You really NEED to make these – yes, you do – because these cinnamon rolls are to die for.
Ok – maybe that is overstating it slightly – but they are SO GOOD that once you’ve tasted their soft, spicy, sticky, deliciousness you will be thanking me for introducing you to them (they are THAT good)!
They are also very easy to make – these ones were proved overnight in the fridge before getting them out this morning, letting them rise a little further and then cooking.
Warm, pillowy cinnamon rolls, fresh from the oven for breakfast – ‘hmmmmmmmm’ is about all I can say.
This recipe was inspired by a book I read one lazy Sunday afternoon. I forget the title now, but it was not a recipe book – it was a free kindle e-book courtesy of Amazon whispernet, all about strong, American, pioneering women living on the frontier. Their answer to their troubles seemed to be to bake cinnamon rolls. The delicious scent of cinnamon rolls was (virtually) always wafting through the homestead – Cinnamon rolls that always turned out warm, soft and pillowy (their words, not mine). They sounded pretty darn irresistible.
So the search for a soft, pillow-y Cinnamon Roll recipe was on.
I have to be honest, it has taken a few tries – I wasn’t entirely sure what I was aiming for at the start but was illogically quite sure I’ld know if I found it – and Yup, I did.
It seems a crime not to share the recipe as they are everything promised – fluffy and soft dough, which is warm and melt-in-the-mouth straight from the oven – and most definitely pillow-y.
I started with a similar dough to the one I used in the Milk and Honey Rolls, but added more honey and some butter to make the crumb finer. It’s worth using Premium Bread Flour as it really does seem to make a difference when bread making if you use a high quality flour. I tried adding sultanas to the first batch – having been confused I think by the cinnamon swirls that we get in the UK – but then I realised that they probably didn’t get too many sultanas out in the Wild West.
These rolls are tasty and sweet enough to eat on their own, although you can go the extra step and add an icing sugar glaze to them if you wish – I think you should.
Make sure there is enough glaze to drizzle everywhere, and only top them just before eating.
These were perfect food for brunch. They’ld also be great for picnics – if you glaze them beforehand they might be a little sticky to pack – but they are so good to eat that you’re not going to be able to leave them behind!
So I’m going to link them up to the Four Seasons Food blog challenge hosted by Delicieux and Chezfoti. This month’s theme is Picnic Food – lets now hope we get the weather for picnics. Or you can always make a batch of these to console yourself with as you eat inside staring out at the pouring rain!
Cinnamon Rolls
(Makes 12)
Ingredients
For the Rolls:
- 350g strong white flour
- 1 packet quick dried yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 100 mls water
- 2 dessertspoons honey
- 15g butter, chopped small
- About 120mls cold milk
- 1 egg
For the Filling:
- 50g butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons caster sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
For the Icing:
- 150g icing sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- A few drops of vanilla extract
Directions
- If you have a bread maker: the best way I’ve found to make the dough is to put all the ingredients into the bread maker on the make dough setting (I used pizza dough setting). I just leave the dough in there for an hour or two after the programme has finished and come back to find that its risen nicely and you can get on with making them
- If you don’t have a bread maker: Put the flour, salt and yeast into a large bowl and make a well in the center
- Put 100mls of just boiled water into a measuring jug. Add the butter and honey and stir until all dissolved. Add 120mls of cold milk. The liquid should be hand-hot (check before using as you don’t want to overheat the yeast)
- Pour the liquid into the flour and stir, gradually mixing everything together. Leave to stand for 5 minutes
- Knead the dough on a floured board for 5 – 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Try not to add too much more flour. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, covered with cling film or a tea towel, for about 60 – 90 minutes until doubled in size
- Make the Filling: Soften the butter in a bowl and mix in the caster sugar and cinnamon
- Turn the dough out onto the board, knock the air out and roll into a rectangle about 25cm by 20cm
Spread the cinnamon paste all over the dough, making sure you go right up to the edges. Roll up the dough tightly, and then cut the sausage into 12 equal slices. Arrange – swirl side up – in a greased baking tray (I used one 22cm x 30cm). Cover with cling film and leave the rolls in a warm place for 60 – 90 minutes until doubled in size. - Heat oven to 190ºC. Place a baking tray filled with a little water in the bottom of the oven before baking the rolls for about 25 minutes. Cover them with tinfoil at about 15 minutes so they don’t become too browned and crusty
They are deliciously warm, melting and irresistible straight out of the oven – if you have any left to ice then…- Make the icing: Mix together the icing sugar, milk and one or two drops of vanilla extract. Just before eating, pour all over the rolls making sure it oozes into all the swirls / cracks / fissures
- Other recipes have suggested that these last 4 – 5 days in an airtight container – I challenge you to keep your hands off them for long enough to find out HOW long they last!
