Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls.

Ingredients: (Dough)

  • 8 oz of warm water (Lukewarm)
  • 2-1/2 teaspoons of active yeast.
  • 12-3/4 oz of all purpose flour
  • 1-1/4 oz of sugar
  • 1-1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 5/8 oz of nonfat dry milk
  • 1-1/2 oz of instant mashed potato flakes
  • 3 oz of room temperature butter (unsalted)

Dissolve the yeast into the luke warm water and let sit for about 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile whisk together all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. I use the bowl to my stand mixer. Now pour the water/yeast mixture into the dry ingredients and also add in the room temperature butter. Mix and kneed until a smooth cohesive dough forms. I use the stand mixer with a dough hook and it take about 7 minutes. You should have the following.

Cover the bowl and let dough rise for about an hour. It will puff up and about double in volume.

Ingredients: (Filling)

  • 3 oz of granulated sugar
  • 1-1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons of all purpose flour
  • 2-4 tablespoons milk

In a small bowl whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and all purpose flour. Set aside the milk.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough you made previously that is rising in the covered bowl. You will want to roll the dough out into a rectangle about 12″X18″. You don’t have to be precise. Just roll the dough into a rectangle about 3/8″ thick. Should look like the following.

Now take the reserved milk and brush it all over the rolled out dough. Leave about an inch space around the perimeter. You can use a pastry brush, your hand, paint roller, airless sprayer, crop duster whatever you have handy.

Now spread the sugar and cinnamon mixture on the dough. Gently using your hand level it all out. Should look like the following.

Now just roll the dough up lengthwise into one long cylindrical log. Next take a serrated knife and cut the dough in half. Then cut the two halves in half. Continue cutting each half in half until you have 16 rolls.

Place 8 of the cut cinnamon rolls into a 9″ lightly greased pie pan. Put the other 8 rolls in another lightly greased pie pan. You will have two 9″ pie pans with cinnamon rolls.

The rolls need to rise again. Notice there is plenty of space and the rolls look smallish. Don’t worry. Yeast is magic and working. These rolls need to rise about another hour to an hour and a half. The best place for this to happen is in an UNHEATED oven with the light turned on. So turn on the oven light, put these pans in the oven and check them in an hour and fifteen minutes. The rolls will rise and double in size. See?!

Once the rolls have risen and doubled in size, remove from oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Now bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes.

While the rolls bake,make the glaze.

Ingredients: (Glaze)

  • 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
  • 3-4 tablespoons of milk
  • 1-1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Sift sugar into small bowl. Add milk and vanilla extract and stir well. You should end up with a smooth glaze. If its too loose, add sugar. If too thick add some milk. When its to the consistency you like, pour over the hot cinnamon rolls when they come out of the oven like below.

Cut one or ten out, and chow down. A little more work and pre-planning, but these will beat anything you buy in a tube at the grocery store. It also makes the house smell nice.