Madi’s Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls

This week’s recipe from: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/easy-cinnamon-rolls-from-scratch/#tasty-recipes-66508

It’s now very much fall, which brings warm spices for pies, breads, and cozy fires to enjoy them by. Cinnamon rolls are a great treat for fall, friendly and warm from the oven, with the aroma of spices, and topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting. I’ve done a similar recipe to this before (I think it was my egg bread recipe), but that one was also just a suggestion for the already-made bread dough and not an entirely new recipe for them. It was surprising to my mom and me that we hadn’t tried a cinnamon roll recipe on our own before, given that I’ve been making these for over a year and have probably done around 80 recipes. So, when we were filling out the next few months of recipes, we decided that it was finally time to do cinnamon rolls.

The reason we associate warm spices like cinnamon or nutmeg with fall and winter is not due to their origin in hot or warm climates, but rather how they make us feel, just like how chili peppers make us feel hot and give us a feeling of pain because of the capsaicin in them. (Also, if you have had something spicy and it was too spicy for you, do not drink water; that will just spread it around in your mouth and make it feel spicier. Instead, you’d want to eat something like bread to soak it up and make it milder or drink milk that helps coat your mouth and make it less spicy.)

Mint can be associated with a cold feeling because of the menthol content. Cinnamon’s warm taste is attributed to a compound called cinnamaldehyde (a very long word), which gives cinnamon its distinctive taste and pungent smell. This chemical tricks our nervous system when we eat it by triggering the same pathway that perceives warmth, like how chili peppers trigger the feeling of pain.

Also, something new I learned while writing is that apparently cinnamaldehyde helps decrease blood glucose levels, which can stop your blood sugar from spiking. I just found this interesting and very cool.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and find this interesting. I got most of this information from pbs.org, and there’s still more I have not covered from there, so if you want to learn more, go check that out. Anyway, I hope your cinnamon rolls turn out amazingly warm and delicious. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Dough

• 2 and 3/4 cups (344g) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk
• 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter
• 2 and 1/4 teaspoons Yeast (1 standard packet)
• 1 large egg, at room temperature

Filling

• 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, extra softened
• 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

Cream Cheese Icing

• 4 ounces (113g) full-fat block cream cheese, softened to room temperature

• 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2/3 cup (80g) confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

Make the Dough:

• Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
• Combine the milk and butter together in a heatproof bowl or pot if you’re using the stove. If it’s the microwave, don’t use a metal pot. Microwave or use the stove and heat until the butter has melted and the mixture is warm to the touch (about 110°F/43°C, no higher). Whisk in the yeast until it has dissolved. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients, add the egg, and stir with a sturdy rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Alternatively, use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on medium speed. Mix until a soft dough forms.

• Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Using floured hands, knead the dough for 3-5 minutes. You should have a smooth ball of dough. If the dough is super soft or sticky, you can add a little more flour. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover loosely, and let the dough rest for about 10 minutes as you get the filling ingredients ready.

Fill the Rolls

• After 10 minutes, roll the dough out in a 14×8-inch (36×20-cm) rectangle. Spread the softened butter on top. Mix together the cinnamon and brown sugar. Sprinkle it all over the dough. Roll up the dough to make a 14-inch log. Cut into 10–12 even rolls and arrange in a lightly greased 9- or 10-inch round cake pan, pie dish, or square baking pan.

Rise

• Cover the pan with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the rolls to rise in a relatively warm environment for 60–90 minutes or until doubled in size.

Bake the Rolls

• After the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 24–27 minutes, or until lightly browned. If you notice the tops are getting too brown too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil and continue baking. Remove the pan from the oven and place your pan on a wire rack as you make the icing. (You can also make the icing as the rolls bake.)

Make the Icing

• In a medium bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add the butter and beat until smooth and combined, then beat in the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla until combined. Using a knife or icing spatula, spread the icing over the warm rolls (not hot or it will melt). Serve and enjoy!
• Cover leftover frosted or unfrosted rolls tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.