I am a long time follower of The Pioneer Woman so when I was watching her Christmas special on the Food Network I knew I wanted to add her cinnamon rolls to our Christmas breakfast. I have only used yeast a few times, and while I am a baker I am not one to bake bread, ever. I have failed miserably but I blame my lack of patience. If I had a bread machine, maybe, since it does all the work for you. When you are placing the dough in bowls and praying for the temperature gods to be on your side, as it sits to rise it is way too much for me, too much of a commitment wasted if it fails. I decided to give PW’s recipe a go because she is so likeable and she’s the real deal. I set out the night before Christmas Eve, tears swelling my eyes (totally having a Like Water from Chocolate experience) from being over tired and the pressure of baking a red velvet cheesecake at the same time (that recipe is up next). Have you caught on that I take on too much at one time yet? Oh! and did I mention it was already 11:30 PM? Yeah, well it was and I am nuts. Luckily for me, the yeast gods were in my favor and Santa must have thought I was a good girl this year because I was able to add these soft, gooey buns to our Christmas breakfast table along to our neighbors as well. They were a hit and will become a holiday staple for year’s to come. I plan on making them again for New Year’s morning but a slight variation so stay tuned for that recipe as well!
Recipe Directly From: Pioneer Woman
(My notes are in Pink, excuse the photo lighting, remember it was late!)
Ingredients
- 1 quart Whole Milk
- 1 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 cup Sugar
- 2 packages Active Dry Yeast, 0.25 Ounce Packets
- 8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour *It took 2 additional cups of APF as I turned it out to roll.
- 1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
- 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
- Plenty Of Melted Butter
- 2 cups Sugar
- Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon
- _____
- MAPLE FROSTING:
- 1 bag Powdered Sugar One pound or four cups
- 2 teaspoons Maple Flavoring *I used Maple Syrup
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 1/4 cup Melted Butter
- 1/4 cup Brewed Coffee *I used Starbucks Caramel Via
- 1/8 teaspoon Salt
Preparation Instructions
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, 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 (if your dough is still really sticky add in additional flour, it took me two additional cups) 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. (Note: dough is easier to work with if it’s been chilled for at least an hour or so beforehand.)
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
To assemble the rolls, remove half the dough from the pan/bowl. On a floured baking surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 30 x 10 inches. The dough should be rolled very thin.
To make 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.
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.) i cut directly on the foil, it did not tear. If you don’t want your rolls to look squeezed see her notes in Cinnamon Roll 101 on chilling the log first. I was working against time as I looked at unwrapped gifts.
Repeat the rolling/sugar/butter process with the other half of the dough and more pans. Preheat the oven to 375°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 for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown. Don’t allow the rolls to become overly brown.
Remove pans from the oven. Immediately drizzle icing over the top. Be sure to get it all around the edges and over the top. As they sit, the rolls will absorb some of the icing’s moisture and flavor. They only get better with time… not that they last for more than a few seconds. Make them for a friend today! It’ll seal the relationship for life. I promise. She isn’t lying folks. We gave these to all our immediate neighbors, even the ones directly next door that we dislike and the young man’s eyes lit up and overjoyed he gave Jim a, “thanks man!” our other neighbor said if we saw him walking up and down the street it was because of my baking. This is a new tradition and something I will bake for our neighbors and family year after year!
Yum! I am a new cinnamon roll baking addict. Beware friends. waaaa-ha-ha!
Man that is ambitious! I admire your amazing gift for baking and designing delectable delicacies 🙂
I am just an ordinary girl with ordinary food. I wish I could nest in my kitchen, but it’s just too darn cold!!
Yum…
Oh how glorious. I’d want one of those. I have a sweet treat linky party going on at my blog and I’d love it if you’d come by and link your rolls up. http://sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com/2011/12/sweets-for-saturday-50.html. It’ll be open till Monday night.