Hey guys!
So earlier this week? I think? I can’t remember anymore… time is all meshing into a blur.
Regardless, I think it was earlier this week or last week at some point… I made some cinnamon rolls and shared a picture of them in my story on Instagram. Annnd… shortly thereafter I had 3 people ask me for the recipe!
That said, I figured I’d better get an actual written recipe figured out for them, and because of them, for you! Needless to say, I’ve made a lot of cinnamon rolls this week. If it wasn’t for this baby bump of mine, I think I might be starting to look like a cinnamon roll (if you know what I’m saying). The baby bump is a temporary hideout for all of the extra poundage I’m finding during this whole quarantine thing.
Anyway, just in case you are equally desirous of cinnamon rolls after you saw these pictures – here’s the recipe! I hope you enjoy it. Also, keep reading if you want a few extra tips below…
Easy Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Glaze
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup lukewarm water
- 3/4 cup lukewarm milk
- 3/4 cup sugar (I used brown sugar)
- 2 tsp. dry active yeast
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup butter softened (and divided)
- 4 to 4-1/2 cups white flour (or until you get a soft dough)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (approx)
- 4 tsp cinnamon (approx)
Vanilla Glaze
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp 10% cream or milk
Instructions
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Dissolve yeast in water and milk, and stir with the sugar until combined. Allow to rest 10-15 minutes or until the mixture begins to "Bloom."
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Stir in the salt, and add 1/4 cup of the butter with the egg and about 2-1/2 cups of the flour and stir until the dough starts coming together (it will be like a thick batter). Stir in another 1-1/2 cups of flour until the mixture looks quite shaggy.
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Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface and knead (adding more flour to prevent sticking, as necessary), until smooth and elastic (about 5-10 minutes). Turn into a greased bowl, cover with plastic, and allow to rise until doubled (About 1 hour).
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Tip: If your dough feels stiff enough but it isn't getting smooth, try putting a little bit of oil on the table under it, and spreading some oil over the surface of the dough. Then, allow the dough to rest (with your mixing bowl turned upside down over it) for 5 minutes. Then, remove the bowl and keeping kneading until smooth.
For this tutorial, I ended up letting my dough rest this way twice, kneading for a little bit after each rest. It was perfect after the second go!
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Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and press into a rectangle or square shape. Sprinkle with a bit more flour, and roll into a 10x15" rectangle.
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Spread with the remaining 1/4 cup of butter, leaving a lip of "raw dough" at the end of the dough furthest from you. This is where you will pinch the seal, so you don't want to get anything on that. Sprinkle over the buttered area generously with cinnamon and brown sugar (you may need a little more or less than the recipe suggests - I just do it till it looks well covered).
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Fold the dough up about 2" on the end closest to you. Fold one more time, and then roll the rest of the dough up to form a log, pinching the plain edge to seal. Cut into twelve 1" pieces. Lay the cinnamon buns into a greased 9"x13" baking pan, cut side up. Cover, and allow to rise for about 35 minutes.
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Note: At this stage the buns should be looking a little bigger than before, and they should be pressing into each other. If they look about the same as before, allow them to rest a little longer.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and allow the rolls to rise 10 minutes longer (45 minutes total rising time, provided that your rolls are rising nicely). Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Turn onto cooling rack to cool immediately (otherwise the sugar will harden in the bottom and it will be hard to get them out of the pan!).
For the Glaze:
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Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl, and stir till smooth. Drizzle or spread over the baked cinnamon rolls.
Recipe Notes
Note:
Your rolls will rise within the right times if you make them in a warm environment. If your home is on the colder side, put them in the oven with the oven light on, or place your rolls by a sunny window to let them rise. This will help keep the timing working.Â
Please refer to the photos in this post if you aren't sure how things should look!Â
Tip:
Generally, sweet doughs are best when they don't have too much flour. So when I say, "Add more flour as needed to prevent sticking," be very cautious about how much you add, and try not exceed the amount recommended by this recipe.
Steps 1&2:
Steps 3&4 (the stages of kneading):
Step 5:
Step 6:
Here’s what I mean by leaving a little “lip” of raw dough on the edge: Don’t spread the butter to the edge on the far side!
Use your hands to spread the sugar around:
Here’s that raw side again:
Step 7:
Here’s the method to the madness in step 7 of the recipe directions: The reason I like to fold the first bit of dough instead of starting a nice tight coil is that if you roll your cinnamon buns “Loosely” in the middle, your odds of getting those little “peaks” in the middle of the baked buns is less.
Pre rise:
Post rise:
And post bake! Obviously I didn’t completely avoid the little peaked centres, but whatever. Sometimes it can’t be helped!
And finally, before I sign off – I wanted to encourage you to spread your wings on this one. Want to add nuts? DO IT! Or maybe raisins, chopped apple pieces, or whatever. Fill those cinnamon buns with everything magical, top them with whatever kind of frosting you like, and let me know what your genius created. I’d love to hear!
Back soon,
Naomi
P.S. If you make these, tag me in your photos on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!! I would love to see your great work!
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