I wish I could take credit for these lovely cinnamon rolls, however I can't. I must confess that my new "girl crush" is Ree Drummond aka: The Pioneer Woman. My other "girl crush" is Nigella Lawson, but Ree's cookbook has me so darn excited about cooking and baking ... and those of you who know me ... for me to be even MORE excited about cooking and baking, that's HUGE. These cinnamon rolls are so perfect. You can make the dough and use it right away, you can make the dough and put it away for up to 3 days, you can freeze them before baking, you can freeze them after baking ... honestly, what is better than having all those options. As a busy small business owner, wife and mother of 3 ... I need OPTIONS!! Here they are, the best cinnamon rolls ever. I will tell you that I cut the recipe in half today and still got 2 - 9 x 13" baking pans full of rolls. One we ate and one I am putting into the freezer for company this weekend. Enjoy!
Kitchen Equipment:
9 x 13" pans
rolling pin (I use a french rolling pin, but you can use whatcha' got)
bread knife or very sharp knife
Best Ever Cinnamon Rolls makes 40 - 50 rolls
Dough:
1 quart milk (I used 2 %, recipe calls for whole)
1 c. vegetable oil
1 c. sugar
2 packages active dry yeast
9 c. all purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 T. salt
Filling:
2 c. melted butter
1/4 c. ground cinnamon
2 c. sugar
Vanilla Icing:
2 # powdered sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. milk (or more for spreading)
1 T. vanilla extract
1. For the dough, heat the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat; do not allow the mixture to boil. Set aside and cool to lukewarm.
2. Sprinkle yeast on top and let it sit on the milk for 1 minute.
3. Add 8 c. of flour. Stir until just combined, cover with a clean kitchen towel, set aside in a warm place for 1 hour.
4. Remove the towel and add baking soda, baking powder, salt and the remaining 1 c. flour. Stir to combine. Use the dough right away or place in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, punching down dough if it rises to the top of the bowl.
5. To assembl the rolls, remove half the dough from the pan. On a floured baking surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 30 x 10 inches.
6. To make the filling, pour 1 c. of the melted butter over the surface of the dough. Use your fingers to spread the butter evenly.
7. Generously sprinkle half of the ground cinnamon and 1 c. of the sugar over the butter.
8. Beginning at the end farthest from you, roll the rectangle tightly toward you. Use both hands, work slowly, being careful to keep the roll tight.
9. When you reach the end, pinch the seam together. Use the 2nd amount of dough and repeat process.
10. Using a serrated knife or sharp knife, make 1 1/2" slices. One log will produce 20 - 25 rolls.
11. Spray baking dishes with cooking spray. Place sliced rolls in the pans, baing careful not to overcrowd.
12. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover pans with a tea towel, allow to rest / rise for 20 minutes. Remove the towel and bake for 13 - 17 minutes, until golden brown. Do not allow to over brown.
To make icing (vanilla buttercream):
Cream the butter, add powdered sugar in small batches after each addition, mix in a bit of milk to create a buttercream frosting, add vanilla at the end and mix.
Icing: easy vanilla
2 # powdered sugar
1/2 c. milk
1 t. vanilla
Mix to drizzle consistency
Icing: Maple
2 # powdered sugar
1/2 c. milk
6 T. butter, melted
1/4 c. strongly brewed coffee
dash of salt
1 T. maple flavoring
In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, butter, coffee and salt. Pour in maple flavoring, whick to smooth. Add in more flavors as you would like. Icing should be thick, but pourable.
Change the recipe up: add apple pie filling; add pecans and raisins to the above recipe; add orange zest and dates, use orange juice in place of milk in regular vanilla buttercream icing recipe.
