For me, a cinnamon roll is just the
perfect indulgence. There’s nothing
like the smell of freshly baked cinnamon
rolls – the warm, sweet, cinnamon
scent is totally captivating. I like
the flavor of cinnamon rolls because
they are not overly sweet, and I can
eat them any time of the day without
feeling like I’ve gone overboard
with my sugar intake.
My mother was the baker in the family,
and breads were her favorite. She made
great cinnamon rolls – in many
shapes and sizes, and using at least
ten of her different cinnamon roll recipes.
I learned how to bake bread when I was
in my twenties. I made a lot of mistakes
and tried a lot of recipes, but after
about five years of experimenting, I
finally mastered it. My ultimate goal
was to learn how to make cinnamon rolls.
Over the last few decades, I have evolved
a recipe and now it’s my favorite.
I’ve included it below.
I’m picky about cinnamon rolls.
I like them soft and doughy, without
too much sugary filling. I like them
with pecans in the filling because they
are soft and not too bitter. Classic,
old-fashioned cinnamon rolls were meant
to be eaten plain, or with a light powdered-sugar
frosting, not cream cheese, for God’s
sake! Whoever came up with the idea
of putting cream cheese on a cinnamon
roll (and ruining it) should be forced
to eat dirt.
Fillings for cinnamon rolls can include
nuts such as walnuts or pecans, and
also raisins. There are people who don’t
eat raisins or don’t eat nuts,
and you can leave these out if you want.
All you need on the inside of the cinnamon
roll is some butter, sugar and cinnamon.
The sweet dough for the cinnamon roll
varies a lot. Some recipes have milk
as the liquid and some have water, or
a mixture of both. Milk will yield a
softer texture than water. I like a
sweet dough that has a hint of sugar
but not too much. My favorite recipe
below has just the right amount. Remember,
you are also putting sugar in the filling;
you don’t want too much in the
dough. I also add cinnamon to the sweet
dough. I think it gives the rolls a
more uniform cinnamon flavor.
You can make many different shapes
from cinnamon roll dough. The standard
shape is a roll that when baked is about
2 or 3 inches tall and up to 4 inches
in diameter. You can also shape the
dough into twists or crescents, or form
one big spiral ring and then cut slices
from it.
Cinnamon rolls freeze pretty well and
retain their flavor and texture well.
Be sure to freeze them the same day
you make them, for best results.
You can use a conventional bread-making
method or the “cool-rise”
method (see the second recipe below).
The conventional method means that you
make the dough, let it rise once, shape
into rolls, let it rise again and then
bake it right away. The cool-rise method
means that you make the dough, let it
rise briefly, shape into rolls, and
then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate
for 2 to 24 hours to let it rise; then
you bake it. The conventional method
will yield a softer, more uniform roll.
The cool-rise method will result in
a roll that is slightly crusty on the
outside and smooth on the inside –
with a slightly chewier texture. The
cool-rise method is a great recipe to
use in the summer when it’s hot
and you don’t want to heat up
the kitchen; you can mix up the dough
at night, let it refrigerate overnight,
and bake the rolls the first thing the
next morning when it’s cooler.
Experiment with both methods to see
which one you prefer.
Catherine’s Cinnamon
Rolls
(makes one 13 x 9” pan full, plus
one 8” square pan full)
1 cup milk
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg, beaten
2 packages instant yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
7 to 8 cups all-purpose flour
Filling:
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup brown or white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans
In large bowl of electric stand mixer,
places 2 cups of flour, yeast, baking
powder, baking soda, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon
cinnamon and salt. Mix until well blended.
In large 4-cup glass measuring cup,
place milk and water. Heat in microwave
to “bread” temperature of
105 degrees. Add heated liquid and softened
butter to flour mixture, and blend.
Add beaten egg and 2 cups more flour.
Continue to mix until well blended,
then gradually add more flour until
the mixture cleans the side of the bowl.
Transfer dough to floured board and
knead for 5 to 10 minutes until elastic.
Transfer dough to oiled bowl, cover,
and let rise for about 45 minutes until
doubled.
Grease two baking pans with cooking
oil: one that is 13” x 9”
and one 8” square pan. Remove
dough from bowl and punch down. Roll
out dough to rectangle that is 16 inches
long and about 10 inches wide. Brush
dough with melted butter. Sprinkle with
cinnamon and sugar. Add pecans, sprinkling
evenly over dough. Roll up into a tight
roll and seal the edge. Cut into 3/4
inch slices and transfer to pans. Cover
with towel and let rise until double.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake rolls
on middle rack of oven for 15 minutes.
Allow to cool, and then frost with light
powdered-sugar frosting if desired.
Cool-Rise Cinnamon Rolls
(makes one 13 x 9” pan full, plus
four extra rolls)
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
2 packages instant yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup softened butter
1 1/2 cups water
2 eggs, beaten
Filling:
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup brown or white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans
In large bowl of electric stand mixer,
places 2 cups of flour, yeast, sugar,
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and salt. Mix
until well blended. In large 4-cup glass
measuring cup, place water and heat
in microwave to “bread”
temperature of 105 degrees. Add hot
water and softened butter to flour mixture,
and blend. Add beaten eggs and 2 cups
more flour. Continue to mix until well
blended, and then gradually add more
flour until the mixture cleans the side
of the bowl. Transfer dough to floured
board and knead for 5 to 10 minutes
until elastic. Transfer dough to oiled
bowl, cover, and let rise for exactly
20 minutes.
Grease two baking pans with cooking
oil: one that is 13” x 9”
and one smaller one that will hold the
4 extra rolls. Remove dough from bowl
and punch down. Roll out dough to rectangle
that is 16 inches long and about 10
inches wide. Brush dough with melted
butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
Add pecans, sprinkling evenly over dough.
Roll up into a tight roll and seal the
edge. Cut into 3/4 inch slices and transfer
to pans. Brush the surface of the rolls
with a little cooking oil. Cover tightly
with plastic wrap and refrigerate at
least two hours or overnight. When ready
to bake them, remove from oven and let
sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees, moving
rack to middle of oven so they won’t
burn on the bottom. Bake for 20 minutes.
Allow to cool, and then frost with light
powdered-sugar frosting if desired.
Enjoy those cinnamon rolls, and be sure
to share them with your neighbors, because
the aroma of cinnamon travels far!!
Catherine Kitcho
Top
of Page
