those blasted Cinnamon Rolls
26/365
i really wanted to blog about these cinnamon rolls last Thursday night but i was just too shattered to do it! if you scroll down, you should see a post about these rolls and how pissed off i was about them. so here goes the very long story behind these cinnamon rolls.
i had a strong urge to bake something last week but wasn't sure what i wanted to make. all i knew was i didn't want to buy extra ingredients. i had a look at DG's "Baking" cookbook, was interested in a few recipes, but didn't have some of the ingredients at hand. so i did a quick google for cinnamon roll recipes and this one looked too easy to make (look ma, no yeast required!). i printed the recipe off and decided to make a batch to bring to work. i wanted to make it on Wednesday night, but i was a bit too tired from gym and didn't want to sleep too late. so i decided to prepare the ingredients beforehand and make them early in the morning so i'll have fresh cinnamon rolls for breakfast.
as you know now, it didn't turn out the way i was hoping it would. the dough was just too thin and sticky that i couldn't get it to roll into a log. i thought it could be that the baking soda and powder have been sitting in the mixture for too long, which could have affected their leavening actions. annoyed as i was, i just couldn't give up. so i decided to make another batch that night. left work a bit earlier to get some of the ingredients- buttermilk, baking powder (about time i got a new pottle), etc.
(second attempt)
i followed the recipe word for word. this time it was a bit better, although the dough was still too sticky and thin! i still wasn't able to roll it into a log. the dough tore easily and the filling was just spilling everywhere. i did go ahead and baked it and it looked like real crap. had a taste of it as soon as it came out of the oven and it was pure bliss! nothing beats freshly baked cinnamon rolls and the addition of buttermilk made the taste and texture so much better.
i really thought there was something wrong with the recipe because i've already made it twice but just couldn't get it to look like *cinnamon rolls*. so i did a quick google to see if other people has had success with the recipe. from what i've learned, the recipe is correct; but it has lots of inaccuracies.
when the recipe called for "lightly floured work surface", i followed that and it was a disaster. don't be shy with flouring your work surface: use as much flour as you want to prevent the dough from sticking to the surface! i probably used an extra ½ c of flour on my third attempt and it worked so well. i didn't have to struggle with loosening it from the surface, unlike my first two attempts. i used a spatula to lift the dough. feel free to add more flour to help loosen the dough. i also used a rolling pin to flatten it into a rectangle and that worked quite well. another tip was to use dental floss to cut it into pieces.
Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
(from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook)
For filling
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
For dough
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For icing
3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons buttermilk
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Make the buns
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425°F. Generously coat both a 9-inch nonstick round cake pan and a wire cooling rack with nonstick cooking spray.
Melted butter is used in both the filling and the dough. Melt the total amount (7 tablespoons) all at once in a heatproof measuring cup, then use it as needed.
For the filling, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and the 1 tablespoon melted butter together in a medium bowl until the mixture resembles wet sand.
For the dough, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk the buttermilk and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter together. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until absorbed (the dough will look shaggy), about 30 seconds.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 1 minute.
Pat the dough with your hands into a 12 by 9-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle the dough evenly with the brown sugar filling, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Press the filling firmly into the dough.
Using a bench scraper or metal spatula, loosen the dough from the work surface. Starting at a long side, roll the dough, pressing lightly, to form a tight log. Pinch the seam to seal. Roll the log seam-side down and cut it evenly into 8 pieces. Turn the pieces over on their flat sides, and with your hand, slightly flatten each piece of dough to seal the open edges and keep the filling in place.
Place 1 roll in the center of the prepared pan and then place the remaining 7 rolls around the perimeter of the pan. Brush the rolls with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter.
Bake until the edges are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
Use an offset metal spatula to loosen the buns from the pan. Wearing oven mitts, place a large plate over the pan and invert the buns onto the plate. Place the greased cooling rack over the plate and invert the buns onto the rack. Cool about 5 minutes before glazing.
Make icing and finish buns
While the buns are cooling, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (for easy cleanup); set the rack with the buns on the baking sheet. Whisk the cream cheese and buttermilk in a large bowl until thick and smooth (the mixture will look like cottage cheese at first). Sift the confectioners’ sugar over the mixture and whisk until a smooth glaze forms about 30 seconds. Spoon the glaze evenly over the buns; serve immediately.
5 hours, $30 poorer and 3 trips to the grocery later, i finally had nice-looking cinnamon rolls. i know i was being a bit crazy and OTT, but it was all worth the time and effort. hell, i wouldn't be able to sleep if i didn't complete this baking challenge! :)