Cinnamon Rolls

Did a little baking this morning. This cinnamon roll recipe is adapted from the back of my package of Red Star brand yeast. It's a good basic recipe that seems very forgiving (I forgot about the eggs until after I had already kneaded and formed the dough and it still turned out fine). I substituted half the flour with whole wheat flour, omitted nuts, and made maple instead of coffee icing.




Cinnamon Rolls
Adapted from Red Star Yeast recipe on back of package

For 1 dozen small or 6 large cinnamon rolls, you'll need:
3 cups flour (I used half white and half whole wheat.)
1 packages yeast
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup butter
1 egg

For the filling, you'll need:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

For the maple icing, you'll need:
1/2 cup powdered sugar, or more if you want lots of icing
2 tblsp pure maple syrup
2 tblsp melted butter

Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. If you don't have a food thermometer, I find that running the hot water tap to its hottest, gets it to the right temperature. Add the yeast to the water with 1 tsp sugar until yeast foams and is activated.

In a bowl, mix 2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup warm water with the dissolved yeast, 2 tblsp melted butter, 1 egg, and 1/2 cup sugar. By hand, add 1 cup flour and gently mix that into the dough. Knead on floured surface for about 5 to 8 minutes. Don't worry if the dough isn't all smooth since it'll be stretched and rolled anyway. Part of the lack of smoothness is because I also just knead the dough in the bowl to keep my counter tops from getting so messy.




Place the dough into a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, then a towel, and set in a warm place to rise for about an hour. I also don't bother with trying to get the dough all smooth since it'll be stretched and rolled anyway.




After the dough has risen to about double in size, roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it forms a large rectangle. I just patted and stretched by hand because I didn't feel like getting out my rolling pin, and afterward having to clean yet another item. Also, I figured it'll be rolled up anyway so I don't need smooth sides.

Spread the butter over the dough. Sprinkle 1/4 cup brown sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon on top. Anyway, as you can see, the brown sugar makes the inside more prominent and the unsmooth sides don't show once the cinnamon rolls are rolled and sliced. I kept each slice about 1-inch. At this point, I preheat my oven, then I set the pan on my stovetop where it's warmed from the oven and the dough can rise faster.




Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.




While you're waiting for the rolls to cool down, you can prepare the icing. Melt 2 tblsp of butter. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 2 tblsp pure maple syrup, stirring until smooth. Drizzle over the cinnamon rolls.




Enjoy!