PW's Cinnamon Rolls

One of our Christmas traditions is cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning.  Back in the good ole USA, I tried some homemade rolls one year.  The recipe I used (or my cooking technique) was not even as good as the Grands refrigerated cinnamon rolls.  So for many years we had yummy Grands cinnamon rolls for Christmas breakfast.  Certainly nothing to complain about!!

Fast forward to our Christmas here in England.  There are no refrigerated cinnamon rolls!  So for the last few years I have made Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls for breakfast on our special day.

Cooking with yeast is not very difficult!

Homemade cinnamon rolls are the ultimate comfort food...rich, buttery, and sweet.  Don't be afraid (like I was) to try a yeast-bread recipe.  Baking with yeast is no big deal...add it to a warm liquid, mix, and let the dough rise.

Here are some pictures from baking the cinnamon rolls this Christmas with my special assistant.  Grace did many of the steps all by herself.  The recipe follows, although you can click over to Pioneer Woman for a printable version and all her helpful notes.

One last note...this recipe makes LOTS of pans of cinnamon rolls.  I think we made 5 round pans.  They are easy to freeze (fully baked and frosted).  Then just thaw and put in the oven (low heat - maybe 250F) for about 15 minutes.

The dough before it rises

The dough after it rises for awhile.  You divide it in half in order to roll it into large rectangles.

Roll the dough out into a big rectangle.  Be careful not to make it to thin, as this leads to floppy cinnamon rolls in the pan.  (I made this mistake on one batch.)

Lots of butter and sugar

The recipe calls for melted butter.  I partially melted it so it wouldn't run out when I rolled it up.

Lots of cinnamon

Rolling it up

A pan ready for baking

The icing - milk, powdered sugar and vanilla.  I don't add coffee as the recipe calls for.

Baked rolls

The final product

Dough:

• 1 quart whole milk 
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 packages active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)
• 9 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 heaping teaspoon baking powder 
• 1 scant teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon salt

Filling:

• 2 cups melted butter, plus more as needed  (I softened mine in microwave just til spreadable)
• 1/4 cup ground cinnamon, for sprinkling
• 2 cups sugar, plus more as needed

Maple Icing:

• 2 pounds powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, melted
• 1/4 cup strongly brewed coffee (omitted)
• Dash of salt
• 1 tablespoon maple flavoring or maple extract (I used vanilla)

Directions

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, and 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. (I chilled for a few hours, but I think dough would work better after chilling overnight.)

To assemble the rolls, remove half the dough from the pan. On a floured baking surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 30 by 10 inches. The dough should be rolled very thin.

For 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.  (This may be hard to believe, but these rolls were almost TOO rich for me.  I might add a little less butter and sugar next time.)

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 disposable foil cake pans and swirl to coat. 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.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cover all the pans with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise on the countertop for at least 20 minutes before baking.

Remove the towel and bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Don't allow the rolls to become overly brown.

While the rolls are baking, make the maple icing: In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, butter, coffee and salt. Splash in the maple flavoring. Whisk until very smooth. Taste and add in more maple, sugar, butter or other ingredients as needed until the icing reaches the desired consistency. The icing should be somewhat thick but still very pourable.