pretty by the bay

Oh, yes. Ohhhhhhhhhh, yes.

What’s not to love about cinnamon rolls? Flaky on the outside. Slightly doughy on the inside. Oozing with cinnamon and sugar and coated with cream cheese frosting. These have to be one of my all-time favorite indulgence foods, and no one makes them like my momma makes them. She’s made this recipe for years, and I always assumed they were too difficult for me to master due to my fear of yeast. But like her homemade noodles, they’re surprisingly easy to make. Mom’s adapted her recipe for use with a bread machine, a stand mixer or your own two hands, so you really have no excuse not to try it! I’ve added some pictures to the recipe to show you the process – hopefully, you’ll find it as easy as I did.

And before we get to the recipe, allow me to announce the winner of my Spicy Giveaway! I drew randomly from all of your comments and the winner is commenter #17, Voula, who is truly a woman after my own heart with her mention of baklava and shrimp saganaki. Voula, please send me your mailing address at prettybythebay@gmail.com and I’ll ship your goodies. I strongly suggest you use some of your new cinnamon to make this recipe

Mom’s Cinnamon Rolls

makes about a dozen

Dough:

3 c unbleached all-purpose flour

4 tbsp white sugar

1 tsp salt

¼ c non-fat dry milk powder

1 c warm water

2 tbsp butter, softened

1 package rapid-rise yeast

Filling:

Softened butter

Brown Sugar (about 1 c, or to enough to generously cover rolled out dough)

Cinnamon (about 1 tsp, or more to taste)

Frosting:

4 oz cream cheese, softened

2 tbsp butter, softened

½ box of powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1-2 tbsp cream or milk, or more as needed to achieve desired consistency

Step 1: Make the dough.

To make dough in a bread machine: Combine water, sugar, butter and salt in bottom of bread pan. Add flour, dry milk powder, adding yeast to the top, last. Run dough cycle, and remove from pan for first rising, place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise until doubled.

To make dough in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook: Combine water, sugar, butter and salt in mixer bowl. Mix together yeast, flour and dry milk powder. Begin mixing liquid on slow speed, and gradually add dry ingredients. Knead according to your mixer’s recommendations, or until dough is smooth and no longer sticky. Remove dough hook, and put dough into a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

To make dough by hand: Combine water, sugar, butter and salt in a large bowl. Mix together yeast, flour and dry milk powder in a separate bowl, and gradually add to liquid, mixing well after each addition. Turn out onto a lightly floured board/table and knead until smooth, elastic and no longer sticky, adding additional flour to the board as needed, approximately 8-10 minutes. Put dough into a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

Before:

After:

Step 2: Roll and season the dough.

Punch down dough and turn out onto a lightly floured board/table. Roll into a long rectangle; the dough may spring back, but continue to work it until you’ve shaped a rectangle roughly 9″x15″ in size. It’s okay if the dough sticks a bit to your board or counter; stickiness will help you roll it out.  Spread with softened butter (a couple of tablespoons for a nice even coating.) Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon, followed by the brown sugar, and then the rest of the cinnamon.

Step 3: Shape and cut the rolls.

Beginning at the long edge, roll the rectangle toward you, stretching dough as you roll it. After it’s rolled, pinch the dough seam together so it’s closed off along the edge. Cut into rounds with a sharp knife, and place on a greased baking sheet, with the rolls barely touching. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise until almost double. Bake at 375 degrees and check after 15 minutes. Rolls should be golden brown on top; if still doughy or not yet brown, return to the oven for 5 more minutes. Remove from baking sheet and allow to cool for a few minutes on a wire rack. (Caution, the melted sugar is molten hot!)

Step 4: Make the frosting and frost the rolls.

As the cinnamon rolls bake, combine softened cream cheese, butter and vanilla in mixer bowl. Beat until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar a little at a time, beating until well combined after each addition. Add cream or milk a tbsp at a time until desired consistency is achieved. Allow the rolls to cool slightly (just a few minutes) before frosting.