Rolls and Recipes

In line with the title of this blog, I am going to begin posting recipes. The first one is for cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing. I based the recipe off of one I found on the Epicurious website, but have made several changes.



Ingredients

Dough
1 cup 2% milk
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour ( you may need a bit more)
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 envelopes of active dry yeast
1 tsp of salt

Filling
3/4 stick of unsalted butter at room temperature
About a cup of brown sugar
2 Tbsp cinnamon

Glaze
6-8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dough

Combine milk and butter in glass measuring cup. Microwave on high until butter melts and mixture is just warmed to 120°F to 130°F (The timing depends on the microwave so I usually just check with a thermometer). Pour into bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle
attachment. Add 1 cup flour, sugar, egg, yeast, and salt. Beat on low speed 3 minutes, stopping
occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add 2 1/2 cups flour. Beat on low until flour is absorbed and dough is sticky, scraping down sides of bowl. If dough is very sticky, add more flour by tablespoonfuls until dough begins to form ball and pulls away from sides of bowl.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, until it resembles more dough less something that sticks to your hands. Form into
ball.

Lightly oil the bowl with cooking spray or butter. Transfer dough to bowl. Cover bowl with a damp kitchen towel. Let dough rise in a 150 degree oven for an hour (it will roughly double in size). *Note make sure that your towel isn't where it will catch fire by touching a burner lol.

While that's rising, make the filling. In a glass bowl, mix all of the filling ingredients together by "cutting" the butter into the dry. Just use a dinner fork (or a pastry blender, but we're not that fancy here) and literally cut the butter so that it will incorporate into the sugar and cinnamon. When it looks a bit like really grainy cornmeal you can stop.

After the first rise, flour a flat surface and lay the dough out. With a rolling pin roll out the dough into a rough 15x18" rectangle. Spread the filling on to the dough evenly leaving a 1" border. Carefully roll up the dough pinching the sides as you go. Roll it so that it is longest (long side to long side). Pinch the seam to help seal it. Then begin slicing rolls, preferably with a serrated knife.

Place the cut rolls in a greased baking dish and allow them to rise in the oven again for about 45 minutes. Once they have risen take them out and heat the oven to 375 Bake about 15 and check on them. They will probably need a few more minutes but don't over bake. After the rolls are done baking, take them out and let them cool.

While the rolls cool, begin to make the frosting. In a mixer with the whisk attachment, place the cream cheese, sugar, butter, and vanilla. Start the mixer on low to incorporate the sugar, then beat at medium-low to make the frosting fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides a few times to incorporate it all.

Frost the cinnamon rolls after they have cooled a bit and they are ready to eat! This recipe usually makes about 14-16 rolls depending on how you slice them.