vacation baking: an excuse to make cinnamon rolls

(Photo courtesy of Rue) This is only moments before the first one was snatched away.

I have wanted to make these cinnamon rolls for so long. I think the March 2008 issue of Bon Appetit was the first one I found in my mailbox. I am still not sure who gifted the subscription to me, but thanks to Mr./Ms. Anonymous, I got the inspiration to revisit yeast (which I had avoided for a long time) and make these gorgeous cinnamon rolls. I am all up in chemical leavening's face, but really feared yeasted doughs - laminated doughs, brioche, and breads, and I told you all I would be fearless!

Why wait so long for something as simple as cinnamon rolls? Well, they are made from a plain white bread dough that needs to rise for 2 hours before punching down and rolling out. Then the dough rectangle is spread with cinnamon sugar and butter, rolled up, cut into pieces, and the rolls rise in the baking dishes for 45 minutes....before baking another 20. A breakfast item that requires 3 hours lead time? Do I need to tell you this is not happening on a weekday? Plus, after you have gone through all that trouble, you should probably eat them fresh out of the oven in all their splendor, so the best solution is a house full of people...unless you want a serious mal au ventre.

Thanks to a weekend renting a riverfront house in celebration of friends tying the knot, I finally had the excuse to share them with a gaggle of friends. When I snuck out of bed and started working on them at 6:48am, I was hoping they would be worth it.

Were they worth lugging the KitchenAid mixer on vacation? 

Worth the wait? 

Oh yes.  Light, steamy and soft on the inside, cognac brown and slightly crunchy on the outside. Good without the cream cheese icing, decadent with it. They didn't last very long. But do not take my word for it. Make them yourself. Like the other 103+ reviewers on epicurious, you will be glad you did. 

Perfect as written by Molly but I did make a few notes below.

Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze

By Molly Wizenberg, published in Bon Appétit, March 2008

 

Don’t be afraid to throw in the flour! I needed to add at least an extra ½ cup of flour to the dough until it behaved itself and came away from the sides of the bowl, but it was beautiful dough once it did. Also, there were no square baking dishes at the vacation rental, so I used one oval ceramic baking dish (about 8-9”) and one 9” cake pan, and they came out beautifully, so don’t worry about using a slightly different size pan. This recipe seems really flexible.

 

Yield: Makes 18 servings

 

Dough:

1 cup whole milk

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 1/2 cups (or more) unbleached all purpose flour, divided

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 1/4 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast (from 2 envelopes yeast)

1 teaspoon salt

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Filling:

3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

Glaze:

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

For dough:

Combine milk and butter in glass measuring cup. Microwave on high until butter melts and mixture is just warmed to 120°F to 130°F, 30 to 45 seconds. Pour into bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add 1 cup flour, sugar, egg, yeast, and salt. Beat on low speed 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add 2-1/2 cups flour. Beat on low until flour is absorbed and dough is sticky, scraping down sides of bowl. If dough is very sticky (and it was for me!), add more flour by tablespoonfuls until dough begins to form ball and pulls away from sides of bowl. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 8 minutes. Form into ball.

Lightly oil large bowl with nonstick spray. Transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

 

For filling:

Mix brown sugar and cinnamon.

Punch down dough. Transfer to floured work surface. Roll out to 15”x11” rectangle. Spread butter over dough, leaving ½” border. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over butter. Starting at 1 long side, roll dough into log, pinching gently to keep it rolled up. With seam side down, cut dough crosswise with thin sharp knife into 18 equal slices (each about ½” to ¾” wide).

 

Spray two 9-inch square glass baking dishes with nonstick spray. Divide rolls between baking dishes, arranging cut side up (there will be almost no space between rolls). Cover baking dishes with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, 40 to 45 minutes.

 

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake rolls until tops are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and invert immediately onto rack. Cool 10 minutes. Turn rolls right side up.

 

For glaze:

Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until smooth. Spread glaze on rolls. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Comments

[Melissa]

Yum! These look awesome. I have always wanted to try to bake cinnamon rolls but have been too intimidated. Maybe I'll give this recipe a try? Thanks for posting.

[Claire]

Wow, these look soft, gooey & yummy! I want to make some right now =)