Cinnamon-y Goodness!

This is a great recipe if you’re new to using yeast or hate kneading dough. I found it on The Pioneer Woman’s website but made a couple of adjustments according to my tasters. I took two pans of rolls to my husband’s golf course and the men went crazy for them. A couple of them told me they were the best cinnamon rolls they’d ever had. One even said, “Wow, Travis. You’ve got a wife that plays golf and bakes? You’re a lucky man.” I was in Housewife Heaven after this compliment. And now, you can be, too! Here’s the recipe:

Cinnamon Rolls

Difficulty: Medium (Mess: Extra Large)
Taste: ***** (5 Star)

1 quart Whole Milk
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 packages dry active yeast (0.25 oz. packages)
8 cups (plus 1 cup extra, separated) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. (heaping) baking powder
1 tsp. (scant) baking soda
1 tsp. (heaping) salt
1-1½ cups melted butter
2 cups sugar
Generous sprinkle of cinnamon

Maple Frosting:
1 2 lb. bag of powdered sugar
2 teaspoons Maple flavoring
¼ cups milk
¼ cups melted butter
¼ cups brewed coffee (whatever flavor you like)
1/8 tsp. salt

First, mix the milk and vegetable oil in a very large pan over the stove. Scald the mixture (turn the heat off right before it starts boiling) and let cool for an hour or so. You want your mixture to be lukewarm and definitely not hot. Think of it like this: you’re going to feed this mixture to a baby so make sure it doesn’t burn him. Once cooled, add in both packages of dry yeast and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Then, add 8 cups of flour, mix, and let sit for an hour. I like to cover my yeast mixtures with a damp cup towel. This will keep the dough from forming a hard crust on the top. I also put my dough in the unlit oven while it rises (we have a gas stove, so the pilot light stays on all the time and keeps the oven slightly warm). If you have an electric stove, I’ve heard you can put the dough on top of a heating pad set at 85 degrees to get the same effect.
Once risen, add the 1 extra cup of flour, your baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir mixture together. You can start rolling the rolls now or you can put the dough into the refrigerator if you’re not ready.
You’re going to have A LOT of dough right about now. Don’t let it overwhelm you. Start by sprinkling flour on your rolling surface. Take half of the dough and form a rough rectangle. It doesn’t have to be perfect, because let’s face it, it’s all going to end up in the same place anyways. Roll the dough thin like pizza dough, trying to maintain the rectangular shape. Drizzle ½-1 cup of melted butter on the dough, sprinkle with 1 cup of sugar, and enough cinnamon to dust the entire rectangle. I like to “give it some lovin’” and mix all the cinnamon, sugar, and butter together with my hands. Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep your roll tight as you go. Pinch the seam to seal it.
Spray 6-7 aluminum cake or pie pans with non-stick cooking spray. Cut the rolls into 1 inch segments and place into the pan. Repeat process for the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise (I know, AGAIN?!) for 20-30 minutes and bake at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes.
While baking, mix all the ingredients together for the frosting. Mix until smooth and pour generously over the baked rolls. Don’t be stingy with the frosting. Trust me, you’ll have enough leftover to lick the bowl.

Notes on Cinnamon Rolls
This recipe takes a while to complete so make sure you’ve got all day to work on it.
I’ve heard this recipe halves well in case you don’t want to make 6-7 pans of rolls.
If you don’t have maple flavoring, you can use vanilla in its place. However, the maple is what makes the rolls. It’s $3-$4 at WalMart, which is a little high for such a small bottle, but I think it’s totally worth the investment.
If you don’t like coffee, use a little extra milk in the frosting.
Feel free to freeze the rolls if you’d like.
Give a pan of these to your neighbor and they’ll love you forever.



~Courtney