Cinnamon Rolls

I read the Pioneer Woman's cooking blog on occasion. She is a trip if you haven't read her blog. Ever since I began reading her blog, I have wanted to try my hand at some of her recipes. She just makes them sound so good. So for my b-day Brunch, I decided to make her Cinnamon Roll recipe. They sound amazing, so why not?



Dough
1 quart whole milk
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 packages (4 1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
9 cups all-purpose flour
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1 scant teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon salt
Filling
2 cups melted butter, plus more as needed
1/4 cup ground cinnamon for sprinkling
2 cups sugar, plus more as needed
Maple Icing
2 pounds powdered sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, melted
1/4 cup strongly brewed coffee
Dash of salt
1 tablespoon maple flavoring or maple extract

1. For the dough, heat the milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat; do not allow the mixture to boil. Set aside and cool to lukewarm.
2. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit on the milk for 1 minute.
3. Add 8 cups of flour. Stir until just combined, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and set aside in a relatively warm place for 1 hour.
4. Remove the towel and add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the remaining 1 cup flour. Stir thoroughly to combine. Use the dough right away or place in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, punching down the dough if it rises to the top of the bowl.
5. To assemble the rolls, remove half the dough from the pan. On a floured baking surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle.
6. To make the filling, pour 1 cup of the melted butter over the surface of the dough. Use your fingers to spread the butter evenly.
7. Generously sprinkle half the ground cinnamon and 1 cup of sugar over the butter. Don't be afraid to drizzle on more butter or more sugar!
8. No, beginning at the end farthest from you, roll the rectangle tightly toward you. Use both hands and work slowly, being careful to keep the roll tight.
9. When you reach the end, pinch the seam together.
10. Transfer to a cutting board and with a sharp knife, make 1 1/2 inch slices. One log will produce 20 to 25 rolls.
11. Pour a couple of tablespoons of melted butter into the desired pie pans or baking dishes and swirl to coat.
12. Place the sliced rolls in the pans, being careful not to overcrowd.
13. Repeat the rolling/sugar/butter process with the other half of the dough and more pans. Preheat the oven to 375F. Cover the pans with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise on the countertop for at least 20 minutes before baking. Remove the towel and bake for 13 to 17 minutes, until golden brown. Don't allow rolls to become overly brown.
14. In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, butter, coffee, and salt.
15. Splash in the maple flavoring.
16. Whisk until very smooth. Taste and add in more maple, sugar, butter, or other ingredients as needed until the icing reaches the desired consistency. The icing should be thick but still pourable.
17. While the rolls are still warm, generously drizzle icing over the top.
18. As they sit, the rolls will absorb some of the icing's moisture and flavor.

Making these cinnamon rolls became quite the adventure. Maybe not in a good way. I have been interviewing a lot this month and this past week I was in New Mexico. Before I left for New Mexico, I bought all of the ingredients, or so I thought, for this recipe. I got back from interviewing late Saturday night and the brunch was on the next morning. So I started to make the cinnamon rolls. When I opened up the flour for the dough portion of the recipe, I discovered my flour had those little pill bugs in it. Gross, right? So I threw out the flour and went to the HEB to buy more. I bought more flour...returned home....only to discover that I had no butter after I had rolled out the dough. I always have butter. Infuriated now, I returned to HEB for butter. Tonight, just wasn't my night. What can I say? I returned home to finish rolling out the cinnamon rolls near midnight. I discovered that the first batch I rolled that I did not roll tight enough. So if you make this recipe, do be scared to roll the dough tight! You live, you learn. Cutting the rolls was also a chore with them deciding to unroll themselves. Anyways, I stored the rolls in the refrigerator overnight to be made in the AM right before the brunch.

The next morning making the rolls went smoothly. No problems. Whew! I give these rolls 4 out of 5 stars. They were sinful and good! I was concerned for my arteries. Next time I make them, I will make sure I have all of the proper ingredients for one. Then I will also use floss to cut the rolls. I have heard that this is easier than using a knife. Lastly, I would use maybe a little less of the delish maple icing. The icing covered some of the taste of the cinnamon in the rolls. Overall though, the rolls were a success despite my lack of organization. Thanks Pioneer Woman!