Friday, December 10, 2010

Cinnamon Rolls

This is without a doubt one of the best recipes for cinnamon rolls. Go ahead and make these on Christmas morning. They are perfect eaten immediately or later in the day, after they’ve been allowed to cool and settle into they’re almost obscene gooeyness.

Beware: this makes a whole lotta cinnamon rolls. But feel free to spread the joy. Or here’s a thought - you could just stock up your freezer, heat and enjoy for the next time.

Cinnamon Rolls
Yields 30 cinnamon rolls

Ingredients
Dough:
2 cups whole milk
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup sugar
1 package active dry yeast
4 cups (plus ½ cup extra, separated) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon (heaping) baking powder
½ teaspoon (scant) baking soda
½ tablespoon (heaping) salt

Filling:
1 cup melted butter
¾ cup sugar
½ cup cinnamon (or more depending on preference)

Maple Frosting:
½ bag powdered sugar
1 teaspoon maple flavoring
¼ cups milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons brewed coffee
Pinch of salt

Directions
Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in active dry yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 4 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

After rising for at least an hour, add ½ more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).

When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.

Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.

Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.

Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 375 degrees until light golden brown, about 13 to 17 minutes.

For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Go crazy and don’t skimp on the frosting.

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