I often get a craving – usually in the evening – for my Aunt Dorothy’s famous Cinnamon Rolls. It’s been at least 20 years since she passed away and much longer since I was lucky enough to be around when she made a batch. I made my own quick version for decades, but… I cheated!
Yes, when I had a hankering for Cinnamon Rolls, I used to dig out the can of ready-made Crescent Roll Dough I keep in the freezer for emergencies and roll up a baking dish full of ‘quick’ Sweet Rolls. Just unroll the dough sheet onto a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper disregarding the separation perfs for the Crescent Roll shapes, smear with Butter, Brown Sugar and Cinnamon, and roll up along the long side of the sheet. Cut into 9 equal rolls, set them up on their ends in a 9×9 well-greased Pyrex or metal baking dish and bake until Golden on top and fully puffed.
For all I know, that was how Aunty Dor made them, because hers were always ready really quickly. But that’s all in the pastry – and we all know our memories of beloved foods are always larger than life, sweeter than the real thing ever was, and at least twice as lovely looking. But, during my Baking and Pastry semester at culinary school, I realized I was yearning not for the quick and ‘just okay’ Rolls I was making; I wanted – and deserved – the real deal. So began my search for a light, fluffy, puffy Dough I could employ in a number of different finished products just by making some small adjustments during preparation.
Here’s my Dough recipe…
As with all Yeast-raised Doughs, my Sweet Roll / Luxy Dinner Roll Dough starts with Yeast, Sugar Salt and Flour. But I add a couple of ingredients to make the Rolls sweet and super fluffy.
What you need
For Rolls:
3.5 cup / 470 ml. of Bread Flour
0.25 cup / 60 ml additional Flour (for kneading and rolling)
3 tbsp. / 45 ml Sugar (sounds like lot but remember: this is a sweet dough)
1 Egg (briskly whisked in separate small glass or steel bowl)
1 good, big pinch of Salt (about o.5 tsp / 2.5 ml – just not too much!)
For Yeast:
3 tsp. / 15 ml Active Dry Yeast
1 cup / 250 ml Milk (warmed, not hot; what my mom used to call ‘Baby’s Bottom’ warm)
o.25 cup / 60 ml Butter (melted, not hot; again, just ‘Baby’s Bottom’ warm but fully melted)
2 tbsp. / 30 ml of Sugar
Corn Oil (to oil Loaf for rising)
What you do
Start oven pre-heating to 350 F.
Add all dry ingredients for the Yeast mixture to a small stainless steel mixing bowl and ‘whisk’ together with a fork to combine.
Add milk to well-whisked Egg and whisk together well.
Add Egg-Milk mixture to Yeast mixture and blend briskly with a fork to get the Yeast started dissolving.
Place bowl containing Yeast mixture on the stove top and allow to sit for 15-30 minutes; until it froths on top.
Once Yeast is frothing, add it to the Flour mixture and stir with the handle end of a big wooden spoon until all wet ingredients are absorbed. Dough should still be a little sticky, but not so sticky that it sticks to your hands badly when you get in there and knead it.
Knead until the surface of the dough is satiny and no longer sticky (probably 5-10 minutes).
in the bowl you originally used for mixing up the Dough, coat the Dough ball with Corn Oil, cover with a clean damp towel, and allow to sit on the warm stove top to rise until it at least doubles in size (30-45 min.).
Once the dough has risen, remove it from the bowl and place on a lightly-floured piece of parchment paper.
Roll out to a roughly 9 x 13 in. / 22 x 33 cm sheet (about 1/2 in. / 1.25 cm thick) rectangular sheet.
Add whatever topping you want (usually Brown Sugar with Cinnamon and Melted Butter. Raisins are also commonly used)
Roll up starting with one long side and pinch the Dough’s edge lightly to seal. Cut into roughly 1 in. / 2.5 cm thick rounds and place rounds on end in a 9 x 13 in. / 22 x 33 cm Pyrex casserole dish or large metal Cake Pan, well greased and lined with parchment paper.
Place back on stove top and cover with damp towel for another 20-30 min. to rise again.
Bake at 375 F until fully puffed and lightly browned on top.
Allow to cool until room temperature before Glazing and topping with crushed Nuts or whatever you like.
And there you go!
Lovely, light, soft gooey Cinnamon Rolls… But there’s more to this universal Roll Dough than that. In coming days, we’ll go over some additional ways to finish it and fashion it into other baked goods you’ll be asked to make over and over again in future once your family and friends have tried them!
~ Maggie J.