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.

SueP Garlic and Herb French Bread

I don't do yeast. I am afraid of yeast. I can do pizza dough and wheat bread, but after that, my motherboard shuts down. I am afraid of my efforts of making the dough won't work. I won't get a good rise and it will be for nothing. I don't do well with disappointment. So to avoid disappointment, I don't do it at all. Kind of like fudge. Did you know I CANNOT make fudge? I have tried twice. Once with the real way and again with the marshmallow fluff. Both times, no go. I am not going to be disappointed again, so I have come to terms with the fact that I am not a fudge-maker. Do you make fudge? Congrats! I do not.

Since I no do yeast, you can go ahead and assume I didn't make this. My mother did, who happens to have a very cohesive, healthy relationship with yeast. My mom is a yeast whisperer. She can coax yeasty little bubbles out of all of her bread attempts. If you too are a yeast whisperer, give this baby a go. Anyways, I will now turn the time over to Sister Peterson for her lesson on garlic french bread.



2 Tbsp salt
6 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup gluten flour
6 cup white flour
2/3 cup olive oil OR roasted garlic oil (the better choice)
4 cup hot water (120-130 degrees)
4 Tbsp Saf-Instant yeast
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp dried rosemary
1 Tbsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp dried basil
1 Tbsp thyme
1/2 cup or more of grated Parmesan or asiago cheese
3/4 cup cornmeal
6 cups combination of white and wheat flour (easy on the wheat if you want a lighter bread; heavy on the wheat of your feeling healthy or guilty)

In a the bowl of a mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine salt, sugar, gluten flour, white flour, oil and water. Mix until moistened. Add yeast. Mix for about 15 seconds. Add garlic, rosemary, oregano, basil, thyme and cheese, cornmeal. Mix until just combined.

Add white and wheat flour a cup at a time and mix after each addition. You want your dough to be a tad bit sticky, but able to clear the sides of the bowl. Depending on your location and humidity, and the time of year and temperature, add five cups and then wait and see how your dough reacts. Five might do - then again - you might need seven. (Slightly sticky dough means soft bread, that's what you're shooting for.)

Put the cover on your mixer and knead for six minutes. Pour a half-dollar size pool of olive oil on your counter and spread it around with your hands. With your oily hands, remove the dough from the mixer. (I don't flour my counter, I oil it when I'm working with dough.) Separate the dough into four equal sizes. Using a rolling pin (rub your oily hands on it), roll each into a rectangle to get out the bubbles, and then roll up jelly roll-style. Fold the ends under and pinch to seal. (Each is about the thickness of a wrapping paper tube.)

Place on a cookie sheet or french bread pan seams down. Cut a few slits on the top, and raise for 25 minutes.

Set your oven to 350 and continue to raise the loaves while it's heating up, about 10 minutes. Bake loaves for 20-24 minutes. (I use a convection oven so I can bake them all at once - but you can do two at a time in a regular oven.) Remove from oven and pans and let sit on cooling rack and cool for ten to fifteen more minutes. The insides will continue to cook.

If you want a soft crust, rub with a cube of butter at this point, else leave them be for a crispier crust. Copious amount of butter slathered on thick slices is recommended when this is warm!

Hen's Notes: I use a Bosch mixer. Whatever mixer you have, make sure it can handle 12+ cups of flour. This recipe makes 4 loaves - so you can cut the recipe in half if you need to.

Saf-Instant Yeast is A MUST. This yeast is the bomb and the only kind I ever use. I never need to proof it, it's tough and can take high water temps, and it rises fast and does not require a "first rising" before you shape it into rolls or loaves. Buy it online if you can't find it in your store. It comes in a small brick, not little packages. Store in a covered container in the freezer.

Classic 100% Wheat Bread

As far as yeast bread recipes go, this one is easy peasy lemon squeezy. Really, I want you to trust me, it’s easy. The ingredients aren't weird and they are easy to find in the grocery store. Give this a go. There is something so satisfying about being able to fill your house with the amazing aroma of homemade bread.



2½ tsp instant yeast, or 1 packet active dry yeast dissolved in 2 Tbsp water
1 1/3 cups water
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup honey, molasses, or maple syrup
3½ cups whole wheat flour
¼ cup nonfat dried milk
1¼ tsp salt

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple. You may also knead this dough in an electric mixer or food processor, or in a bread machine programmed for "dough" or "manual." Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 60 minutes, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into an 8-inch log. Place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 1 hour, or until it's crowned about 1 inch above the edge of the pan. A finger pressed into the dough should leave a mark that rebounds slowly.

Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for about 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after 20 minutes. Test it for doneness by removing it from the pan and thumping it on the bottom (it should sound hollow), or measuring its interior temperature with an instant-read thermometer (it should register 190°F at the center of the loaf). Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack before slicing. Store the bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.

Beyond Excellent White Bread

I am a baker. I bake. Ahoy!

I am pretty excited about it. I have been wanting to make bread for years. I finally got a probe thermometer and I wanted one before I made bread. I just wouldn’t be able to bare it if the bread failed all on the account of the water for the yeast being the wrong temperature. So today, I dove into the unknown and came out victorious!

5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 pkg active dry yeast
2 cups water
¼ cup oil
1 Tbsp butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, sugar, salt and yeast and mix well. Heat water and oil in a saucepan until the temperature reaches 120° to 130°. Add warm liquid to the dry ingredients and mix at low speed until moistened. Beat for 3 minutes at medium speed. By hand, stir in 2½ to 3 cups flour until dough pulls cleanly away from the sides.

On a floured surface, knead in ½ to 1 cup flour until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place dough in greased bowl, cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and cloth towel. Let rise in warm place until light and doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.

Grease two 8x4 loaf pans. Punch down dough several times to remove all air bubbles. Divide dough in half, shape into loaves. Place in greased pans. Cover and let rise in warm place until dough fills pans and tops of loaves are about 1 inch above the pan edges, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Heat oven to 375°. Uncover dough. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when lightly tapped. Immediately remove from pans, place on wire racks. Brush with melted butter. Cool and ENJOY!

Rookie's Notes: Yes, this is a process. In all, it took about 4 hours. BUT, it wasn’t like I was working on it for 4 hours. The work involved is actually quite minimal. The time is in the processing. And as you can see, the ingredients themselves are pretty simple. I will say that the time was all worth it when they were in the oven and the smell filled my house. Heavenly. It actually reminded me of my parent’s old house, which they so rudely moved out of.