When Darren and I were still dating, I sometimes liked to surprise him at the bookstore where he worked with a tray of hot, homemade cinnamon rolls to share with his co-workers on cold Sunday mornings. It made me happy to serve him this way, but the considerable amount of time spent in the kitchen on those crisp fall and winter days were quite enjoyable for me, too, warm and comforting, in a cozy, domestic sort of way. I realized a few weeks ago that it's been years now since I last made cinnamon rolls for him, and never, in fact, have my kids experienced the pleasure of pulling apart the sticky, fresh baked treats, warm from the oven and served by Mom. And so, when I came upon a recipe for cinnamon rolls on the back of a Jiffy baking mix box two weekends ago, I thought I'd give them a try. Not quite the same as the confections of the past, but still, we all agreed, rather tasty. Never satisfied to settle for less than the best, however, I decided this past Saturday night that I was going to redouble my efforts and really go all out for Sunday morning's breakfast. Cinnamon rolls were, again, on the menu, but this time, they'd be the real deal. Out came the cookbooks. Through the cupboards I rummaged. And wouldn't you know, I did, in fact, have everything I needed to try the recipe I loved most! (Thank goodness I finally found that last pesky package of yeast, which I just knew had to be hiding in there somewhere!)
Having reviewed the general instructions, I knew that this would not be a quick, mix together and stick in the oven affair. I was quite all right with that, though, because it was really the effort of "doing" that I actually desired most. I rose at six before the rest of my family was stirring to start the dough, which I knew would have to rise for at least an hour and a half. During that time, in the still, dark quiet, I unloaded the dishwasher and read in the silent living room, joined eventually by Dylan, who curled up beside me on the couch with a book of his own. As the rest of our family joined us one by sleepy one, there was much excitement and happy anticipation as the heady aroma of the rising dough filled the kitchen. When the time finally came to roll it out, all three of my kids were up at the counter, helping and tasting with wide smiles and twinkling eyes. I have to admit that we deviated just a bit from the printed recipe; in place of raisins, we opted instead to fill our rolls with chopped pecans and chocolate chips, a decision that was met with an overwhelmingly positive response from all of us! I'm convinced that these will become a regular Sunday breakfast in our home over the coming months, and I look forward to many happy, toasty mornings spent in my kitchen, serving my family with love.
Cinnamon Buns 1 recipe Sweet Yeast Dough (see recipe below)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup raisins (we used about a 1/4 cup each of chocolate chips and pecans
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Prepare Sweet Yeast Dough; let rise as directed.
Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside. Grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans. Cut dough in half. Roll one half of dough into 12x8 inch rectangle. Brush rectangle with half of melted butter, sprinkle with half of sugar mixture and half of raisins. Starting with 1 (12 inch) side, roll up jelly-roll style. Repeat with remaining dough.
Cut each roll into 12 (1-inch) slices. Place slices 1/2 inch apart in prepared pans. (Rolls will spread as they rise.) Cover with towel; let rise in warm place about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 20-25 minutes or until rolls are golden brown. Cool in pans on wire racks 5 minutes. Combine powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in small bowl until smooth. Spread mixture over rolls. Serve warm.
Sweet Yeast Dough
4 to 4 1/4 cups all purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup sugar
2 packages active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Combine 1 cup flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in large bowl. Set aside.
Combine milk and butter in 1-quart saucepan. Heat over low heat until mixture is 120 to 130 degrees. Gradually beat milk mixture into flour mixture with electric mixer at low speed. Increase speed to medium; beat 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and 1 cup flour. Increase speed to medium; beat 2 minutes. Stir in enough additional flour, about 2 cups, to make soft dough.
Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface; flatten slightly. Knead about 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic, adding remaining 1/4 cup flour to prevent sticking if necessary. Shape dough into a ball place in large greased bowl. Turn to coat with grease. Cover with towel; let rise in warm place 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled in bulk. Punch down dough, knead on lightly floured surface 1 minute. Cover with towel; let rest 10 minutes.
(Recipes from In the Kitchen with America's Favorite Brand Name Recipes.) Melissa
