Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Cinnamon Rolls
 |
| Creative photography to hide already eaten rolls. : ) |
There is nothing better than the taste of fresh made cinnamon rolls, not to mention that despite the work it takes to make them I think handmade anything is better than store bought. I choose to follow the pioneer in cinnamon rolls--- aka Pioneer Woman's recipe. Due to Kenny's hatred of the taste of coffee I have yet to make the maple frosting her recipe calls for. Typically I have made cream cheese frosting but this time I tried a simple vanilla glaze, which was equally as delicious. I had my sister Emma over for a quick lesson in roll making which sure helped the process, and to find a good home for some of the 50 rolls you usually get from one batch of this recipe.
Recipe: Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 quart Whole Milk
- 1 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 cup Sugar
- 2 packages Active Dry Yeast, 0.25 Ounce Packets
- 8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
- 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
- Plenty Of Melted Butter (I wouldn't be surprised if I used 6 sticks of butter by the time I was done)
- 2+ cups Sugar
- Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon
- 1 bag Powdered Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Maple Flavoring
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 1/4 cup Melted Butter
- 1/4 cup Brewed Coffee
- 1/8 teaspoon Salt
Preparation Instructions
For the dough---
Heat the milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat to just below a boil. Set aside and cool to warm.
Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit on the milk for 1 minute.
Add 8 cups of the flour. Stir until just combined, then cover with a clean kitchen towel, and set aside in a relatively warm place for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, remove the towel and add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the remaining 1 cup flour. Stir thoroughly to combine.
Use the dough right away, or place in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, punching down the dough if it rises to the top of the bowl. (Note: dough is easier to work with if it’s been chilled for at least an hour or so beforehand.)
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
To assemble the rolls, remove half the dough from the pan/bowl. On a floured baking surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 30 x 10 inches. The dough should be rolled very thin.
To make the filling, pour 3/4 cup to 1 cup of the melted butter over the surface of the dough. Use your fingers to spread the butter evenly. Generously sprinkle half of the ground cinnamon and 1 cup of the sugar over the butter. Don’t be afraid to drizzle on more butter or more sugar! Gooey is the goal.
Now, beginning at the end farthest from you, roll the rectangle tightly towards you. Use both hands and work slowly, being careful to keep the roll tight. Don’t worry if the filling oozes as you work; that just means the rolls are going to be divine. When you reach the end, pinch the seam together and flip the roll so that the seam is face down. When you’re finished, you’ll wind up with one long buttery, cinnamony, sugary, gooey log.
Slip a cutting board underneath the roll and with a sharp knife, make 1/2-inch slices. One “log “will produce 20 to 25 rolls. Pour a couple of teaspoons of melted butter into cake pans and swirl to coat. (To share as a gift buy disposable pans with lids) Place the sliced rolls in the pans, being careful not to overcrowd. (Each pan will hold 7 to 9 rolls.)
Repeat the rolling/sugar/butter process with the other half of the dough and more pans.
Cover all the pans with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise on the countertop for at least 20 minutes before baking.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown, but not overly brown.
While the rolls are baking, make your icing: The icing should be somewhat thick but still very pourable.
Remove pans from the oven. Immediately drizzle icing over the top. Be sure to get it all around the edges and over the top. As they sit, the rolls will absorb some of the icing’s moisture and flavor.
Alternative Icing Recipes
Cream Cheese Frosting
Vanilla Glaze
Heat the milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat to just below a boil. Set aside and cool to warm.
Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit on the milk for 1 minute.
Add 8 cups of the flour. Stir until just combined, then cover with a clean kitchen towel, and set aside in a relatively warm place for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, remove the towel and add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the remaining 1 cup flour. Stir thoroughly to combine.
Use the dough right away, or place in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, punching down the dough if it rises to the top of the bowl. (Note: dough is easier to work with if it’s been chilled for at least an hour or so beforehand.)
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
To assemble the rolls, remove half the dough from the pan/bowl. On a floured baking surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 30 x 10 inches. The dough should be rolled very thin.
To make the filling, pour 3/4 cup to 1 cup of the melted butter over the surface of the dough. Use your fingers to spread the butter evenly. Generously sprinkle half of the ground cinnamon and 1 cup of the sugar over the butter. Don’t be afraid to drizzle on more butter or more sugar! Gooey is the goal.
Now, beginning at the end farthest from you, roll the rectangle tightly towards you. Use both hands and work slowly, being careful to keep the roll tight. Don’t worry if the filling oozes as you work; that just means the rolls are going to be divine. When you reach the end, pinch the seam together and flip the roll so that the seam is face down. When you’re finished, you’ll wind up with one long buttery, cinnamony, sugary, gooey log.
Slip a cutting board underneath the roll and with a sharp knife, make 1/2-inch slices. One “log “will produce 20 to 25 rolls. Pour a couple of teaspoons of melted butter into cake pans and swirl to coat. (To share as a gift buy disposable pans with lids) Place the sliced rolls in the pans, being careful not to overcrowd. (Each pan will hold 7 to 9 rolls.)
Repeat the rolling/sugar/butter process with the other half of the dough and more pans.
Cover all the pans with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise on the countertop for at least 20 minutes before baking.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown, but not overly brown.
While the rolls are baking, make your icing: The icing should be somewhat thick but still very pourable.
Remove pans from the oven. Immediately drizzle icing over the top. Be sure to get it all around the edges and over the top. As they sit, the rolls will absorb some of the icing’s moisture and flavor.
Alternative Icing Recipes
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sift 2 cups of powdered sugar and set it aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the cream cheese and unsalted butter on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until smooth.
Add in the vanilla extract.
Slowly add in the powdered sugar on low speed. Once it starts to combine, increase the speed to medium low and mix for 2-3 minutes.
Use your spatula to scrape down the sides in order to ensure that all of the ingredients are mixed well together.
Add in the vanilla extract.
Slowly add in the powdered sugar on low speed. Once it starts to combine, increase the speed to medium low and mix for 2-3 minutes.
Use your spatula to scrape down the sides in order to ensure that all of the ingredients are mixed well together.
 |
| cream cheese frosted cinnamon rolls |
- 1 1/2 C powdered sugar
- 2 T melted butter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla (I don't know if it is my homemade vanilla or what but I doubled to 1 tsp of vanilla)
- 2 Tbs milk
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Crazy times
I suck at blogging--- BUT there is just so much going on at the Brown house!
We spent the last several weeks getting our house ready to be put on the market and now working on keeping it clean for the showings. I will definitely miss this house, our neighbors, and most of all Kansas!
We spent the last several weeks getting our house ready to be put on the market and now working on keeping it clean for the showings. I will definitely miss this house, our neighbors, and most of all Kansas!
 |
| MLS listing. |
We have started shopping online for houses in CO, we have so many options on cities, house designs and neighborhoods that it is all still a bit overwhelming. The plan is to wait to make any offers until our house sells so that is limiting our progress on the move too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)