Fear Not the Sticky Sweet

A while ago I had a slight cinnamon roll obsession but was too afraid of yeast to make the real deal. I ended up with several batches of mediocre cinnamon roll muffins (one batch of which suffered from burning oven debris and came out with an odd smokey flavor) and eventually gave up, dissatisfied. Later on I found a recipe which promised "Cinnabun Clones," but it required a bread machine: a kitchen gadget which I lacked. I stowed away the recipe anyway in case I ever happened upon such a machine (so far, no cigar). Finally, finally, I found a recipe. Someone had the sense to adapt the very bread-machine-making recipe I'd saved and had posted it to the interwebs (yay interwebs!). And by that point, I'd overcome my fear of the temperamental factor that is yeast. Behold, a most marvelous creation:

I won't say how many of these I ate today, but I will justify myself by saying that I ate them as they should be eaten. That is, prepared the night before and stuck in the fridge for the second rise overnight, then baked at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes before being devoured by myself, my parents, and 3 friends after a very hilly bike ride. In other words, we earned it.

And now, a lesson in yeast:
If you're as interested in cinnamon rolls as I am, please don't be afraid of the yeast (or the calories, for that matter - they're worth it... in moderation). There is fear in the unknown, so educate yourself. The hardest part of working with yeast is not killing it, but that's actually easy to avoid. This recipe starts off by dissolving yeast in warm milk (some recipes call for water, but the principle is the same). If the milk is too cold, the yeast won't dissolve, but if it's too hot the yeast will die. The ideal temperature is right around 100 to 110 degrees F, but slight variation is okay- you don't need a thermometer. I go for the "pleasantly warm" feeling. If it feels uncomfortably hot, like water you wouldn't want to be immersed in, it's too hot. Let it cool off for a minute. On the other hand, you want it hotter than lukewarm. Trust your judgment. After the yeast is dissolved, you don't have to worry about it anymore; the hard part is over! And the reward is so... rewarding. If you're wary, check out these gooey contents:

Cinnabun Clone Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:
2 1/2 teaspoons (1 packet) active yeast
1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
4 1/2 cups bread flour

Filling:
1/3 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick), softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar (also called powdered sugar)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt


Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl. Mix in the sugar, butter, salt, and eggs. Add the flour and mix well. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, then form into a ball and put in a greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

After the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a large floured surface, cover again with the towel and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.

Roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick (the original recipe said to make a 16x21 inch rectangle but I didn't measure). Spread the 1/3 cup butter evenly over the dough and sprinkle with the sugar/cinnamon mixture (don't skimp on the filling; use it all!). Lightly roll or pat down the cinnamon/sugar mixture into the butter.

Roll the dough longways into a log and trim off either end, then cut it into 12 pieces. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan (this is the size that the original recipe calls for, but I strongly recommend using a slightly larger pan if you have one, as 9x13 is a little small). Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. If you're preparing these the night before you plan to bake them, put them in the refrigerator instead of letting them rise for 30 minutes, then take them out an hour before you plan to bake them so they can come to room temperature.

Bake rolls in a preheated oven until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the vanilla and salt. Add the confectioners sugar a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Spread the frosting on the warm cinnamon rolls before serving. Then dig in for bite after perfect, gooey bite.