Cinnamon rolls were one of my first culinary accomplishments.
As a kid, I learned how to smack the perforated tube of rolls on the counter just right to reveal the prepared dough inside.
And if the mood struck, I would make those chewy caramel rolls just to mix it up.
But I never made cinnamon rolls from scratch until now.
After years of seeing recipe for those chewy, gooey rolls in cookbooks and magazines, I decided to cross homemade cinnamon rolls off my “to-do” list this weekend.
I love cinnamon and I used two kinds, Ceylon and Saigon, to make these rolls. I even put it in the glaze.
I tried to find a recipe that was not too intimidating and I ended up merging a couple to come up with this recipe. I was also drawn to recipes that used boiled potato to make the dough. I might try one of those in the future.
Here’s the recipe if you want to give it a try.
Cinnamon Rolls with Cinnamon Vanilla Glaze1 package Fleischman’s yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
1/4 cup warm water
4 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm milk (or water)
2 tablespoons butter, softened
½ to ¾ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1. Dissolve the yeast in the 1/4 cup water.
2. Combine flour, sugar, and salt.
3. Add soft butter and yeast mixture to the one cup of warm milk. Mix the liquid mixture with the dry ingredients.
4. Mix well and then knead the dough until it is smooth. Put dough in a greased bowl and let rise for at least an hour.
5. Punch down the dough and roll out into a rectangle. Spread with softened butter and then sprinkle generously with brown sugar and cinnamon.
6. Roll up dough and cut into 14 rolls. Place in two greased 9 inch pans and let rise again at least an hour.
7. Bake at 400 for 13-15 minutes and then tops with glaze while hot.
Glaze:
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon milk
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1. Melt butter and add powdered sugar to make a paste.
2. Add milk and vanilla and stir mixture, making sure it is thin enough to spread. Put the topping on the rolls.
