These Cinnamon Rolls are being brought to you after lots of practice. Practice at making the dough. Practice at making the filling. Practice at making the frosting. And, well, you know. The practice of eating them warm out of the oven.
I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve always been good at the latter. It’s just the other three that have taken me years to figure out. And here they are all together for your enjoyment. Breakfast perfection.
This is what I mean by perfecting the filling. Chewy and sugary on the bottom and, well, you just simply must make these to understand completely.
Cinnamon Rolls
This recipe makes 12 cinnamon rolls in a 9″X13″ pan.
Cinnamon Rolls
- 1 tablespoon yeast
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water (110°F or lower)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup instant mashed potatoes stirred together with 3/4 cup lukewarm water
- 1 1/2 cups warm milk (110°F or lower)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 2 eggs
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
- About 5-6 cups white flour
Filling
- 1/2 cup (or one stick) melted butter
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons cinnamon
Place yeast into a large mixing bowl. Add warm water and sugar. Give a little swirl and let sit for about 10 minutes to create the sponge for your dough. When it looks bubbly & frothy, it is ready.
Whisk mashed potatoes, milk, shortening, eggs, and salt into yeast mixture.
Add the flour about a cup at a time. At about 3 cups, you will need to start kneading the last cup or two in with your hands and evaluate whether or not you even need the last 2 cups. continue to knead for about 5 minutes. The dough should be able to be formed into a smooth ball. Let sit in a warm place to rise for one hour.
After the dough has risen, roll out into a long strip that is about 5 inches high all the way down the counter. Smoother with melted butter.
Combine brown sugar and cinnamony goodness into a medium bowl.
Spread cinnamon mixture onto the butter. Rub it all together as much as possible. Latex gloves work fabulously for this kind of project.
Roll dough upward and cut into about 1 1/2 to 2-inch pieces.
Spray baking pan/pans with nonstick baking spray. Place rolls on their sides into a 9X13 baking pan (I made a double batch in a half sheet pan today).
Spray plastic wrap with non-stick spray and cover cinnamon rolls. Place in the fridge overnight to rise slowly. Or, you can let them rise in a warm place for 30 minutes to an hour – until doubled in size.
After they have risen overnight in the fridge or an hour in a warm place, preheat oven to 350°F. When the oven is ready, bake until light golden brown. This is the point when I sneak a little extra butter on top to melt. Today my butter was from Denmark. It made everything more special. It also made me want to wear wooden shoes but my grandma slipper socks would have to do.
Allow cinnamon rolls to cool for about 10 minutes – just enough time to make the frosting.
Vanilla Frosting
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl stir until smooth. Seriously. Smear frosting upon cinnamon rolls generously.
Again, latex gloves work wonders for this kind of “work”.
Look at the perfect brown sugar and cinnamon bottom. Eat with a fork or, you know, latex gloves could work too. Add coffee and sunshine and call it a peaceful weekend. Well, if you minus the car alarm.