Recipe Twenty Four: Cinnamon Rolls.

I have made A LOT of cinnamon rolls from many, many recipes. I have used nuts, different combinations of sugars, this butter or that butter, this flour or that flour and this is the result of my few years of trial and error.

Bun

2 cups of Bread flour

2 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 a cup of warm water

2 1/4 teaspoons (or one sachet) of yeast

1 teaspoon of Caster Sugar.

1/2 a cup of Milk

50gms of Butter

1/4 cup of Caster Sugar

2 Eggs

Filling:

125gm Butter

3/4 cup of Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon of Cinnamon

1/4 cup Demerara Sugar

Cream Cheese Icing:

200gms of softened Cream Cheese

1 1/2 cups of Icing Sugar

Splash of milk.

Your first step is to get your yeast going.

Pop your warm water ( you want this water to be between luke warm and warm), your teaspoon of sugar and your yeast in a bowl. Give them a quick mix to dissolve the sugar and leave it to sit in a warm spot for 10 minutes. 

If you cant find anywhere particularly warm sit your bowl in another bowl of slightly warmer water.

Next up warm that half a cup of milk in a small pan until just before boiling.

Take it off the heat and whisk in your butter and caster sugar.

Sit to cool for 5 minutes.

Mix your yeast mixture, milk mixture, eggs and 1 cup of your flour in a bowl.

Add remaining flour 1 cup at a time, combing well between each addition.

Once this has come together turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.

This took me six minutes.

Place dough in a greased bowl with a damp cloth over the top in a nice warm spot for 1 hour.

Your dough will double in size.

About 50 minutes into this hour melt your butter for the filling & in a small bowl combine your brown sugar and cinnamon. Grease oven proof dish/dishes. I used two 25x25cm square cake tins.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll out to a 60cm x 25 cm rectangle.

Spread melted butter over the dough leaving a 2cm border.

Sprinkle melted butter with brown sugar mix.

If I have any butter left over I then GENTLY pour this over the brown sugar.

Roll the dough up length ways and cut 5cm rounds.

To prevent squashing your log cut the rounds using a strand of  fine cotton.

Place the cotton under underneath your roll and then wrap the string around and cross over. Keep pulling the cotton ends across one another & the string will slice through cleanly.

Place each slice facing upward in your tin. Leave a little space between rolls (0.5cm) as they need to rise again for another hour. Sprinkle the top of the rolls with demerara sugar.

Leave to rise & preheat your oven to 190C.

Cook for 25minutes.

Make your icing.

Beat cream cheese in a bowl for 2 minutes.

Add icing sugar 1/2 a cup at a time. Beating well between additions.

Add a splash of milk to give the icing a creamier texture.

Now I know I've piped icing on the top in sweet lines

HOWEVER 

spreading it thickly on the top looks far uglier but tastes far, far better.

These taste best still slightly warm or eaten the day they are made.

If you want to eat them over the next few days just pop them in the microwave for a few seconds to freshen them up.

xx