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

MAPLE FROSTING: (again I haven't made this-- my frosting recipe follows the baking instructions)

• 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

• 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.

 

cream cheese frosted cinnamon rolls

 

 

Vanilla Glaze

• 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

Follow same mixing instructions as with the cream cheese frosting recipe.
 

Baked

This weekend I decided to attempt Delia's Best Bread EVER recipe. Since the weather was nice I decided to half the recipe into buns and bake the other half into a nice load of bread.  

Makes 2 large loaves, 3 medium loaves, or 1 large loaf and 8 hamburger buns

1. Whisk together in your mixer bowl 

2 1/2 cups HOT water
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup sugar/honey {I fill my cup with oil first, empty it, and then fill it with honey so it doesn't stick to the cup}
1 TBSP salt

2. Add:

3/4 cup flour and whisk for 30 seconds
then 1 1/2 TBSP yeast and whisk for 30 seconds

3. Add 6 of flour and mix together. After dough is combined, switch to knead hook and let the mixer knead the dough for about 5 minutes.

The dough should be soft but not sticky

4. Let rise in a clean, greased, covered bowl for about 30 minutes. You can let it rise on the counter, but it will rise nicely in the oven. Set your oven for 450 degrees for a minute or less then turn it off before placing the oven safe bowl inside.

5. When dough has risen, remove from oven and heat oven to 175 degrees.

6. Grease your bread pans and the counter with spray oil. Divide the dough.

7. Roll the dough into a long oblong shape. Pushing air bubbles out is very good, so roll away until they are gone.

 

8. Roll a tight cylinder, tuck the ends under or squish them and place it in a greased bread pan. Repeat with remaining dough. Or choose to split the rolled out shape into 8 pieces, roll these pieces into balls and set on a parchment lined baking sheet to rise similar to bread.

 

Half recipe for buns- already baked but gives you idea of final look.

9. Place loaves in warm oven {175 degrees} for about 1/2 hour or until the dough has risen to fill the pan.

10. Turn the oven up to 350 degrees and cook for about 30 minutes.

11. Turn out on a wire rack and let cool completely before cutting. Smother the top of the loaves with butter if you desire.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

It is a good thing that no one visits this blog yet or I would be caught giving out some of my Christmas present secrets early. : ) After seeing many similar projects on Pinterest I decided that I had to attempt this project to give out as a homemade gift this year.   I mean who wouldn't love fresh homemade vanilla extract. 

I started out ordering these bottles and vanilla beans from amazon, and picked up a 1.75 of cheap unflavored vodka from the liquor store.

Vodka and vanilla beans steeping.

To start the project I ran the bottles through the dishwasher and allowed them to dry.  Then I split the vanilla beans in half and again down the center of each bean.  I then placed 2 full beans in each bottle and filled the bottle with 6 ounces of vodka.  And that is it folks. For the next 6 weeks the vodka and vanilla beans will need to steep, and then will be ready for whatever baking adventure you have planned. I am keeping the bottles in a cool, dry spot, but even in the back of your spice cabinet will work. Once you start to run low on vanilla extract you may add more unflavored vodka to the bottle and repeat the steeping process.

To finish my bottles into presents I have created the following labels using Microsoft Word and plan to attach them with ribbon.  Once I actually complete this step I will add the finish product photo.

Labels- need to be cut out and attached to bottles.

Good thing we have 5 more days until Christmas. : )

*** Edited to add finish product photo.

Christmas Cookies

If you haven't started your Christmas baking yet you have to follow this recipe...

from : http://annies-eats.com/2007/12/12/christmas-cookies/
Ella’s White Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup butter softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 ½ t. almond extract
1 t. vanilla (or the seeds of one split vanilla bean)
1 t. salt
2 ½ c. sifted flour

Directions:
Cream butter in mixer attached with paddle.
Add 1 cup of powdered sugar.
Blend in egg, almond extract, vanilla, salt and flour.
Chill dough until firm approximately one to two hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Roll to ¼” thickness on well-floured surface.
Cut out rolled dough with cookie cutters.
Place cookies on wax papered cookie sheets.
Bake for 8-10 minutes. Pull cookies before browning occurs.
Once cool frost and decorate.

Yields approximately 40 cookies depending on size of cookie cutters used.

For icing I used Wilton's standard recipe

Royal Icing
Ingredients:

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 tbsp. meringue powder
8 tbsp. water (edited from original recipe to make for piping consistency)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. 
Mix on low speed until the sheen has disappeared and the icing has a matte appearance (about 7-10 minutes).  Transfer the contents of the mixing bowl to an air-tight container for coloring and storage.

If you follow my adapted recipe for royal icing the original consistency should be ready for piping. If you want to color the icing I would do that now by adding in a few drops of your selected color.  I prefer to use AmericColor gel paste which I have found to work better than anything else on accurate coloring and keeping the consistency of icing. With the thickened icing you will need approximately 1/4th of the prepared recipe for outlining.  Place this amount into a piping bag, with a #5 tip, and slowly outline the shape of your cookies. Once completed squeeze out any remaining icing back into the sealed containers.  Allow the cookies at least one hour for the outline to harden.. Slowly add in water a tbsp at a time to the remaining icing until the consisting is now thin enough that it easily slides off your mixing spoon.  Once that is done it is now time to "flood" or fill the interior of your cookie.  I found that toothpicks allow you to reach the tiny corners and crevices of the shape with ease. 

If you want to add any sprinkles I would do that after all cookies are filled in.  Cookies need to sit out at least 24 hours for the icing to set up. Once this is done you can package up your cookies and even stack them. If you want to pipe a decoration onto the cookie you must at least 24 hours for the cookies to harden up and then allow them another 24 hours for piping to set before being able to pack up the cookies. 

I wish I had photos to include with this post but the cookies were just too good that they were gone before I had a chance. : ) Again if you haven't baked cookies yet you must get over your fear and try working with royal icing.  I may never ice a cookie in regular frosting again.