Rolling Cinnamon

After writing recent posts on the national debt, the meaning of life, and internal psychological sabotage, I was debating what to add to the blog today and decided a little lightness was in order. Heck, economic data isn’t looking very good, I’ve been (rather unsuccessfully) trying to study for Columbia midterms, and with the start of summer we just might all need a little baking love. (This is “Scones and Swaptions,” after all). So today is dedicated to the cinnamon roll.

The thought of baking cinnamon rolls immediately scares off approximately 82% of potential chefs. Add the word “yeast” to the ingredient list and another 5% bail. But really, they’re not so hard to make. Below is a solid, straightforward recipe that claims to mimic Cinnabun (I don’t know about that, but they are tasty).

Cinnamon Rolls of Deliciousness

Ingredients:
DOUGH
1 (1/4 ounce) package dry yeast
1 cup warm milk (105-115 degrees. Don’t boil it!)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup softened margarine (or butter, I don't think it matters)
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
4 cups flour
FILLING
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/3 cup margarine, softened
ICING
8 tablespoons margarine
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt


Directions:
1. Dissolve yeast in warm milk. (If you’re tempted to eyeball the milk temperature, resist! Yeast needs a precise temperature range to activate without dying… and yes, apparently yeast can “die,” the result being brick-like dough that doesn’t rise).

2. Add sugar, margarine salt, eggs, and flour, mix well. (I usually add the sugar/margarine/salt/eggs with half the flour to the milk/yeast mix using a hand mixer, then hand stir in the remaining flour to avoid over-mixing… or having your handmixer start smoking, which also happened to me once while making cinnamon bread. Oops.)

3. Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands dusted lightly with flour. (I usually do this for a few minutes (or less if you were using a stand mixer to mix everything), until dough seems sort of elastic and is soft, not sticky).

4. Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size. (A good trick for this is putting the covered bowl in the oven, and adding a pan of boiling water to a separate oven shelf. This keeps the temperature nice and toasty for rising)

5. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approx 21 inches long by 16 inches wide, approximately 1/4 thick. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

6. To make filling, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Spread the softened margarine over the surface of the dough, then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the surface. (I usually just melt the margarine for easier spreading. You can also add raisins or nuts here if you like)

7. Starting with the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge. Cut the dough into 1 3/4 inch slices, and place in a lightly greased 9x13 baking pan. (A 12-inch piece of [clean!] dental floss does the slicing trick nicely. Put the floss under the dough roll, coss the floss ends over the top and pull to get a clean slice without squashing anything with a knife).

8. Bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. While the rolls are baking combine the icing ingredients and beat well with an electric mixer until fluffy.  When the rolls are done (and still warm), spread generously with icing.

Viola! That wasn’t as bad as you feared, right? The main annoyance here is waiting around for an hour while the dough rises… but warm, delicious cinnamon rolls are worth it in the end!