The Secret of Sweetness

Let me clarify that there is absolutely nothing healthy about this recipe. Aside from running, if there’s one thing this girl can do...it’s baking homemade cinnamon rolls.  Over the years, I’ve found that bread baking is a dying art, however, it remains a passion and a holiday tradition in our home. Simply enough, I run because I love sinfully sugary things.  It’s a good thing that my running skills have somehow managed to compensate for my ungodly obsession.

The night before Christmas eve, I began mixing the dough, so that I could bake the rolls first-thing in the morning.  We had invited friends for a Christmas Eve brunch and I was hoping for a culinary masterpiece.

As my holiday gift to you, I thought you might enjoy learning the secret to fantastic sweet rolls:

Runner Girl Cinnamon Rolls

7 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 packages regular or quick active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)

2 1/4 cups very warm water (120° to 130°F)

4 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted or softened. 

1. In large bowl, dissolve dry yeast in 2 1/4 cups warm water.  Water should be very warm, but if too hot, it will kill the yeast. Stir 3 1/2 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt, and oil until well mixed. Mix together with your hands.  I find it easiest to continue to add oil if it becomes too difficult to mix. Stir in enough remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, to make dough easy to handle. 
2. Knead about 10 minutes or until dough forms into a nice ball. Place dough in greased bowl. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place 40 to 60 minutes or until dough has doubled in size. I often leave my dough overnight to rise. Dough is ready if an indentation remains when touched.
3. Grease bottom and sides of 9x13-inch pan with shortening or spray with cooking spray.
4. Gently push fist into dough to deflate. Remove dough from bowl and flatten each half with hands or rolling pin into 18x9-inch rectangle on lightly floured surface. Cover dough with 1 stick of melted butter and about 1 cup of sugar and enough cinnamon to appear dark as in the picture above. Roll dough up tightly, beginning at 9-inch side. Cut into 1-inch slices. Place each slice, cinnamon side up and down in pan.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place 35 to 50 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.
5. Move oven rack to low position so that pan will be in center of oven. Heat oven to 350°F.
6. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until outside of rolls are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Allow to cool slightly in pans before icing.

The Perfect Icing

1 stick butter

1/2 bag of confectioner’s sugar

1 t. vanilla

1/3 c. milk

Mix with a beater until icing is smooth and ready to pour over warm rolls.  If you like a thicker icing, add more sugar.  

Serve rolls warm, with a cold glass of milk.  Enjoy!  

Eat well now, because my next post is all about getting entered to win a Free Entry to “Color Me Rad.”  Come New Year’s, we run!