Saturday, January 2, 2010

Making cinnamon rolls


I have been making cinnamon rolls for the last 10 hours. I did sleep some in there, but not as much as I had hoped. The idea that this recipe only takes 4 hours is a little misleading. I think I just didn't have a warm enough spot for the dough to rise, but it took almost 5 hours for it to double. I am not usually very good with yeast breads, so I was thrilled that they are working at all. The first batch just came out.

This is the recipe.

Cinnamon Buns like Cinnabon's®

Prep. Time: 4:00
Serves: 12 - 15

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 Tbls. ground cinnamon
(2) .25 oz. pkts. active dry yeast
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1 cup 110 degree water
1 cup warm milk
2/3 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup melted butter OR margarine
2 tsp. salt
2 eggs - slightly beaten
up to 8 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup melted butter OR margarine
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts OR pecans - optional
1/2 cup melted butter OR margarine
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup melted butter OR margarine
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. maple extract - optional, but recommended
up to 6 Tbls. hot water

-Mix together 1 1/2 cups sugar and the cinnamon; set aside.
-In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tsp. sugar in warm water; set aside.
-In a large bowl, mix together milk, 2/3 cup sugar, 2/3 cup melted butter, salt, and eggs; add yeast mixture and 4 cups of flour to mixture; beat until smooth; stir in enough flour to form a slightly stiff dough.
-Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead for 8 minutes.
-Place dough into a large greased bowl, cover, and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
-Punch down dough and let rest for 5 minutes.
-Roll dough out onto a floured surface into a 15" X 20" rectangle.
-Brush 1/2 cup melted butter over dough; sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over dough; sprinkle nuts evenly over dough, if desired.
-Tightly roll up dough and pinch edges together to seal; cut the roll into 12 - 15 slices using dental floss or thread.
-Coat the bottom of a 13" X 9" X 2" baking pan with 1/2 cup melted butter; sprinkle 1/3 cup sugar evenly in the bottom of the pan.
-Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the prepared pan; cover pan and allow to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.
-Bake rolls in a 350 degree oven for 25 - 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
-Stir together powdered sugar, 2/3 cup melted butter, and extracts; stir in hot water, 1 Tbls. at a time, until the glaze reaches desired spreading consistency.
-Spread prepared icing over slightly cooled rolls.

5 comments:

Kathy Haynie said...

Yum! Better than Cinnabon.

Mike said...

They are fantastic! You should open a bakery!

JuliaKoponick said...

I think I will just make them for the family occasionally. I did actually use a little less butter than called for, but other than that and the increased time to rise, I stuck pretty close to the recipe.

Katie Lewis said...

Man. I can't read this post right now. It makes me want sweets way too much. Please enjoy one on my behalf.

JuliaKoponick said...

Katie, I am going to try to make it with splenda next time. If that works, I will let you know.