Old-Fashioned Cinnamon Rolls

It’s almost Christmas, exactly three weeks from now. Time really flies when you’re having fun, or in my case, when you’re busy.

Having a day job and coming home to a very active toddler who knows that Mommy should be home by 7:30 pm, I’m in luck when I escape for an hour or two of me time to do some baking, get a massage, or go to my yoga class.

Just an update, Alexa is now 14 months old. She likes running after other toddlers and baby-talking to them. She had her share of bumps and falls, but she’s a strong little one… she would stand up, and attempt to do it again! *facepalm* .. and oh, she loves toothpaste commercials and brushing her teeth!

Today, I am sharing with you one of my favorite recipes, the Old-Fashioned Cinnamon Rolls from BettyCrocker.com. I have made Cinnamon Scrolls before, but I feel that this is much, much better!

Old-Fashioned Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

Rolls

• 3 1/2 to 4 cups plain flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 1/2 tsp instant dry yeast
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, room temp
• 1 large egg
• Cooking spray or oil to grease bowl and pan

Filling

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, room temp
• 1/2 cup raisins (if desired)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped nuts, if desired

Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp butter or margarine, room temp
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1-2 tbsp milk

Procedure:

• In a large bowl, stir 2 cups of the flour, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, the salt and yeast with a wooden spoon until well mixed.
• In a 1-quart saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until very warm (around 45-50°C). Add the warm milk, 1/4 cup butter and egg to the flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, stopping frequently to scrape batter from side and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula, until flour mixture is moistened.
• With a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the remaining flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, until dough is soft, leaves side of bowl and is easy to handle (dough may be slightly sticky).
• Sprinkle flour lightly on a countertop or large cutting board. Place dough on floured surface. Knead by folding dough toward you, then with the heels of your hands, pushing dough away from you with a short rocking motion. Move dough a quarter turn and repeat. Continue kneading about 5 minutes, sprinkling surface with more flour if dough starts to stick, until dough is smooth and springy.
• Spray a large bowl with the cooking spray or wipe with an oiled kitchen towel. Place dough in bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place about 1 hour 30 minutes or until dough has doubled in size. Dough is ready if an indentation remains when you press your fingertips about 1/2 inch into the dough.
• In a small bowl, mix 1/2 sugar and the cinnamon, set aside. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, set aside.
• Sprinkle flour lightly on a countertop or large cutting board. Gently push your fist into the dough to deflate it. Pull the dough away from the side of the bowl, and place it on the floured surface.
• Using your hands or a rolling pin, flatten dough into a 10×15-inch rectangle. Spread 1/4 cup butter over dough to within 1/2 inch of edges. Sprinkle with sugar-cinnamon mixture, raisins and nuts. Beginning at a 15-inch side, roll dough up tightly. Pinch edge of dough into the roll to seal edge. Stretch and shape roll until even and is 15 inches long. Using a sharp serrated knife or length of dental floss, cut roll into 15 (1-inch) slices. Place slices slightly apart in the pan. Cover pan loosely with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place about 30 minutes or until dough has doubled in size. Remove plastic wrap.
• Move the oven rack to the middle position of the oven. Heat the oven to 180°C. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove rolls from pan; place right side up on a cooling rack. Cool 5 minutes.
• In a small bowl, stir glaze ingredients until smooth, adding enough milk so glaze is thin enough to drizzle. Over the warm rolls, drizzle glaze from the tip of a tableware teaspoon, moving the spoon back and forth to make thin lines of glaze. Serve warm.

This recipe yields 15 rolls, but because I stretched the roll longer to make the diameter about 3-inch, I was able to make 30 rolls. The size was just perfect, and I was able to share it with more friends!

Doesn’t it look yummy?

Try it and enjoy!

Love,

Alexa’s Mom