I'm a cinnamon roll!

Cinnamon Roll

Okay maybe I'm not a cinnamon roll :)

Have been occupying my weekends with baking and trying out new things to cook and bake. I've always wanted to try my hands on baking pastries and have been putting this cinnamon roll recipe in my 'to-bake' list for quite a while now. So last weekend, I finally decided to bake these sweet babies. Verdict? Absolutely YUMMY! The recipe calls for a glaze for the rolls but I skipped that part. I'm sure with the glaze, the rolls will taste heavenly because everything with cheese in it, no doubt, yummers!

The recipe isn't very difficult to make, it's just the waiting time. All in all, about 3.5 hours of resting time for the dough to "poof". The wait however, was pretty worth it.

After the 3.5 hours wait, right before entering the oven.

I think one crucial point while making these babies is the kneading / mixing part. Kneading the dough till it's really soft and smooth (which takes a bit of effort if you're not using a mixer). Paying attention to this step will result in soft and fluffy rolls. The house just smelt so good while these were in the oven.

Jamie, Felina and Melinda, I'm posting up this recipe for you girls. Do give it a try and let me know how yours turned out :)



Cinnamon Rolls (adapted from Laura In The Kitchen)
Makes about 16 rolls


Ingredients
2 1/4 tsp dry yeast + 1tbsp of sugar
¾ cup of milk
¼ cup of granulated sugar
¼ cup of warm water
¼ tsp of vanilla extract
1 egg
1 tsp of salt
¼ cup of unsalted butter, melted (60 grams)
4 cups of all purpose flour
¼ cup of melted butter, to brush over the top before baking

For the filling,
1/3 cup of unsalted butter, at room temperature (80 grams)
¾ cup of brown sugar
¼ cup of granulated sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp of ground cinnamon

For the glaze,
¼ cup of cream cheese, at room temperature
1 Tbsp of butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups of powdered sugar
½ tsp of vanilla extract
3 to 4 Tbsp of warm milk

Process,

1) In a small bowl, combine the warm water and 1 tbsp of the granulated sugar, sprinkle the yeast over the top and let it sit for about 5 minutes.

2) In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the egg, milk, salt, sugar and melted butter. Add 2 cups of the flour and the water, vanilla and yeast mixture, mix until its all incorporated and slowly add about 2 more cups of flour. Turn the speed up to medium and let it mix for about 5 to 7 minutes or until you have a smooth dough.

3) Oil a large bowl with some vegetable oil and set aside. Take the dough out of the mixer and pull it together with your hands to form a ball. Place it in the oiled bowl and oil the top of the dough with a little vegetable oil. Cover with plastic wrap and place it in a warm spot to rise for about 2 hours.

4) In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon for the filling, set aside.

5) When doubled in size, punch the dough down and roll it out onto a floured surface into a 15x9” rectangle. Spread the soft butter over the top and sprinkle evenly over the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Cut into 14 to 16 slices (make sure they are even) and place them cut side down in a well buttered 9x13 baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let put them back into a warm spot to rise for another 1 ½ hours.

6) Once risen, brush them with some melted butter and bake them for about 30 in a pre-heated oven (350F or 180C) or until golden brown.

7) While the cinnamon rolls cool for a few minutes make the glaze. Mix all the ingredients of the glaze in a bowl except for the milk, once the cream cheese is all mixed, slowly add the milk until you get a runny glaze consistency. Immediately pour the glaze over the cinnamon rolls and enjoy!