Cinnamon Rolls

I'm back after a few weeks of blogging rest. It was an unplanned rest, came about when I hurt my back while cleaning my kitchen. I tried to lift the microwave oven. And hurt my back. Spend the first few days lying down (ouch!). If you have experienced with back pain before (this is not my first either!), you would know that it takes weeks for the pain to subside. So I have not been baking for the past few weeks or do anything much except to finish reading three novels. And no, I will not be lifting the microwave oven again (or any other heavy stuffs!) on my own anytime in the future! 

I made these Cinnamon Rolls as I was itching to bake some sweet bread. The original recipe is called Gooey Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese frosting. I did not have any cream cheese so I omitted the frosting. 

The dough is enriched with milk, butter and eggs, similar to a brioche, soft and smooth, and easy to work with. The recipe makes 16 rolls, all of which are supposed fit in a 13x9-inch pan. I could not fit all of the rolls in the pan, so 12 rolls goes into the 13x9-inch pan, and the balance  4 rolls are placed in a 6" round cake pan. 

I mixed the ingredients for the filling ; ground cinnamon, brown sugar, orange zest in a bowl. The dough is divided into two halves, and each half is rolled out to 9 by 14 inch rectangle. Spread the rolled dough with some softened butter and spread half the filling on each, roll up the dough, Swiss roll style. Slice into 8 even slices and place in the greased pan, cut side up. I have spread one dough half with some raisins over the filling, and leaving the other half only with the cinnamon filling.

The rolls smells wonderful while baking. 

Very nice when eaten while still warm. Soft moist crumbs with sweet cinnamony taste and the fragrant orange zest,  and fruity bite of the raisins. Lovely with a cup of tea. The rolls are not as soft on the next day, but can be reheated wrapped in foil, about ten minutes in the oven. 

Cinnamon Rolls
(Williams-Sonoma : Home Baked Comfort by Kim Laidlaw)
makes 16 buns
for the dough :
1 package (2-1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
3/4 cup (6 fl oz/180ml) whole milk, warmed (110F/43C)
1/4 cup (4 oz/125gm) granulated sugar
4 large eggs
4-1/2 cups (22-1/2 oz/705gm) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1-1/2 tsp kosher salt
6 tbsp (3 oz/90gm) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into chunks

for the filling :
4 tbsp (2 oz/60gm) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into chunks
2/3 cup (5 oz/155gm) firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
finely grated zest of 1 large orange
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tsp water

To make the dough, in the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. (I used instant yeast, so I've skipped the foaming step, simply whisk together with the milk and continue on with the next step). Add the granulated sugar, eggs, 4-1/2 cups flour, and salt. Attach the dough hook and knead on low speed, adding a little more flour if needed, until the ingredients come together. Toss in the butter and continue to knead until the dough is smooth and springy, about 7 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl. Form the dough into a ball, put it in the oiled bowl, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature until it doubles, 1-1/2 - 2 hours.

Butter a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) baking dish. Punch down the dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut it in half.

Roll out 1 dough half into a rectangle about 9 by 14 inches (23 by 35cm). Spread with half of the butter, then sprinkle evenly with half of the brown sugar, half of the cinnamon, and half of the grated zest. (I mixed the ground cinnamon, brown sugar and orange zest in a bowl, divide into two portions) Starting at the long side closest to you, roll the rectangle away from you, forming a log. Cut the log crosswise into 8 equal slices. Arrange the slices, cut side down, in half of the prepared pan. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling ingredients, and arrange the slices in the other half of the pan. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm, draft-free spot until puffy, about 1 hour, or refrigerate overnight, then let stand at room temperature for 30-60 minutes before baking.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400F (200C). Brush the buns lightly with the beaten egg. Bake until the rolls are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre of a roll comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Let the rolls cool slightly in the pan on a wire rack, then spread with the frosting while they are still warm. Pull the rolls apart and enjoy while they're warm.

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #14 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray