Chris Cinnamon Rolls Food

CHRISTMAS MORNING CINNAMON ROLLS

Steps:

• For the dough: Combine the milk, granulated sugar, butter, salt and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment and stir to combine well. Add the eggs and stir until well mixed. Add the flour and mix on medium-high speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let stand in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Punch the dough down and lightly flour a work surface. Lay the dough out and pat or roll the dough out into an 18-by-12-inch rectangle.
• For the filling: Butter a 13-by-9-inch glass baking dish. Spread the softened butter evenly all over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border, then sprinkle evenly with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle with the pecans and raisins if using. Starting with a short end, roll up the dough and press and crimp the edges to seal. Cut the dough into 12 slices and arrange them in the buttered baking dish. If you want to bake them the same day, cover with plastic wrap and let stand until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Otherwise, refrigerate overnight; take out of the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour before baking.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the cinnamon rolls until puffed and golden brown all over, about 25 minutes.
• For the icing: Put the confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk in the melted butter, vanilla and 4 tablespoons of milk; whisk until smooth. Add additional milk, about 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed to achieve a thick but spreadable consistency.
• Spread the icing over the warm cinnamon rolls. Serve warm.

CLASSIC CINNAMON ROLLS

Steps:

• Make the rolls: Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Whisk the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a 10-by-18-inch rectangle. Spread the butter over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on one of the long sides. Top with the cinnamon sugar. Brush the clean border with water. Tightly roll the dough into an 18-inch log, rolling toward the clean border; pinch the seam to seal.
• Slip a long taut piece of thread or unflavored floss under the roll, about 1 1/2 inches from the end. Lift the ends of the thread and cross over the roll, pulling tightly to cut off a piece. Repeat, cutting every 1 1/2 inches, to make 12 rolls. Place the rolls in the prepared baking dish.
• Cover the rolls loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour, 10 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover the rolls and bake until they spring back when pressed, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes in the pan. (You can freeze the baked rolls for up to 2 weeks. Cool completely before freezing, then thaw, warm up and glaze before serving.)
• Make the glaze: Whisk the confectioners' sugar, melted butter, milk, vanilla and salt in a bowl until smooth. Drizzle over the warm rolls.
• Warm 1/2 cup water and the milk in a saucepan over low heat until a thermometer registers 100 degrees F to 110 degrees F. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the yeast on top, then sprinkle with a pinch of the sugar; set aside, undisturbed, until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk the melted butter, egg yolk and vanilla into the yeast mixture until combined. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, the remaining sugar, the salt and nutmeg. Make a well in the center, then add the yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon to make a thick and slightly sticky dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until soft and elastic, about 6 minutes. Shape into a ball.
• Brush a large bowl with butter. Add the dough, turning to coat lightly with the butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until the dough is doubled in size, about 1 hour, 15 minutes.
• Turn the dough out of the bowl and knead briefly to release excess air; re-form into a ball and return to the bowl. Lightly butter a large piece of plastic wrap and lay it directly on the surface of the dough. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

CHRIS' QUICK CINNAMON ROLLS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and raisins; set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix well.
• Cut shortening or butter in until mixture resembles course meal.
• Add milk all at once, stirring quickly with a fork to make soft, sticky dough. Don't overmix.
• Turn out onto a lightly floured surface; gather gently into a ball; knead lightly about 10 times.
• Roll out dough into a 10-inch square; spread filling evenly over dough.
• Roll up; pinch edges to seal.
• With a sharp knife, cut into 9 pieces.
• Place in a greased 8-inch square pan.
• Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 3 minutes; turn out onto a rack.
• For icing, mix icing sugar, milk, and vanilla together.
• Glaze or drizzle with icing.

THE BEST CINNAMON ROLLS

Steps:

• Whisk together the whole milk and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit 10 minutes to dissolve; you will see a few bubbles, but the mixture won't be foamy. Whisk together the granulated sugar, eggs and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt in a small bowl.
• Add the bread flour, whole-wheat flour, milk powder and beaten eggs to the yeast and mix with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Fit the bowl in place on the stand mixer and fit the mixer with the dough hook. Mix on medium speed until the dough comes together but is still slightly tough, about 3 minutes. Increase the speed to high and add 10 tablespoons of the butter a tablespoon at a time (the dough will look broken after each addition, but it will eventually come together) and beat until the dough is smooth, elastic and very tacky but pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 12 minutes. (This may seem like a long time, but the texture of the bread improves with a long knead time.) Alternatively, knead the dough on a surface lightly dusted with bread flour, adding 1 tablespoon of butter at a time, until smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free area until it has a buttery, yeasty smell and has doubled in volume, 30 to 45 minutes. (If your kitchen is warm, check it at 35 minutes. It should smell buttery and yeasty, and if it's doubled, it's done. If not, check again in 10 minutes.)
• Meanwhile, whisk together the dark brown sugar, cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl until no lumps of sugar remain. Smash in the remaining 12 tablespoons butter with a rubber spatula and stir until completely combined.
• Place a large sheet of parchment paper on a clean work surface and heavily dust with bread flour. Gently deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall back into the bowl, turning the bowl and repeating if needed. Place the dough on the paper. Roll the dough into a 12-by-15-inch rectangle, pushing the edges towards the center to make straight sides. Spread the brown sugar mixture over the dough in an even layer, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edges. Starting from a long end and using the parchment to help you, tightly roll the dough into a log, pressing the sides occasionally to keep them flush. Transfer to a baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes to firm up the dough.
• Butter the bottom and sides of a 13-by-9-inch baking pan. Cut the dough crosswise into 12 pieces and arrange them cut-side up in the pan in a uniform 3-by-4 grid. There will be about 1/4 inch between each roll and that's ok, the rolls will fill in the gaps as they proof and bake. Let rise, uncovered, in a warm, draft-free area, 40 to 50 minutes.
• Meanwhile, arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Bake the cinnamon rolls until golden brown on top and baked all the way through, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for about 30 minutes before glazing.
• Meanwhile, whisk the confectioners' sugar, cream, vanilla and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl until smooth and creamy, adding more cream if necessary to make a thick glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the cinnamon rolls and serve warm.

CINNABON CINNAMON ROLLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Heat milk and water, then add butter to melt.
• In another bowl, whip eggs until very fluffy, then gradually add the hot milk/water mixture to the eggs as you keep the mixer going. When blended, gradually add to the dry ingredients and mix well.
• Knead for 5 minutes. The dough texture will be very wet. Add VERY tiny amounts of flour if needed, no more than 1/2 cup. Kneading helps the texture to become more dry and elastic.
• Let rest til double in size.
• Roll out to 1/4 inch thick and 21"x16", or smaller and thicker for thicker cinnamon rolls.
• Spread softened butter over the dough. Sprinkle with filling mixture.
• Roll lengthwise to 21" roll. Cut in 1 3/4" slices, 6 to a baking sheet. Do not put these too close together, as they will spread.
• Bake 10 minutes or until light brown.
• As soon as you take them out of the oven, top with a spoonful of the icing mixture. Don't worry that the icing is super thick, it will melt and spread out.
• Icing- Cream butter and cream cheese together until well blended. Add vanilla and mix. Add salt, and gradually add powdered sugar until well incorporated.