Sucker for a Good Cinnamon Roll

Blog Title: Sucker for a Good Cinnamon Roll
Written on: Friday, 14, 2007
While listening to: LCD Sound System: LCD Sound System

I am a sucker for a lot of things. Really good cinnamon rolls are somewhere near the top of my list. I love baking my own, I've developed a nice recipe. They're pretty darn good, but not as good as some bakeries. This is how it should be, of course. Bakers are trained pros, right. I am an amateur. Trouble is, I can't find any good cinnamon rolls in our area. I've found some good "sticky buns" at Standard Baking, but that's about it. Where are they? Are they up in the mid coast or Northern Maine, where so much delicious stuff is hiding. I need you to tell me.

I'd also like all of you amateur bakers, who enjoy baking cinnamon rolls at home like me, to share your recipes. Mine is below. A while back I espoused a love of fresh pizza dough and how I'd found the best doughs at Portland Pie. I received quite a few pizza dough recipes and I have to tell you, I tested them and they were delicious. So, I have high hopes for some yummy cinnamon roll recipes. Send when ready!

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Dough:
1/4 C Warm Water
2 T Active Dry Yeast
3/4 C Warm Milk
2 Eggs
4 C Unbleached Flour
3 T Sugar
5 T Warm Butter
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Vanilla

Proof yeast in warm water. Combine eggs, water/yeast, milk, sugar, vanilla, salt and butter in mixer. Slowly begin adding flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until dough pulls away from the sides of the mixer. Continue mixing until dough has a satiny feel. Pull dough out of mixer and lay on floured counter. Knead by hand for another minute or so. Let dough rest while you create the filling.

Filling
1/2 C Sugar
4 T Melted Butter
2 T Ground Cinnamon
1 T Ground Nutmeg

Combine ingredients.

Preparing Rolls
Roll dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Try and roll a large rectangle. Spread filling over the dough, covering completely. Lift and fold an edge of the dough. Repeat this step a few more times, and then you will be able to roll the dough into a log. Use a sharp knife to cut the log into about one inch think pieces. Lay these pieces flat and on their sides, side by side, in a glass baking dish (sprayed with pan release). And yes, it's ok for the sides of the rolls to touch.

Baking
Bake at 400 degrees for thirty minutes or so, or until rolls are golden brown. Allow then to cool, but enjoy while they're still warm.

Cheers, Jim