut evenly into eight pieces. With hand, slightly flatten each piece of dough to seal open edges and keep filling in place. Place one roll in center of prepared nonstick pan, then place remaining seven rolls around perimeter of pan. Brush with 2 tablespoons remaining melted butter. 5. Bake until edges are golden brown, 23 to 25 minutes. Use offset metal spatula to loosen buns from pan. Wearing oven mitt, place large plate over pan and invert buns onto plate. Place greased cooling rack over plate and invert buns onto rack. Cool about 5 minutes before icing. 6. TO MAKE ICING AND FINISH BUNS: While buns are cooling, line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (for easy cleanup); set rack with buns over baking sheet. Whisk cream cheese and buttermilk in large nonreactive bowl until thick and smooth (mixture will look like cottage cheese at first). Sift confectioners' sugar over; whisk until smooth glaze forms, about 30 seconds. Spoon glaze evenly over buns; serve immediately. The buns are best eaten warm, but they hold up reasonably well for up to 2 hours. Here is a link that might be useful: Joyful Baker Blog

Nancy we must have been posting at the same time. My favourite recipe too. You can also make these on a cookie sheet spaced apart so they remain individual. Here is the recipe: Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Cinnamon Rolls (Buns) ===================== From Joy of Baking Dough: 4-1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose " flour 1 package active dry yeast 1 cup milk 1/3 cup "" butter 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt "3 eggs Filling: 3/4 cup packed brown"sugar 1/4 cup all-purpose " flour 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1/2 Cup" butter 1/2 cup light raisins (optional) 1 tablespoon half-and-half 1 recipe Powdered Sugar Glaze Powdered Sugar Glaze: In a bowl stir together 1 1/4 cups sifted powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon light corn syrup, 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and enough half-and-half (1 to 2 tablespoons) to make the glaze thin enough to drizzle over cinnamon rolls. . In a large mixing bowl combine 2 1/4 cups of the flour and the yeast. In a small saucepan heat the milk, the 1/3 cup butter, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt just till warm (120 degrees to 130 degrees)and butter is almost melted, stirring constantly. Add to flour mixture. Add eggs. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 cups flour as you can. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic (3 to 5 minutes). Shape into a ball. Place in a greased bowl, turning once. Cover; let rise in a warm place till double (about 1 - 1 1/2 hours). For filling, combine brown sugar, the 1/4 cup flour, and cinnamon. Cut in remaining butter with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Set aside. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll the dough into a 12 inch square. Sprinkle filling over dough square; top with raisins (if desired). Roll up jelly-roll style; pinch edges to seal. Slice roll into eight 1 1/2 inch pieces. Arrange dough pieces, cut side up, in a greased 12 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan. Cover dough loosely with clear plastic wrap, leaving room for rolls to rise. Refrigerate dough for 2 to 24 hours. Uncover and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. (If you are making the cinnamon rolls immediately, don't chill dough. Instead, cover loosely, let dough rise in a warm place till nearly double, about 45 minutes.) Break any surface bubbles with a greased toothpick. Brush dough with a half-and-half. Bake in a 375 degree oven to 25 to 30 minutes or till light brown. If necessary to prevent over-browning., cover rolls loosely with foil the last 5 to 10 minutes of baking. Remove rolls from oven. Brush again with half-and-half. Cool 5 minutes. Invert onto a baking rack and invert again onto a plate. Can drizzle with Powdered Sugar Glaze. Serve warm. Makes 8 rolls. Note: I prefer a Cream Cheese icing. 1/4 cup butter 1 cup cream cheese Cream together and add enough icing/powder sugar to make a creamy icing.

If the sink AFTER taking them out of the oven, I believe it's much more likely that you have under baked rather than over proofed. I have over proofed many times, when I was shaping rolls faster than my ovens could bake them, and the only time the center fell was when I rushed the rolls in the oven and didn't allow them to really get done. another possibility could be not allowing them to rise enough before baking and you got your oven spring only on the outside of the roll, or perhaps you had refrigerated your dough and it did not warm up enough to rise properly...or maybe you're baking your rolls by the color and not by the time in the oven, and they are getting too brown before the center is done and they drop when you take them out. Whatever....if they drop after taking them out....they were not baked long enough.