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Now I'm A Believer - (Un)Glazed Cinnamon Rolls

hanseata's picture
hanseata

Now I'm A Believer - (Un)Glazed Cinnamon Rolls


Fellow baker Hanaâ (http://hanaaskitchen.blogspot.com) instigated me to buy yet another baking book - as if my bookshelves were not already buckling down under the weight of my cooking library. She invited me to join her ABC baking challenge, every month trying out a new recipe, currently from Abby Dodge's: "The Weekend Baker". The author, contributing editor of one of my favorite magazines, "Fine Cooking", also posted the recipe here:

http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/glazed-cinnamon-rolls-2

My husband loves sticky buns and their sugar laden relatives, but, though I like cinnamon, I was never very fond of the overly sweet stuff he would sometimes buy. Therefore, without Hanaâ's challenge, I would probably never have thought of baking cinnamon rolls.

What I especially like about "The Weekend Baker" and this recipe, are the several "do ahead" options. I prefer working with slow fermentation for my breads, and most doughs show their appreciation for the cold treatment with a significant better taste, so, after a 30-minute rise, I put my my dough to sleep in the fridge overnight.

I always try to incorporate some whole grains in my recipes, a substitution of 10% white flour with whole grains doesn't require additional liquid, so I replaced 47 g of all-purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour.

The recipe was easy to follow, and the next morning the dough had nicely risen in the fridge. I rolled it out cold - it will come to room temperature quickly - and the filling was no problem, either. Next time I probably would add some toasted, chopped nuts, though.

Cutting a roll of dough in even slices with a bench scraper or knife is not that easy, the layers slipping away over the crumbly filling. Using dental floss, as Hanaâ suggested, works much better.

I skipped glazing the rolls, nice as it looks, it adds even more sugar, without contributing to the taste. And even without this decoration - the cinnamon rolls looked beautiful when they came out of the oven and their wonderful aroma filled the whole house, so that I could hardly wait to try one until they had cooled down a bit.

"... now I know their taste - now I'm a believer..." you don't have to be a Monkee to love these treats!
I am converted, and my husband could wallow in them, so good are they!

They, also, freeze well, wrapped in plastic foil and then placed in a ziplock bag. To enjoy them you only have to nuke them for a few seconds, and then re-crisp them at 350ºF/175ºC for a few minutes in the oven.

Comments

Janetcook's picture
Janetcook

Karin,

These look yummy....my kids love anything with cinnamon but they prefer raisins added without the nuts....

To me the roasted nuts add more to the richness of the cinnamon - a very good flavor complement...

I guess they like how the raisins complement the already sugar heavy dough.  They are teenagers after all and anything sugar attracts them like a moth to a light :-)

I am enjoying your challenge.  It is making me check out my own collection of un-used cook books....my inclination was to donate the ones I don't use to our local library rather than explore them more deeply but now that thought is changing....so they remain on my shelves rather than on the libraries shelves....

Take Care,

Janet

AnnieT's picture
AnnieT

Hi Karin and Janet, so happy to see a good revue of this book - I have been a fan for years. I have the Ginger Crackles and Glazed Apricot-plum Galette bookmarked, both winners. I like the fact that she gives  weights as well as cups and also the do-ahead features. Can't wait to see what you bake next, Karin. A.

hanseata's picture
hanseata

Annie. It makes it so much easier, if you have weight measurements, too, especially for sticky or greasy ingredients. The Ginger Crackles and Apricot-Plum Galette sounds very nice, I will try those, too.

Karin

hanseata's picture
hanseata

for your "Honor Your Old Baking Books" list, Janet :)

Karin

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

cutting a roll in even slices with a bench scraper or knife is not easy 

Karin, use a 'serrated' knife to slice your rolls, it won't squish or mishape the slice,  apply very little pressure as you slice through.  I used to also like the floss but is does squish the rolls somewhat.

BTW your rolls look delicious!

Sylvia

HeidiH's picture
HeidiH

Squishes the rolls a little but goes right through the nuts and fruit.  I just squeeze them back to round.

hanseata's picture
hanseata

I'm sure a serrated knife would work better - I didn't really think too much about it, just used my bench knife, and then had to try to keep the dough in place.

Karin

wally's picture
wally

Karin,

Those look great - though I'm more aligned with your husband's tastes - a nice creamcheese and powdered sugar icing that seeps down into the buns gets me excited.

Another easy way to cut your rolls is to put the rolled up dough into your fridge (or even freezer) for a short time to let it firm up.  Slicing with a knife then becomes a breeze.

Nice bake,

Larry

hanseata's picture
hanseata

I never made a cream cheese icing, yet, the icing in this recipe was made with sugar and a bit of heavy cream. Cooling the dough roll before cutting is another good idea, Larry.

Happy baking,

Karin

 

varda's picture
varda

Karin, I agree that the glazed ones are just too sweet.   These look just right.  -Varda

FlourChild's picture
FlourChild

I wish my computer had aromascope, those look awesome!  I'm with you on the nuts, yum.

HeidiH's picture
HeidiH

I made cinnamon rolls yesterday -- using ITJB's sweet egg dough as the base.   This is my third time making these and this time I made a double batch so I could spread them around the neighborhood.  In addition to the cinnamon, they have a combination of pecans, walnuts, almonds, raisins, dried cherries and dried blue berries rolled in.

For the glaze, I mix powdered sugar with vanilla extract and some milk.  Then, using a brush, I mop the top of them when they are still hot from the oven.  The glaze pretty much soaks in and though they are sweet, it's not as sweet as icing.  As I was doing this yesterday, I was thinking next time I might just do the almonds and cherries and then flavor the glaze with lemon zest instead of the vanilla.

hanseata's picture
hanseata

They really filled the house with their appetizing smell.

Karin

hanseata's picture
hanseata

That sounds also very nice, and would go well with a lemony glaze, Heidi. I will add that as a variation to the recipe.

Karin