Weekend Special: Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

During the week, we do not eat “cooked” breakfasts.  Rather, we eat cold cereals, yogurt, hard-cooked eggs, string cheese, fruit, or sometimes oatmeal.   If we do eat something “cooked,” it’s been made prior to the morning because we don’t allot extra morning kitchen time (such as a quinoa bake or cinnamon quick bread).  On weekends…well, we splurge a little and typically make pancakes or eggs with a breakfast meat, and maybe a hearty slice of toast with a smearing of orange marmalade on the side.  Last weekend, I made buttermilk biscuits.  This weekend…

I made homemade cinnamon rolls.  They’re soft, moist, and deliciously sweetly spiced.  Topped with a light vanilla glaze, these are some of the best I’ve had.

(We really want to cut back on this type of carbs.)

And I have a long history with cinnamon rolls.  At a family restaurant we used to frequent when I was a child, I would always order their “Sweet Cinnamon Swirl” – which was a flaky cinnamon roll pastry.  Each layer would be eaten first until I could finally savor the perfect center in all its soft, tender glory.  I still do this with any cinnamon roll.

What I find to be an issue with a lot of store-bought cinnamon rolls is that the texture lacks tenderness; the dry roll just tears off in pieces.  The icing usually leaves a lot to be desired, too.  While the glaze for this recipe isn’t my favorite (I normally like a tangy cream cheese frosting), it’s a nice addition to them.

The best part about this recipe is the simplicity.  One rise.  It took around two hours from start to finish because they only need one period of rising.  I turned on the oven to 200 degrees F and put the rolls in, shut the door, and shut the oven off.  This created a great environment for rising – especially when it’s 30 degrees warmer than normal here, and we have the air conditioning going inside.

They got a little larger than “double in size”

A couple of changes I will make to this recipe for next time is adding or substituting the white sugar for brown sugar, and making the aforementioned cream cheese frosting instead of the vanilla glaze.  Other than that, I appreciate Sally’s Baking Addiction for a great base recipe!

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

Rolls

• 2 and 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 package Red Star Platinum Yeast (1 packet = 2 and 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 and 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large egg

Filling

• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Vanilla Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 Tbs. half & half or cream

Instructions

1. Make the dough: Set aside 1/2 cup of flour. In a large bowl, toss the remaining flour, sugar, salt, and yeast together until evenly dispersed. Set aside.
2. Heat the water, milk, and butter together in the microwave until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot to touch. About 125F-130F degrees. Stir the butter mixture into the flour mixture. Add the egg and only enough of the reserved flour to make a soft dough.  Dough will be ready when it gently pulls away from the side of the bowl and has an elastic consistency.
3. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for about 5-6 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl (I used non-stick spray) and let rest for about 10 minutes.
4. Make the filling: After 10 minutes, roll the dough out in a 14×8 inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter on top. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle it all over the dough. Add more cinnamon/sugar if desired. Roll up the dough tightly. Cut into 11 even pieces and place in a lightly greased 9-inch round pan. I used a pie dish, lightly sprayed with nonstick spray. Loosely cover the rolls with aluminum foil and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place for 60-90 minutes. (*Heat the oven to 200F degrees. Turn oven off. Place rolls inside oven and allow to rise.)
5. After the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375F. Bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned. *I covered the rolls with aluminum foil after 15 minutes to avoid heavy browning.
6. Make the glaze: Right before serving, top your cinnamon rolls with glaze. Mix the powdered sugar and cream together until smooth and drizzle over rolls.

Breakfast for Dinner: Quinoa Egg Bake

It’s an unfortunate fact that most of my favorite breakfast foods are loaded with fat, sodium, and sugar – pancakes, waffles, casseroles, Eggs Benedict, etc.  It’s a tough fact of life that these are so delicious, yet competely unhealthy.  You may be thinking, “Oh, well try multigrain pancakes!” or “How about the soy-based sausage?”  I’m a realist; there’s just simply no comparison.  So what’s a breakfast-craving, trying-to-eat-healthier woman to do?

Enter the Quinoa Egg Bake.  It’s an easy, nutritious casserole, but excludes a lot of the fatty ingredients that make the dish delicious unhealthy.  However, it’s full of flavor, thanks to garlic, fresh thyme, parmesan, and spinach.

Spinach is loaded with fiber, vitamins A & C, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin K, and folates.  It’s one of our top vegetable picks for everything from dips, omelettes, soups, and salads.

If you’ve never had quinoa, it’s a plant-based complete protein that contains all of the eight essential amino acids, and it’s touted as a “superfood” because of its remarkable ratio of fats, carbohydrates, and protein.  Often we eat it in place of rice or another starch as an accompaniment to our main course.  Providing a blank canvas for a plethora of salads, side dishes, and casseroles, quinoa is extremely versatile and delicious.

This recipe can be prepared in just minutes and would be a fantastic addition to a breakfast or brunch spread alongside some fresh fruit.   Tonight we had breakfast for dinner; I served it with some multigrain bread that we slathered with my homemade orange marmalde.  The original recipe says it serves six, but realistically, it serves four.

Quinoa Egg Bake

(from FitSugar)

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon butter or butter substitute
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
8 eggs
1 1/4 cup nonfat milk
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups packed baby spinach, roughly chopped
1 cup finely shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch x 8-inch glass or metal baking dish with butter; set aside.
2. Put quinoa into a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear; drain well.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, and quinoa. Stir in spinach, then pour mixture into prepared dish.
4. Cover tightly with foil then jiggle dish gently from side to side so that quinoa settles on the bottom in an even layer. Bake until just set, about 45 minutes.
5. Remove foil and sprinkle top evenly with cheese. Return to oven and bake, uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes more.
6. Set aside to let cool briefly, then slice and serve.