Fallen Souffle

#98- Make cinnamon rolls with icing on a Sunday morning-COMPLETED

I don’t know what came over me but I decided I need to try and make some really disgustingly, ooey-gooey cinnamon rolls this weekend for Evan and I.

This is on my 1001 list because I have never been able to make a really good cinnamon roll. I distinctly remember my first try. I was at home on summer while I was in high school and I was watching “The View” (when it first came out- before it became uber annoying). They had this recipe for cinnamon rolls that were just like the Cinnabon rolls from the mall. I have not eaten many Cinnabons in my time but I felt I needed to try to make these, right there, that day. I remember the dough being really sticky but when I baked them up they were dry. I didn’t even bother making icing for them. I think 2 were eaten out of pity and the rest were thrown in the garbage.

I have tried numerous times since that day but the rolls have never been what I wanted. Recently I made some rolls that were simple and sweet with no icing. Evan still gobbled them up but I felt they were good enough to cross them off my to-do list.

Until now. I started these rolls last night, which I am a big fan of because who wants to bake for 3 hours on a Sunday morning (especially after going out the night before). I threw all the dough ingredients in the KitchenAid and let it do its thing. I usually prefer to mix doughs by hand but I was feeling a bit lazy last night so I just let the machine do it’s magic. I did end up adding a bit more flour (maybe 1/2 cup) because I wanted the dough to be a little less sticky and easier to handle. After letting it mix with the dough hook, I kneaded it for a bit on the counter to make it smooth. The dough was a dream to work with. After letting it rise for an hour while Evan and I ate dinner, I spread on the cinnamon-sugar-butter mixture and rolled them up. I placed 6 in a deep pie dish for the next day, and 6 in a aluminum pie plate for the freezer (as much as Evan thinks he needs a whole dozen cinnamon rolls- he doesn’t. I instantly knew these rolls were the ticket, they were plump and perfectly spiraled with a sweet filling. Top these babies off with some cream cheese icing and we were golden!

This morning, I took the rolls out of the fridge to come to room temperature while the cream cheese and butter softened. After about 30 minutes, I preheated the oven, baked the rolls off and whipped up the icing. Evan agreed they were much like the Cinnabon rolls though even if they weren’t they were still damn good!

Cinnabon-like Cinnamon Rolls

1 cup warm milk (I microwaved it for 1 minute)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup margarine, melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons active yeast

1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Place yeast in the warm milk, stir and allow to get frothy for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile add the rest of the dough ingredients in the bowl of the mixer. Once frothy add the yeast mixture to the mixer bowl and mix with a dough hook for about 5 minutes. If it’s really sticky add a bit more flour (I added almost 1/2 cup extra). When smooth, knead on a floured counter for a few minutes to get it really soft and smooth. Place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for about 1 hours.

2. In a small bowl, combine butter,brown sugar and cinnamon.

3. Roll dough into a 16×21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with butter/cinnamon/sugar mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. ( or cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge overnight, allow to come to room temperature before baking in the morning). Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

4. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

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