Cinnamon Rolls

I made cinnamon rolls for the first time since college on Sunday.

OMG, they came out amazing!

(I intended on posting pics here but someone got their hands into the cinnamon rolls and massacred them  before I got a chance)

Instead of hand kneading the dough I pulled out my BHG Stand mixer and worked the dough in there... and I learned 2 very important things about the mixer:

1. The spatter shield does not fit on the bowl well and is very frustrating.. I tried it once and that was it.. It went to the bottom of the cabinet, I won’t be using it again.

2. When using the dough hook to knead dough even on medium speed the machine (even being suction cupped down to the counter) Jumped around the counter.. So I had to watch it carefully so it didn’t fall clear off the counter.

The mixer is great otherwise, it kneaded up the dough in just a few minutes.

Now, Back to the cinnamon rolls:

Dough:
1 cup lukewarm milk
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup butter, cut in cubes
4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ¾ tsp. salt
½ cup sugar
1 pkg. rapid rise yeast

Filling:
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
3 Tbs. ground cinnamon

Icing:3 oz. cream cheese, softened
¼ cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract

Start your dough by first adding the yeast to the lukewarm milk and adding 1 Tablespoon of the sugar from the ½ cup needed for the dough (you need to feed the yeast to make it happy) Let it sit about 5 minutes until it gets foamy..

Combine all the ingredients for the dough in a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer). Stir until the mixture begins to come together, it’s gonna look a little rough, but don’t worry, it will smooth out in the next step.

To knead by hand, transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5-8 minutes or until smooth.

To knead in a stand mixer, attach the dough hook and knead for 4-7 minutes at medium speed.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning it to grease all sides. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for 60 minutes or until doubled in size.

Punch down the dough. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and roll into a 16×21 inch rectangle. Leaving a 1-inch border at one of the short ends, spread the dough evenly with the 1/3 cup softened butter. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the buttered area of the dough. Be sure to spread the filling all the way out to the edges except on the one-inch border.

Starting at the opposite end from the clean one-inch border, roll the dough into a log. Pinch the end all the way across the log to seal the dough.

Using a very sharp serrated knife or dental floss Cut the dough into 12 equal slices and place the buns in a lightly greased 9×13 pan (I used my BHG nonstick pan) Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the buns rise for about 30 minutes or until nearly doubled.

While the buns are rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake until golden brown, 12-14 minutes.

While the buns are baking, make the icing: In a small bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter, sugar, and vanilla.

When the buns are golden brown, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.

Spread with the icing.

The Kid couldn’t wait to get his hands on one of these rolls (no matter that it was past 10pm when I was finished baking them) They are absolutely delicious! Next time I think I might add some golden raisins to the filling for a little extra oomph.