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Friday, April 2, 2010

Cinnamon Rolls

I have very distinct memories of waking up on the mornings of August 21st, October 28th, February 13th, and July 13th to the smell of cinnamon rolls baking in the oven. Growing up, it was a family tradition to have cinnamon rolls on the morning of our birthday, so 4 kids = 4 cinnamon roll mornings a year. It wasn't that these were anything extraordinary, they were just the kind you roll out of a can (and that's not to knock my mom here--you all know she's got serious talent in the kitchen!), but we loved them and looked forward to digging in to one or two of those gooey rolls, licking the frosting off of our sticky fingers.

Having been out of the house for years now, I don't know if the cinnamon roll tradition continues. However, I decided to make a batch from scratch, something I've been wanting to try for awhile, the weekend my family came to visit. I actually prepared these the week before, stuck them in the freezer, then baked them Saturday morning (after thawing overnight).

I adapted the original recipe slightly, since it called for using a bread machine. I also changed the method of spreading the cinnamon sugar method and I liked the way I did it. This recipe as a whole was just incredibly easy...dangerously easy! These were a huge hit and I can't wait to make them for more overnight guests!

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls (aka Copycat Cinnabon Rolls)

Ingredients:
-1 cup warm milk
-2 eggs, room temperature
-1/3 cup margarine, melted
-4 1/2 cups bread flour
-1 tsp salt
-1/2 cup white sugar
-1 packet Active Dry Yeast

For the filling:
-1 cup brown sugar, packed
-2 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
-1/3 cup butter, softened

For the frosting: (*note: this makes much more frosting than needed, I had quite a bit leftover. This could probably be halved and you'd still have plenty!)
-1 (8oz) package low-fat cream cheese
-1/2 cup butter, softened
-3 cups confectioners' sugar
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1/4 tsp salt
-2 tbsp milk (I added to get a slightly runnier consistency)

Directions:
1. Pour yeast into warm milk and allow to dissolve.
2. Mix eggs, sugar, salt, and melted margarine in a large mixing bowl. Stir in milk/yeast.
3. Add flour to the mixture and, using the dough hook on your mixer, mix until soft dough is formed. Continue kneading by mixer for 3-4 minutes (could probably also do this by hand).
4. Place dough into a large bowl and allow to rise for 1 hour.

5. After rising, roll dough into a (approximate) 16 x 21 inch rectangle.

6. In a small bowl, mix softened butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Drop chunks of the mixture onto the dough. Spread as evenly as you can with a knife or your hands.

7. Roll up the dough into a long rope and cut into 12 even rolls.


8. Place rolls into a lightly greased 9 x 13 in baking pan.


**To bake immediately:
Allow rolls to rise for approximately 30 minutes, until doubled in size. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Invert rolls onto serving platter to allow cinnamon sugar mixture to drip onto rolls. Beat together frosting ingredients and spread onto rolls before serving.
**To freeze & bake later:
Cover baking pan with plastic wrap and foil (or cover). When ready to bake, remove from freezer and allow to thaw in the fridge overnight. In the morning, place them on the counter while the oven is preheating. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Invert rolls onto serving platter to allow cinnamon sugar mixture to drip onto rolls. Beat together frosting ingredients and spread onto rolls before serving.