Hi everyone!
It’s What’s Cookin? Wednesday!
The Fall season has arrived… and before you know it, the temperatures will be plummeting and that white stuff will be falling out of the sky… grrrrrrrr!
So how do WE survive the long, dark, frigid days of Winter? We BAKE!
Ok… so “WE” don’t bake, but I do!
Those pre-packaged cinnamon rolls you buy in the grocery store do not even compare to these huge, fluffy, homemade ones that make your mouth water and your house smell ooooooooooooooh so good!
They are definitely time-consuming to make, but hey… what else is there to do when it’s too cold to go outside and you’re sitting in the house asking yourself WHY you’re still living in the snow belt… **sigh**
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1 envelope active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 3-1/2 T sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter (the real stuff is best!), melted
- 4-1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light-brown sugar, packed
- 1-1/2 Tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 cup chopped (coarse) pecans
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 2-3 Tablespoons milk
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, heat milk until it begins to boil. Remove from heat and let stand until it cools to room temperature
- In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water. Add 1 Tablespoon of sugar and let stand until foamy- approximately 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, butter, and remaining sugar. Beat in the cooled milk
- Begin adding the salt and 4 cups of flour until it forms a soft dough. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth (about 10 minutes), adding the remaining flour as necessary to keep it from getting too sticky
- Place dough ball into a large greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set bowl in a warm area until dough doubles in size (about 1-1/2 hours)
- Prepare two 9" baking pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottoms with waxed paper and coat with spray
- In a medium sized bowl, mix brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and butter together
- After the dough has risen, punch the dough down and roll out onto a lightly floured surface to an 18 x 12 inch rectangle.
- Spread the filling mixture over the dough and sprinkle with the chopped pecans
- Using the long side, begin rolling the dough in a jelly-roll fashion and pinch the seam to close
- Cut the roll crosswise into 12 pieces approximately 1-1/2 inches thick. Place 6 pieces into each prepared baking pan
- If baking immediately, cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm area until the buns double in size (approximately 45 minutes). If baking the next day, just cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
- Remove plastic wrap and bake rolls until bubbly and golden brown (about 30-40 minutes)
- Transfer buns to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes
- Add 1 Tablespoon of the milk to the confectioners' sugar, gradually adding more milk as necessary to make a smooth glaze
- Drizzle glaze over the rolls and ENJOY!
These cinnamon rolls are great ANY time… but are the absolute best right out of the oven. Make up a batch and throw one pan in the oven for an after-dinner “snack”, and pop the other pan in the oven in the morning to have with your coffee.
Because these do not contain a ton of hard to pronounce additives and preservatives, they tend to get a little stale faster than the store bought ones- so be sure to store them in a tightly covered container.
Don’t forget to CLICK ON THE LINK ABOVE to LEAVE A COMMENT and let me know what you think!
Enjoy!
Lynn