I Think I am going to make these suckers again for Christmas morning. I was mega nervous making these guys. I have had too many disappointments in the past when yeast, flour, and kneading were ever involved.
I have, because of this, convinced myself that excellent bakers are actually wizards.
One thing I realized in making these rolls is how important it is to properly measure out your flour. This is a totally obvious statement, hear me out: If you don’t have a scale to measure your flour then spoon it gently into a DRY measuring cup before gently shaking the excess top off. Then, using the backside of a knife, level it. After your flour is measured, always sift it! It seems like extra effort, but when you are spending over an hour on something, better get it right. Am I right?
One more thing I will say about this recipe (and others that require some time) is don’t be intimidated by the amount of time needed. First, look over the entire recipe, you’ll notice time breaks in between steps, in this recipe the time allows for the dough to rise. In other recipes maybe for the item to marinate, cool/set, freeze, etc… You can fit it SO MUCH in these little breaks.
In this recipe you have an initial 1.5 hours for the dough to rise, and then later on another 40 minutes for the cinnamon rolls to rise once more. The active time on this recipe is so little, AND your inactive time doesn’t require you to stay in your home (IE: you’re not leaving your home with the oven on). So you can really get some errands done!
Now the negative: These rolls are so awesome right out of the oven, they really should be enjoyed the day of! I suggest giving them away to friends, or you may be tempted to eat three too many!
Dough:
- 1/4-ounce package yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup scalded milk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
Filling:
- 1/2 cup melted butter, plus more for pan
- 3/4 cup sugar, plus more for pan
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1.5 hours.
When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread melted butter all over dough. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over buttered dough. Beginning at the 15-inch side, roll up dough. Cut into 12 to 15 slices. (about 2 inches wide)
Coat the bottom of baking pan with butter. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 40 minutes. Bake for about 25-30 minutes.
** Feel free to experiment with fillings and extracts! I am going to try to make an Orange Roll version next time!
And for a Cream Cheese Frosting use this recipe:
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine ingredients together, mix until smooth.
