Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls

In my 18 years of wedded blissful experiences...I have learned that men really only need two things...And, cinnamon rolls are on top of the “food” list.

 What man doesn’t LOVE cinnamon rolls?  Ask any man around you (right now) ...”Do you LOVE cinnamon rolls?” ...and the answer will always be YES.

A basic sweet bread dough is what you need to make cinnamon rolls.  I prefer a sweet dough that is made with butter rather than shortening (who wouldn’t?!).  This recipe is a “dinner roll” recipe that I got from my friend, Natalie, many years ago.  I recently made these rolls and my husband loved them so much that he thought they’d make a great dough for our Christmas morning cinnamon rolls...so I “practiced” them earlier this week and they turned out GREAT...so I made them again for this morning...going running tomorrow...and spinning the next day, and yoga, and...cutting out sugar in January (really).

I’ve learned that bread making is for people who have a lot of other things to do.  Do not just make bread.  While the bread is kneading or rising or rising again, you can do all the other things that you need to get done around the house.  Right now I have some french bread in my oven rising :)

Sweet Bread or Dinner Roll recipe:
2 cups milk
1 cube butter
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 packages dry yeast dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water
7 cups flour

If you’re new to making dinner rolls or dough for cinnamon rolls, here are a few tips and how to’s:  (DO NOT be intimidated by all these instructions!)

Add 2 packages of dry yeast to a 1/2 cup of warm water (each package equals 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast).  Let it get all foamy...about 10 minutes or so.

While the yeast is dissolving ...in a pot on the stovetop, slowly melt one cube of butter.  Add two cups of milk (anything except for fat free) and 1/3 cup of sugar.  Keep it at a low temperature.  When all is melted and warmed and you can stick your finger in the mixture without burning yourself, turn off the heat.  Add two beaten eggs (always use large eggs for baking, ALWAYS).  Make sure it’s not too hot when you add the eggs or you’ll end up with scrambled eggs in a milky-buttery soup.

In your mixer, measure 7 cups of flour and 2 teaspoons of salt.  Add the yeast/water (which is now foamy and dissolved) and the butter/sugar/milk/egg mixture (that is not too hot or it will kill the yeast).  Turn the mixer on slow till the flour and liquids are combined.  For kneading, turn the mixer to medium speed for 6 or 7 minutes.

Grease a LARGE non-metal bowl with some oil.  Rub it around with your hands and get your hands all greasy.  Once the dough is kneaded you can then pull it out with your greasy hands and put it in the bowl.  Turn the dough over once to coat it with oil.

Now you need to let the dough rise.  I like to let my doughs rise in the oven because dough needs a warm, draft free, “safe” location.  I turn on my oven just until it reaches 105 degrees and then I turn it off and open it up to let some heat escape.  Now it’s just  warm enough for it to rise nicely.  I put a dish towel on a rack and put my big plastic bowl on it.  I cover the bowl with a tea towel and close the oven.  This is now a good time to do something else for an hour or two.  The dough needs to double in size.  It is possible to over rise your dough...and that is bad.  If it over rises, it will break the strands of gluten.  Always gently deflate your dough...don’t punch it down.  A longer, slower rise makes for a tastier loaf...

Once it has risen, gently deflate the dough.  At this point, you can either put the dough in the refrigerator for tomorrow morning or roll it out to make cinnamon rolls, cinnamon loaves or make dinner rolls.  NOTE:  if you do decide to refrigerate it to use later, take it out of the fridge an hour or so before shaping it into what you want it to be.

If you’re making cinnamon rolls, melt some butter and let it cool a bit.  I divide this dough into thirds to make it easier to work with.  Roll out the dough on a floured surface into a fat rectangle.  Pour the butter on and brush it all over.  Sprinkle the dough with brown sugar and cinnamon (to taste).  I have discovered that too much (butter or sugar or both) will melt into the bottom of the pan and burn into a mess...   ;)

Yes, this is my fat rectangle ...with brown sugar and cinnamon sprinkled on top of butter.

Roll the rectangle up starting from one of the longer sides.  Once it’s all rolled up squeeze and shape it a bit to form a nice long roll.  Rather than using a knife, use thread to cut the rolls.  My Mom taught me that years ago...it’s fun to do!

For nice big rolls, cut each roll into 2” pieces.  Place into a greased pan.  Set into a warm (just barely) oven for 20 minutes or so.  Leave them in the oven and turn it on to  350 and bake them for 15-20 minutes.

This is what they look like before rising.

DO NOT OVER BAKE!!!!  If you over bake them, the bottoms will be BLACK and the whole thing will be ruined (I know this from experience).  The cinnamon rolls should be just be barely golden when baked right.  My old oven tends to heat slowly so I have to bake them a little longer, but I check on them often.  Note to self, start shopping for a new oven.

Let the cinnamon rolls cool for a few minutes and then remove them from the pan.  If you don’t they will stick to the bottom of the pan...again, from experience.

FROSTING:  I like this recipe because it’s super easy...and tasty too.
1 box (16 ounces) of powdered sugar
1 8 ounce container of regular cream cheese
1 cube of real butter (salted)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1-3 tablespoons of milk

Using a hand mixer, whip up all the ingredients.  Frost the cinnamon rolls and enjoy!

Now, if only I could find some cinnamon roll scented lingerie...

Happy 18th Anniversary baby (this next week)!  You’re the best thing that ever happened in my life...thank you for always being on my team.