Many of the meals and desserts my mom made for us literally flew off the table! She is an amazing cook with over 50 years of experience. These cinnamon rolls are challenging for a beginner baker, and do take a lot of time, but trust me, you will have eaten a whole pan in no time!
To make the dough recipe by hand, see this recipe
The recipe is here, and pictures of the how they are made are below:
Ingredients:
Saucepan mixture:
¼ cup milk
½ cup water
1 ½ tbsps. of butter
1 ½ tbsps. of sugar
1 tsp. of salt
Yeast mixture:
¼ cup water
A tad less than 1 tbsp. of yeast
1 tsp. sugar
Dough:
~2 cups of flour
Butter for pan and dough
2/3 cup white sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
Glaze:
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
2 tbsps. of soft butter
1/4 tsp. of salt
1-3 tbsp. milk
Directions:
Make the dough:
In a small saucepan, mix together the "saucepan mixture" ingredients and heat at a low setting (~4) until just warm enough to melt butter. Set aside to cool while preparing the yeast.
In a mixer bowl with a dough hook attachment, mix the water, yeast, and pinch of sugar together with a fork. Let rise 5-10 minutes or until visibly activated and puffy.
Distribute 1/3 cup of flour over the yeast mixture.
Once cooled down, pour saucepan mixture into the mixer. Mix on low speed.
After the flour is incorporated (some remaining lumps at first is okay), continue to add flour, 1/3 cup at a time, on 2nd speed setting.
As you are gradually mixing in flour, use a thin spatula to scrape flour from the sides of the bowl into the mixture. If you're brave, you can do this as the machine is running.
Keep slowly adding the flour until you have around 2-2 1/3 cups total. You can stop adding flour when the dough starts picking up all the flour and not sticking to the sides of bottom of the bowl. The flour adding part takes 15-25 minutes total.
At this point, let the dough knead in the mixer on 2nd speed for 5 minutes. It will become smoother.
Coat your hands with butter and take the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it slightly to soften it. Then roll the dough into a ball and put in buttered bowl and butter the top of the dough. Put saran wrap and a towel on top of the bowl and let rise in a warm place (microwave or turned off oven) for ~ 1 hour.
Make the cinnamon rolls:
Take the dough out and knead it a little. Lift it into the air and sort of pinch it into a rectangle shape. Place back on the countertop and use a rolling pin to roll out into a 10x14 inch rectangle.
Combine the sugar and cinnamon for the filling.
Brush melted butter over the dough and sprinkle cinnamon sugar all over it. Roll the dough up and pinch the open edge so it sticks to the rest of the dough. Cut the dough in half and cut the halves in half. Then cut each piece into three rolls. Place in buttered pan, cover with greased saran wrap, and let rise for 30-45 minutes in a warm place.
Bake for ~22-24 minutes at 350°F.
While baking, make the glaze. Mix the ingredients together until the glaze is the right consistency. If too thin, add more powdered sugar, if too thick, add a LITTLE bit of milk at a time and mix until well combined. The glaze should coat the back of a spoon (see picture below).
When the rolls have cooled down for 20-30 minutes, pour the glaze on top.
Serving size: 12. Stays good for ~ 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
After melting the saucepan mixture on low heat.
After mixing the yeast, water, and sugar and before it becomes activated.
After the yeast is activated.
After putting 1/3 cup flour on top of the yeast mixture and before adding the saucepan mixture to it.
After pouring in the saucepan mixture and before mixing.
After mixing in the first 1/3 cup flour (total 1/3 cup)
After mixing in the second 1/3 cup flour (total 2/3 cup). Some lumps are okay.
After mixing in the third 1/3 cup flour (total 1 cup)
After mixing in the fourth 1/3 cup flour (total ~1 1/3 cup)
After mixing in the fifth 1/3 cup flour (total 1 2/3 cup)
After mixing in the sixth 1/3 cup flour (total 2 cups).
After mixing in some of the seventh 1/3 cup flour (total 2 1/3 cups). The dough was still sticking to the bottom so I added the last bit of flour in (so ~2 1/3 cups in total). You may need more or less flour depending on how your dough looks.
When enough flour has been added (~2 1/3 cups), the dough should look like this (not sticking to the bottom or sides of the bowl). At this point you let it mix for 5 minutes on 2nd speed.
After mixing for 5 minutes.
Dump the dough onto a lightly flour surface, knead a little, and shape into a ball (next picture).
After shaping into a ball.
After greasing the dough ball and placing in a greased bowl.
Top the bowl with saran wrap and a kitchen towel and placing in a closed microwave to rise for 1 hour.
Dough after rising.
Dough after rolling out.
Dough after coating with butter.
Dough after sprinkling with cinnamon sugar.
Dough after rolling into a tight coil (long ways) and before pinching shut.
Dough after pinching shut.
Dough cut in half.
Each half cut in half.
Each 4th cut into thirds.
12 beautiful rolls before their 2nd rise!
12 rolls after the second rise and before dusting with cinnamon sugar.
Rolls before baking.
Rolls after baking.
Glaze before mixing together.
Glaze after mixing together.
Rolls after cooling and being glazed! AMAZING!
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