Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon, sugar, and butter. A flavor combination I can always go for. And something I find myself reaching for to perk up my mood whenever I’m feeling blue. Bad day at work? How about some wheat toast with Earth Balance buttery spread and a dusting of cinnamon and sugar. No toast? Saltine crackers will stand in nicely.

I know this love of cinnamon and sugar as the ultimate comfort flavor is a hold over from my childhood. When I was a kid we always had one of those people-shaped containers of pre-mixed cinnamon sugar in the pantry, ready to sand any and all available bread-like surfaces. I remember stuffing myself full of cinnamon toast whenever I had unsupervised time at home. And my grandmother certainly helped to cultivate this love, since she would make us fresh cinnamon rolls every single morning during our weeklong summer visits.

So is it any surprise really that before we even landed in January (and in the midst of all that holiday dinner party planning), I felt an urge to make cinnamon rolls, the ultimate cinnamon sugar delivery vehicle? January is typically one of my hardest months of the year. It’s dark all the time, the holidays are over and I have to cut my baking accordingly (since everyone on the planet is dieting…sigh), and it’s usually my busiest month at work. Nothing like a pile on to make for one tough month.

So I decided, I was making cinnamon rolls. The original plan was to make them for New Years Day brunch, but that soon fell by the wayside and they were pushed back to the first Sunday of the new year. But I did know just the recipe that I wanted to try–Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls! Noel got me her cookbook for Christmas, and I couldn’t wait to crack it open. Plus her recipe seemed a lot simpler than others I had found. Yes, there was yeast involved–but a totally non-scary way to use yeast for you yeast fraidy cats out there!–and it was otherwise so easy: no kneading, no fancy steps. Just sweet yeasty goodness with a hit of cinnamon sugar to pull me out of the winter doldrums.

But then I took a look at the recipe. And although I don’t really do diets—instead preferring to be active and follow Michael Pollan’s “eat only junk food you make” mandate–I didn’t need the full force of that recipe! And my friends, who I was planning on sharing these with, who actually ARE trying to eat a bit better in the new year, certainly didn’t need them. So I lightened them up a bit. And you know what–no one could tell! Everyone loved these so much, I actually ended up making them two weeks in a row!

Cinnamon Rolls
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks By Ree Drummond, available online here

I love PW and I love her recipes, but I don’t work or live on a working cattle ranch, so I spend most of my days sitting at a desk, staring at a screen, not moving around. Considering that, I lightened her rolls up a bit. Don’t worry, they’re still delish, but slightly lower in saturated fat! I also halved her original recipe because I can’t imagine what I would do with 50-60 cinnamon rolls at one time! But if you’re interested in her full throttle, makes-enough-rolls-for-you-to-feed-random-people-off-the-street recipe, by all means, click on the link above. But I really recommend these alterations–your taste buds won’t know the difference!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Skim Milk
• 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 package Active Dry Yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
• 4 cups (Plus 1/2 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
• 1/2 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) Melted Butter
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• Heaping 1/8 cup Cinnamon

Maple Frosting:

• 1/2 (1 pound of a 2) bag Powdered Sugar
• 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup or 1 teaspoons Maple Flavoring
• 1/4 cup Skim Milk
• Leftover Melted Butter from above
• 1/8 cups Brewed Coffee
• tiny pinch of Salt

Directions:

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. “Scald” the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and let it cool slightly. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk mixture. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 4 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise in a warm place for at least an hour. Warmth is important here, because if you don’t let your dough rise in a warm place, it won’t get the proper height on it’s rise.

After rising for at least an hour, add 1/2 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. Or if you’re me, put your hand in there and knead the dough a bit to incorporate all of the ingredients. This works better for me, but you could be all civilized and use a spoon. At this point, you can cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – for up to three days. Just check it a few times a day and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down.

When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Really coat it, or your dough will stick! Even to wax paper (which is what I usually roll on!) Roll the dough into a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle enough melted butter over the dough to cover it (about 1/2 cup). Now sprinkle 1/2 cup of sugar over the butter followed by the cinnamon. Use your hand to spread the cinnamon and sugar around to mix it all together. You know, just like you did with cinnamon toast when you were a kid!

Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough towards you. Try to keep the roll as tight as you can. When you reach the end, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.

Spray a pan with cooking spray–I like to use my 8 inch round cake pans and my 9 inch pie plate, but I’ve also used a 6 inch cake pan with luck! Begin cutting the rolls approximately 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans. Don’t overcrowd the rolls, or they won’t bake fully inside.

Put the rolls in a preheated, 325 degree oven. If you like rolls that are still doughy in the center bake them for 15-18 minutes, or until light golden brown. For a roll with a crispy outside that is fully cooked in the center, bake them for 20-25 minutes, or until them are a full and beautiful golden color.

For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed, including the leftover melted butter, and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Make sure you pour that icing all the way to the edges of the pan, so it settles in every nook and crannie!

Now go forth and make cinnamon rolls on this holiday weekend! Something that has twice been declared the *best* cinnamon roll must be good enough to pull you out of the winter doldrums!

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