A Must-Try

Whenever there is a holiday, birthday or special occasion, we love to have a special breakfast. And one of our favorite special breakfasts is a nice, warm batch of cinnamon rolls. Who doesn't love hot, gooey cinnamon rolls? I love to make them but I don't love how long they take to be done (with rising and everything) especially when my little ones wake up early and want to eat soon after waking up. I'd had to get up at 4 o'clock in the morning to get them done in time for them to eat and that just doesn't work no matter how special the day is. Well, there is a solution and I'm going to give it to you. I'm telling you, these cinnamon rolls are amazing, work every single time and are a snap to make. And the absolute best part is that you can do them the night before, stick them in the fridge to rise overnight, bake them first thing in the morning and then get them into waiting hands fairly quickly. Even if there isn't a special occasion coming up, try them. Your family will LOVE you for it!

This recipe comes from King Arthur Flour. You can also get it off of their website if you want.

Cinnamon Buns

1 c. warm water (105-110 degrees)
2 eggs
4 3/4 c. flour
1/4 c. nonfat dry milk (can be used in a lot of baked goods and breads so it's good to have around)
1/4 c. soft butter (half a stick)
2 1/2 tsp yeast (buy a whole pound for $5 at Costco...do NOT buy in little packets at store unless desperate...they're $1 each packet!!)
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. granular lecithin (optional and if you don't what it is, it's a bread improver which isn't necessary but nice if you have it on hand)

Mix and knead together all of the dough ingredients either by hand, stand mixer or bread machine (I have done all three and they all work well) to form a soft, smooth dough. Let the dough rise until it's almost double in size, about 2 hours. Rising time can vary depending on how warm your kitchen is.

Roll the dough into a 14 x 16-inch rectangle (or just a big rectangle). Get some softened butter and spread it all over the rectangle leaving an inch around the edges. Dump brown sugar on top of the butter and sprinkle cinnamon all over the top. This part is flexible and you can really do what you want. I found we like brown sugar the best as it gives the rolls a caramel flavor. However, you could use a mix of white sugar and cinnamon, add nuts or even raisins. The sky is the limit! Roll the rectangle up long-ways so that you have a long log of cinnamony-goodness. Slice into 12 buns. A serrated knife works very well for this. You can cut them into four equal parts and then divide from there to get the rolls a fairly uniform size. Transfer to a cookie sheet, cover with oiled plastic wrap and stick in the fridge.

When you wake up in the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take cinnamon rolls out of fridge to warm up at room temp for a few minutes while the oven preheats. Then bake for 20-25 minutes or until they're golden brown. If you can wait, wait 10 minutes before turning them out of the pan. Ice with your favorite icing. I just mix milk with powdered sugar because it's easy but you could get fancy and do a cream cheese frosting or anything you like!!

Eat until you can't eat anymore, enjoy your family's euphoria and then relish in your special day.
We ate these this morning. They were heavenly. We hope that you like them!!