Old Fashioned Cinnamon Rolls

Old FAshioned Cinnamon Rolls

In our quest to find the perfect cinnamon rolls we had to take a few important details into consideration. First, the finished dough had to be soft, light and doughy not dry and airy. Second, the filling had to be gooey and buttery. It had to have just the right amount of cinnamon to sugar ratio to create that bubbling sea of caramel like confection. Last of all the frosting could not be too sugary, lemony or taste like cream cheese. We wanted the perfect balance of flavors encompassed in a pillowy soft blanket. It has taken me two years to narrow down the list of contenders. From my final list of three I forgot which of the top two contenders was the one we liked best. Fortunately for us we had family in town to help devour the re-test. Our favorite recipe for cinnamon rolls is actually a combination of the two.

Tips: For best results use a 9X13 baking dish. We found that when the rolls were baked on a baking sheet they came out dry and thin.

Source: Adapted from allrecipes and The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner

Dough:
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees)
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 pinch sugar
1 cup warm milk (110 degrees)
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
5 cups bread flour

Filling:
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup butter, softened

Icing:
1 (6 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Dissolve sugar in water. Add yeast. Let proof (yeast will bubble up), about 5 mins.

In a bowl combine the warm milk, eggs, butter and salt.
Add flour, one cup at a time stirring until well blended. Knead dough for 10 minutes until smooth. Place dough in a bowl, cover w/ a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm place for about an hour until doubled in size.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.

Punch dough down. Knead a few times. Roll dough into a 16×21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup softened butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 20 (1 1/2-inch) rolls or 12 larger rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spoon frosting on warm rolls before serving.