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Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

There are many things in life that are beautiful and exquisite. A fresh red rose, a perfect beach sunset, a bride in a beautiful white dress. And a yeast dough that has risen perfectly. Dough like that is especially beautiful to me because I am not a big bread baker. Yeast is an ingredient that I hold in such high esteem. An ingredient that I don't dare offend. I treat our relationship with the utmost respect and reverence, so as not to anger her. She is the difference between light, fluffy white rolls or a flat, dense, ugly dinner roll. It takes time to master Yeast. You have to learn all about her. Her pet peeves and her favorite things. Once she lets you in and you get to know Yeast, you are able to soar to great heights, conquering even the most complicated recipes. I see Yeast and I still being in the "get-to-know-you" phase. You will notice that my Yeast Bread category in my recipe index is small, quite small. But there is the longing to have it grow, only by Yeast's permission. So I take baby steps, slowly developing our relationship. This recipe is one such baby step.


I made these rolls because I feel like I am required to by my religious beliefs. I am a Mormon and we are supposed to watch our biannual world-wide conference and eat some type of sweet roll while doing so. Or at least that is the unspoken rule. Growing up, we had orange rolls. Some families have a little treat called Monkey Bread. And others have cinnamon rolls. I had never made cinnamon rolls for General Conference, until now. And I am sure my family was able to better understand the messages from conference better. Isn't that what dough and sugar do to your ability to discern teachings from the Lord?

While I wanted cinnamon rolls, I didn't want to get up earlier than necessary. So by mixing and mashing a few different recipes, adding, changing and throwing in a few of my own ideas, I made overnight cinnamon rolls. In the morning, all I had to do was put them in the oven. So by the first singing number by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, we were pulling apart our cinnamon rolls and sipping our apple juice.



For the filling:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
3 Tbsp butter, melted

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon and salt and mix with a fork until combined. Set aside.

For the dough:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 package active dry yeast
3 Tbsp warm water
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
4-5 cups flour

Spray a large bowl with non-stick spray and set aside. In a small saucepan over medium heat, add milk and butter. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted. Once melted, remove pan from heat and set aside to cool.

In the bowl of a mixer, add yeast and warm water. Let sit for 5 minutes, until yeast dissolves. Once dissolved, add cooled milk mixture, sugar, salt, eggs and 3 cups of flour. Mix until combined. Gradually add additional flour until the dough is firm, but still sticky. Transfer dough to the prepared bowl, cover with a towel and set in a warm place to rise. Let rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until almost doubled in size.

Spray a 9x13 inch pan with non-stick spray and set aside. Once risen, roll dough out into a 12x18 inch square. Brush 3 Tbsp melted butter onto the dough. Sprinkle prepared brown sugar mixture over the butter. Starting with the longest side (18 inches), roll up the dough. Once rolled. Cut dough into 12 cinnamon rolls. Set rolls into the prepared pan. Cover the pan tightly with plastic and set in the fridge. Refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, remove the plastic and set the pan in the oven. Below the pan, add another shallow pan and fill that with boiling water. Close the oven door and let sit for 30 minutes, until rolls are lightly puffed. Remove pans from the oven and set the temperature to 350 degrees. Once heated, add cinnamon roll pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the rolls are raised and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and spread with glaze.

For the glaze:
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 Tbsp milk

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix with a hand mixer until smooth. Spread over finished cinnamon rolls.

Yields 12 cinnamon rolls.

Rookie's Notes: Have some leftovers? You can individually freeze them in ziploc sandwich bags and pull them out, microwave for a few minutes and then you have a quick breakfast addition. Notice I said addition. Let's not eat just cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Add some scrambled eggs, yogurt, oatmeal or even just some fruit.

17 comments:

Frieda Loves Bread said...

We have these rolls on our brains, don't we? I made some cinnamon rolls in between the Saturday sessions...

It's cold enough here that you can whip up a HUGE batch and let them sit in your garage overnight and have them for breakfast the next morning.

Great post!

Megan said...

I have been craving/wanting cinnamon rolls so bad! I haven't wanted to get my lazy butt out of bed early to make them! You just solved all my troubles!! Thanks!

marciemo said...

I made cinnamon rolls last week. I didn't realize they took so much raising, so I ended up putting them in the fridge overnight. They didn't rise as much as I'd hoped. I'll have to try these.

BTW, I've been a Mormon all my life and I've never heard that unwritten rule. My mom wasn't much of a baker or cook. I think we just ate cereal.

Sarah said...

Yours look delicious. I thought our family was the only one to eat cinnamon rolls on general conference weekend :) Guess not...

Celeste said...

wow i was with you all the way about the delicate nature of your relationship with yeast, then you go an brazenly mash a bunch of recipes together???!!! where do you get the cahones? you are no longer a rookie, miss. oh and also, i vote that you see if your genius web designer Megan can come up with some sort of a little button on each recipe that makes it a bit more printer friendly... is that possible? It would be awesome, that's alls i'm sayin'.

Apples and Butter said...

These cinnamon rolls look delicious. I've been frustrated lately by a lack of soft, chewy rolls. I seem to only come in contact with dry and not so chewy ones, but these look absolutely perfect.

Cherry Blossoms said...

Cinnamon Rolls + Conference are a Must Have! Love your blog Rookie Cookie!

Chaney said...

These look awesome! I have to admit that we made bear claws instead of cinnamon rolls for Sunday's Conference breakfast. Still a sweet type of bread though.

{Erica} said...

I have never made cinnamon rolls...ever. Is this time consuming? Can a novice like me expect a good result?

Gina Rochelle said...

mmm, these look good. I must be apostate I didn't make any sweet rolls and I don't even have an excuse because conference doesn't even start until 12 here in Georgia! But next conference I'll repent and we will get more out of it I'm sure

Amanda said...

I'm with Celeste on the whole button with the recipe thing. Great idea!
Also, I am so excited to try this recipe. Learning to make good cinnamon rolls is on my list of things to master before I die. I also must have the recipe for the orange rolls. Any chance you'll share?

Megan said...

Amanda, Celeste: not happening.

Sorry girls.

Karla said...

Never fear the yeast beast! Yeast is your friend. You can make the most dandylicious things with yeast. I am so very bummed you have moved away now that you are dipping your toe into all things yeast and bready... Dare I hope to read in the future about laminated dough and Danish pastries? A Rookie Original recipe for croissants infused with some fantabulous flavor? C'mon Whit... you know it's in you!!! Cross over to the Baker's side... we're waiting!

Oh and my final comment. Ack!!! Cinnamon rolls and apple juice??? I think my pucker reflex would kick in, kind of like brushing my teeth and then drinking orange juice. If I'm doing cinnamon rolls, I'm headed toward the milk (chocolate or white, hot or cold) options. I couldn't do juice with sweet rolls.

BTW, how's that sweet Van doing? I miss him on Sundays.

Kellie said...

Hallelujah and amen. Sugar helps you feel the Spirit - that's why we serve refreshments at everything.

P.S. You don't know me but I heart your blog.

whitneyingram said...

@Kellie - My blog hearts you too. Thanks for your kind words!

julia said...

I made these over the weekend and they were awesome. This was my first attempt at cinnamon rolls and the whole family loved them--I agree though, they need something on the side bc they're pretty rich. My toddler had a sugar crash a few hours after breakfast! :)

Hugan said...

I am making these tonight! Wish me luck! They look great! :)