BreakfastVegetarian

Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls

As usual, the secret ingredient is butter. These are always popular when I force them on my friends and family.

Ingredients

Dough

  • 1 Tbsp yeast (or 1 0.25-ounce package)
  • ½ cup warm water
  • ½ cup milk
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ⅓ cup melted butter
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 3½–4 cups flour

Filling

  • ½ cup melted butter (plus more for pan)
  • ¾ cup sugar (plus more for pan)
  • 2 Tbsp cinnamon

Glaze

  • 4 Tbsp butter
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3–6 Tbsp hot water

Source: Paula Deen

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes

Yield: 12-15 servings

Notes

Planning Ahead:
If you want to make these for breakfast, here’s my suggestion: the day before, prepare the cinnamon rolls up to the point of getting of them into the pan and letting them rise for the last time. Refrigerate them until the next morning. Take them out of the fridge and let them rise until they fill up the pan (which will be longer than the given 45 minutes, because they have to reach room temperature first), then bake as above.

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, mix together the yeast and warm water and set aside.
  2. To scald the milk, bring it to a boil. In the microwave, place something solid (like a chopstick) in the milk to prevent it from superheating and keep an eye on it as you heat it. On the stove, make sure you stir.
  3. In a medium bowl, mix the scalded milk, sugar, butter, salt, and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and stir until smooth. Add the yeast mixture and mix. Add and stir in flour until the dough becomes too difficult to stir, then dump onto a floured surface and begin to knead. Continue to add flour until the dough is smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky. Knead for 5-10 minutes. Let rise 1 - 1½ hours in a warm place (like an oven with just the light on) until doubled.
  4. When the dough is done rising, punch it down and roll it out into a large, long rectangle. The larger the rectangle, the thinner the layers in your roll with be. I like to make a pretty big rectangle so I get a lot of cinnamon dispersed throughout the pastry. Spread the melted butter evenly over the rectangle, all the way to the edges (or you’ll get some rolls without cinnamon). Mix together the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over the buttered dough. Roll the whole thing up from the long edge (the hot dog direction) and pinch the edge to the roll to seal it. (That isn’t terribly effective, but it sort of helps keep it together until you can get it in the pan.)
  5. Coat the bottoms of 2 9-inch round pans with melted butter (just enough to cover the bottom) and sprinkle with sugar. Take a piece of dental floss and slide it about 1½ inches under one end of the cinnamon log. Cross the ends over the top and pull to pinch off a slice. (This squashes the rolls less than if you just use a knife.) Place the roll flat in the pan and repeat for the rest of the log.
  6. Place the pans in a warm place again to let rise for 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and bake the rolls for about 25 minutes.
  7. Meanwhile, mix the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla for the icing. Add the hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency. When the rolls have cooled slightly, drizzle or spread (depending on your desired consistency) the glaze over the rolls.