Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
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Homemade cinnamon rolls are the perfect start to any weekend breakfast or brunch.
I don’t make homemade cinnamon rolls very often, so they are definitely a treat. But when we have overnight visitors, I like to make a big breakfast, and these are a nice addition.
Since the holidays are coming up, I will be having a lot more guests. The best thing about these cinnamon rolls is that they can be made the night before, covered with plastic wrap and allowed to rise in the fridge.
To make homemade cinnamon rolls, start with a good recipe for challah dough:
Challah Dough
Ingredients
- 14 ounces 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast 1 1/2 packets
- 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
- 4 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
- 7 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Mix the yeast, salt, eggs, honey and melted butter with the water in a 5 qt. bowl or a lidded (not airtight) food container. Refer back to "Wonder Bread" post to see what mine looks like.
- Mix in the flour without kneading, using a spoon, a 14 cup capacity food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with dough hook). If you're not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.
- Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
- The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it's easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use within the next 5 days. Freeze un-used dough in 1 pound portions for up to one month. Defrost frozen dough overnight in the fridge before using.
The next morning, pull the cinnamon rolls out of the fridge and let them finish rising on the counter for about an hour. While they’re baking, I scramble some eggs, fry some bacon, cut up some fruit, and set a pretty table.
The dough is the enriched version from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day, By Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francoise.
Use the challah dough, along with this recipe, to make homemade cinnamon rolls:
Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 lb. piece of dough
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- for the glaze
- 1/4 powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- enough milk to thin glaze
Instructions
- Knead the dough, turning it over about 3 or 4 times. Let it rest, covered loosely with plastic for 15 minutes or so.
- Roll out into a 1/4 thick rectangle. Don't worry if it's not a perfect rectangle.
- Mix sugars, zest, butter and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
- Spread sugar mixture all over dough, leaving a space at the ends of the dough.
- Roll dough up starting with the short end. (If you want more and smaller buns, roll starting on the long end)
- Cut into 4 equal pieces. (These will be pretty big buns, I usually make smaller ones, because I have a lot of other food on my breakfast table)
- Let them rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (If you are using the refrigerated dough)*
- Bake at 350* F. for 25 to 30 minutes, until deep golden brown.
- Let them rest for 10 minutes, then drizzle with glaze.
*If you want to make them the night before, prepare all the way through step 7, then set them on the baking sheet loosely covered with plastic wrap. They will rise slowly in the fridge. The next morning let them rise for about an hour. Bake at the same temperature and time as above.
