rolls

For the past few weeks, I’ve been in a baking frenzy. One of the reasons is because I wanted to create the perfect recipe to introduce my blog. It was sort of like a test run for how I needed to prepare for the future. Basically, I wanted to know where I could improve my process to make it translating to a blog much easier.

I’ve always admired bloggers due to their ability to take pictures every step of the way. I’ve learned that it’s much harder to stop and take pictures when you have your hands covered in flour and sticky dough than it seems. It’s probably something we take for granted when we start reading a blog, but the sheer amount of time and effort that goes into every single post is not small at all. Editing pictures, revising blog posts, and making everything viewer friendly are just a few of the small things that are involved in the process. I really do have a heightened admiration for every single blogger out there.

Anywho, my boyfriend came to visit me for 2 weeks earlier. During that time, I asked him about what he was craving and interested in having for breakfast. I began rattling off suggestions from the top of my head: “Banana bread, Omelettes, Pancakes, Waffles, Cinnamon rolls–“. The moment the words ‘Cinnamon Rolls’ left my mouth, his eyes brightened and I knew that it would be the perfect first recipe.

I actually attempted the recipe twice. The first time was a bit more rushed and sloppy. I failed to take many interim pictures that time. The second time around I made two types of “rolls”. Cinnamon chocolate rolls and scallion rolls. The second was more of a nod to my childhood and asian background. I was craving scallion and had some chopped scallions in the freezer so I doubled the dough recipe and used half for the scallion rolls.

I know that I wasn’t great at taking pictures this time around, but I’ll definitely improve on that in the future. Check out the gallery below for more mouth-drooling pictures!

CINNAMON ROLLS

Soft, melt in your mouth cinnamon rolls made simple and quick
>>> Yields 18 large buns

Time:
-Hands-on Prep: 20 min
-Rise time: 60-90 min
-Bake: 25 min

Ingredients

Dough:
– 3 1/2 c all-purpose flour
– 3 tbsp white sugar
– 1 tsp salt
– 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
– 1 c milk (can be subbed half milk and half water)
– 2 1/2 tbsp melted butter
– 1 egg

Filling:
> Sweet:
– 1/4 c or 4 tbsp melted butter or oil
– 1/4 c sugar (* i usually use 1/2 brown sugar & 1/2 white sugar)
– 1/2 tsp cinnamon
– 1/4 tsp spice blend (*optional: mix nutmeg, ground ginger, and allspice together.
You can also add a little bit of instant ground coffee and cocoa powder)
– 1/2 c add-ins (*chopped nuts, soaked raisins, chopped chocolate chunks, etc)

> Savory:
– 1/4 c or 4 tbsp melted butter or oil
– 1/2 c chopped scallions
– 1 tsp salt
– 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1) Let the yeast dissolve in warm (not hot) milk. Wait for 5 minutes until the liquid becomes foamy.
2) Mix 2 1/2 c flour, sugar, and salt together into the mixture.
3) Heat milk and melted butter together and mix it in with the dry ingredients.
4) Add the egg and stir until a shaggy, sticky dough forms. Add small amounts of flour by the tbsp up to 1 cup until the dough is not overly wet. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes.
5) Knead the dough in a stand mixer with a dough hook for 3-4 minutes. Then let the dough rest for another 10 minutes while you make the filling. (Alternatively, knead the dough on a well-floured surface with your hands. If the dough is sticky, flour your hands before kneading.)
6) Mix the dry ingredients for the filling together and set aside.
7) Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 1/2 in. thick. Brush the melted butter over the dough. Sprinkle the filling over the dough liberally. Make sure that you also sprinkle over the edges. Roll the dough into a tight log by rolling the outside edges first and then the middle and repeating.
9) Cut the dough into even pieces, 2 – 3 inches thick, using a thick knife. Be careful not to squish the rolls while cutting (You may use a serrated bread knife of unflavored dental floss). Put the rolls in a pan, roll-side up, and let it rise in a warm place for 60-90 min. (Alternatively, cover the rolls tightly and let it rise in the fridge slowly overnight. Let the rolls come to room temperature before baking.)
10) Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake for 20-25 minutes. If it becomes too brown, cover the rolls with foil.
11) Remove from oven and let cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or glaze before serving (See notes).

Notes:
– The filling can be tweaked to personal preference. I like things that are less sweet while other are the exact opposite. Feel free to use your personal judgement.
– Too much flour will make the dough dense and hard so add the flour slowly when mixing.
– Easy glaze recipe: Mix 1 c powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 pinch of salt, and 2-3 tbsp milk or cream.

Happy eats!