Much of the US was hit by a winter storm this week, so that's nothing new. After the Christmas holidays and all of the rich, sweet, delicious food I have been having serious withdrawal cravings. When we got word that we were expecting at least 8 inches in an area totally unaccustomed to snow I got the inspiration for a special snow day baking project. I pulled out my great-grandmother's original better home and garden cookbook for our family's roll recipe, set it side by side with my cooking bible, and let the inspiration flow.
So here I am at 11 o'clock at night kneading out dough for the second time and debating baking the sweets that night in case of a surprise power outage. It was so peaceful, like meditation, but covered in flour.
The important thing to know about this recipe is that it will be at least three hours from the time you start this recipe until your rolls actually go in the oven, so it is ideal to make ahead the night before. I also used half wheat flour and half unbleached white flour, and it would be fine to use coconut or almond flour as well. This is a recipe that relies mostly on the consistency of the dough and not exact measurements, but don't let that freak you out, I did my best to estimate and I'll let you know what you should expect.
Who's ready for some diabeetus?! Uh, I mean, cinnamon rolls!?
Add one package of dry active yeast to 2 cups very warm water, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoon salt in large bowl. Stir gently and let set 2-3 minutes until the yeast dissolves. Add 1 1/2 Tablespoon of shortening or softened butter, and one beaten egg to mixture.
Add about 1 1/2 cup flour until it's the consistency of a thick cake batter and beat with an electric beater until smooth and glossy. At this point you'll want to switch to hand mixing unless you have bread hook attachments. Add about 2 more cups of flour, a little at a time, until the dough is stiff to stir with a wooden spoon.
Now it's time to roll up your sleeves. Transfer your dough to a floured board and knead for several minutes adding flour until dough is elastic and doesn't stick to your hands. Return the dough to the clean dry bowl and cover with a damp cloth or towel.
I'm not sure about your house, but in the winter here the house stays a little cooler, and since you need to keep the dough in warm place until it doubles in size, or about an hour to an hour and a half, one option is to use the oven. Preheat your oven to the lowest temperature possible, then TURN IT OFF and stick your bowl in there to keep warm. This will activate the yeast quicker for you too!
Before you start working on the dough again, now is the time to mix up the cinnamon sugar filling. Combine 2 Tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup brown or white sugar, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon of cloves in a microwave safe dish, or on the stovetop. Heat until the butter is melted and the ingredients create a sugar crumble.
It's important to note here that I use brown sugar and a glass baking dish, and my grandmother uses white sugar and a metal baking dish. She always found that the brown sugar mix would harden and stick to the pan, but by beating the butter and sugar together it seems to change the way it behaves for me.. Brown sugar gives you more rich flavor, but if you have any issues just switch to white to avoid difficulties.
Once the dough has risen to twice its size, (its magic!) scrape the dough back onto your floured surface. Punch down the dough and knead it again until it's elastic and not sticky - and don't hesitate to use some more flour. Now grab that rolling pin and roll out your dough to about 3/4" thickness, trying to make a square or rectangular shape with even sides.
Spread the cinnamon sugar all over the dough, leaving a quarter inch bare on the top end that you intend to use as the outside edge of your swirl. Optional additional add-ins include pecans, walnuts, raisins, chocolate chips, fruit, or whatever your heart desires!
Then roll that baby up! Roll it nice and tight, and pull the edges to keep them even. Use a serrated knife to cut your log, starting in the middle and making two, then the middle of those logs to make four, and so on until your rolls are about an inch thickness. Set your rolls in a metal or glass baking pan side by side, and make sure you use a pan that has high sides, and spray it to prevent sticking. Another fun tip: if you don't plan to serve your rolls in the pan, you can add a layer of parchment paper to the bottom and up over the sides which will allow you to pick the cooked rolls right up off the pan and place them on a pretty dish for serving!
If you are saving these rolls for another day, now is the time to cover with foil to store in the fridge for up to 5 days. When you're ready to bake, take them out of the fridge to come to room temp for about an hour before resuming the next step.
Your rolls need to rise again, so put them back in a warmed oven, covered with a damp towel, for another hour or so until they are twice their size. (Does any of this sound familiar?)
Once your rolls are nice and risen, take them out of the oven. Preheat it to 350 degrees and bake them 25 minutes or until golden on the tops. Then place on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes before serving.
While your rolls are baking it's time to make the icing. Add about 1 cup powdered sugar to a bowl with 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 2-3 tablespoons of milk. Beat until sugar is dissolved, adding more sugar or milk until reaching a silky consistency. Then pour that icing all over those piping hot rolls and let it melt into all their tiny crevices to give you that sticky ooey gooey mess we all love.
Serve and enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container on the countertop for easy snacking where they will last for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for easy reheat next weekend! They also make great gifts!
Ingredients
Rolls:
1 package Dry Active or Fast Rising Yeast
2 cups water
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 Tablespoon shortening or softened butter
1 egg
4 cups flour approximately (wheat, white, almond, or coconut - do not use baking flour as it contains baking soda and salt)
Cinnamon Sugar Filling:
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup brown or white sugar
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
optional nuts, chocolate, or fruits as add-ins
Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar (aka confectioners sugar)
3 tablespoons milk approximately (I used almond, but you can use whatever you have)
1 teaspoon vanilla
At long last! I've had several requests for this recipe over the holidays after I touted how delicious and easy it was to make. I always assumed that making your own foods we typically find conveniently packaged at the store would require a lot more effort, but I now enjoy the freedom of knowing just what goes into my food and making it exactly how like it. There is one caveat to this recipe - it does require a food processor. I tried to use a Ninja blender and it didn't go over so well, but maybe a regular blender would work differently. If you don't have one, maybe you can ask a friend or neighbor to borrow theirs in exchange for a batch to keep for themselves *wink*
Ingredients:
