Cooking Lesson #676: Yummy Cinnamon Rolls (Cinnabon hack)

…from the Perspectives’ Kitchen

How you doin’? Today is National Cinnamon Roll Day! Yay! I love airport and shopping mall food court food cinnamon rolls.  When I was writing my first book, Stolen Secrets, I studied one of the “leading cinnamon roll makers” for several months. At the time they were instructing all their in-store co-workers to not turn on the exhaust hoods to let the cinammony aroma waft through the airport or mall until someone complained. Most importantly, I was told that the formulation was never to be changed and that they were always to have some rolls baking in the oven—even if it was just a half tray during slower hours to generate that tantalizing aroma.
 
I tested and tested and tested again until my recipe produced the same frosted gooey, buttery cinnamon buns, loaded with all the cinnamon and sweet icing of your favorite food court treat and now you can make them right in your own kitchen!
 
You can make the dough and prep the rolls a day ahead and refrigerate them overnight. Just take them out in the morning, let them come to room temperature and then pop ‘em in a preheated oven! Be warned… it’s hard to resist eating the rolls fresh from the oven, so perfectly gooey and delicious they hardly need the sugary, rich icing, but I never hear any complaints when I spread it over the top.
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Bake time: 19 to 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Yield: 12 cinnamon rolls
 
Ingredients 
For the dough
1 cup warm milk, or buttermilk (no warmer than 110⁰F)
2 packages quick acting dry yeast
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup margarine, melted (yes, margarine, not butter)
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups bread flour
 
For the filling
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
2-1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup softened unsalted butter (yes, now it’s real butter)
 
For the icing
1 (3oz) package cream cheese (softened)
1/4 cup butter (softened)
1-1/ 2cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
 
Directions
To make the dough

1. In a small bowl add the warm milk and yeast; stir to combine.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the granulated sugar, margarine, eggs and salt; mix on medium speed.
3. Change out the paddle attachment and switch to a dough hook.
4. Add 2 cups of the flour and the milk/yeast mixture to the margarine blend; mix well.
5. Add 2 more cups flour (a little at a time) and mix until a soft dough is formed.
6. Knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface for 4-5 minutes until the dough is smooth.
7. Place the dough in a margarine coated bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place in the kitchen until it doubles in size.
8. Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon; set aside.

To make the cinnamon rolls

1. Roll the dough into a 15×20-inch rectangle on a well-floured surface.
2. Spread the filling butter evenly over the dough and top with the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture.
3. Roll the dough up and cut it into 12 rolls.
4. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan and place the rolls in the pan in a single layer.
5. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and allow them to rise 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

To bake the rolls and finish

1. While the dough is rising, preheat an oven to 400⁰F.
2. Uncover the pan and bake in the oven until golden brown, about 18-20 minutes.
3. While rolls are in the oven, mix the frosting ingredients together in a medium bowl.
4. Allow the rolls to cool for 10 minutes, then smear the icing over the rolls.

ChefSecrets: 

• The dough works better with margarine. The filling and icing provide all the butter goodness you want to make these cinnamon rolls totally desirable and craveable.
• When you’re kneading the Cinnamon Roll dough, always work on a flat, floured surface. The flour keeps the dough from getting too sticky and ripping itself apart as you work it.
• You should keep the flour nearby when you’re kneading the dough so you can add a little to your hands and the rolling pin as you need it.
• To clean up after kneading, you can dust the work surface with the remaining flour to loosen any dough that’s stuck. This makes scraping it up with a kitchen towel much easier.

Take it up a notch and turn a cinnamon roll into sticky bun. Pour a 1/2 cup of melted butter in bottom of the baking dish, sprinkle 1 cup of brown sugar over the butter, then add 1/2 cup chopped pecans and place the cinnamon rolls in the pan. Bake as directed above. Remove the rolls from the oven and invert the contents onto a large serving platter; let the syrup drip over the top of the rolls. In case you’re wondering, no need for the cream cheese icing.        

Quip of the Day: Q: What do you call the same thing as a cinnamon roll? A. A synonym roll!
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross.

#CinnamonRolls #Brunch #Breakfast #Yeast #HomemadeCinnamonRolls #CinnabonHack #2023 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
 
                                                       ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023

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