Cinnamon Rollllllls

Well people. It’s the morning. Well you were all probably awake way before I was. But anyway morning = breakfast! And no, I don’t mean a candy bar or a bowl of cereal or a can of soda. None of this healthy nonsense either. Why would you eat granola when you could eat CINNAMON ROLLS?! Really people. Why? For those of you on a diet: stop. Just….stop. eat these!

I made these last weekend and they were AMAZING. I made one batch gluten free, and one not gluten free. I will admit that the gf ones didn’t turn out quite as amazingly as the normal ones, but they were still really, really good. I mean honestly, how can it not be good? Butter. Sugar. Frosting.

(Luckily my roomie Dominick was quick thinking enough to take a picture. So thank him for that mouth watering photo up there.)

This recipe is adapted from the pioneer woman (by the way if you haven’t been to her website, you really should. Prepare to be amazed!). I didn’t use her frosting recipe and I messed up on the times just a wee bit. But it still works, so never fear! You can do it too!

A note on gluten free flour: As I said above, the gf ones didn’t turn out as well. That’s because the flour doesn’t really like to rise, even in the best of conditions. The flour I use is Jules Nearly Normal. I’ve found that it is nearly one to one replaceable with regular flour and I use it for everything. So if you’re gluten free and you haven’t tried it yet, test it out! I think you’ll love it!

Rolls:

1 quart whole milk

1 quart whole milk

1 cup vegetable oil (I was out and used olive oil and it worked just fine)

1 cup sugar

2 packages active dry yeast

8 cups (plus one extra, separated for dusting) all purpose flour

1 tsp (heaping) baking powder

1 tsp (scant) baking soda

1 tbsp (heaping) salt

Plenty of melted butter

2 cups sugar

generous sprinkling of cinnamon

Icing:

4 tbsp butter (spftened or melted)

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

3-6 tbsp hot water

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. heat the mixture until just before the boiling point. This is called scalding. The way I tell when it’s about ready is when the pan is hissing at me and the bubbles start coming up around the edges. Turn off heat and go back to your warm comfy bed for 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. (If you slept in too long, just turn the stove back on for a few seconds before adding the yeast) Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour. And yes, you can go back to sleep yet again. FYI, the dough won’t rise as well if your kitchen is cold, so make sure that it is warm in there! Here’s a tip: Turn the oven on for a few minutes, or keep it on at a very low temperature.

After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir it all together.

(If you have good planning skills, you can prepare it the night before and just put it in the fridge now.)

Alright! Roll making time! Grab a bag of flour and throw it all over the counter. Go ahead. Make a mess. You’re feeding people, they can just clean up after you. Take half the dough and roll it into a rough rectangle. Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Get a pastry brush and spread it all over. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.

Alright, I hope you made a mess with that flour like I said, cause it’s rolling time! Take the end furthest away from you and pull it toward you. If the dough sticks to the counter, just slowwwwwwly pull it, but don’t rip the dough! Make sure to roll it tightly for maximum oozey-ness.

Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round cake or pie pan. Then cut the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and place them in the buttered pans about half an inch apart from each other. They’re going to rise, so they need to have some growing room. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 400 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

While you are staring into the oven impatiently waiting for delicious steaming hot cinnamon rolls, you can make the frosting! Frosting is super duper easy, especially this one. Combine the butter, sugar, and vanilla and whisk together. Then slowly add hot water until it reaches the desired consistency. This is a personal preference thing and you might not use all the water.

Alright, finally the rolls are done and yes, I know, you just want to put your face in the pan of delicious-ness. I understand. Resist the urge, because you have to put the frosting on first. Some people like putting the frosting onto the rolls all at once and some people like to put it on the individual rolls. It’s totally up to you!

Enjoy and try not to eat a whole pan by yourself :)

XOXO

Natalie