Cinnamon Rolls

Even though Joe wasn't going to be finished being on-call shift until maybe noon, I still wanted to have a special Christmas breakfast, and several women on my cooking board had been talking about cinnamon rolls. Since I had all day of Christmas Eve free, I decided to try my hand at them as well.

I found this recipe that used the bread machine for the initial mixing and rise, and it worked out beautifully. After I rolled it out, covered it with the filling, and cut them into individual rolls, I decided that I would fit them into a 9" round cake pan. I neglected to notice that the rolls would then double. They turned out fine, but they were a little squished.

I refrigerated these overnight and then brought them to room temperature before baking. They turned out wonderfully considering I was worried about the cinnamon rolls taking over my refrigerator while I slept. Coupled with some Trader Joe's gingerbread coffee, these were the perfect Christmas morning treat.



Cinnamon Rolls
source: About.com

Yield: 8 large cinnamon rolls

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 4 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 3 1/3 cups bread flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast or 1-1/2 teaspoons bread machine/ rapid rise yeast

• Filling:
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup chopped and lightly toasted nuts
  

Preparation

Add ingredients to bread machine as recommended by manufacturer. Program maker for the dough cycle. When cycle is done, place dough on floured surface. Knead dough about 1 minute, then let rest 15 minutes. Roll dough into a rectangle, about 15 x 10 inches. Spread 1/4 cup melted butter over dough to within 1 inch of edges, Then sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar, the cinnamon, nutmeg, and chopped nuts evenly over dough. Roll dough up tightly on long side. Press edges to seal and form into a 12-inch long, evenly shaped roll. With a knife or 8 inch long piece of dental floss, cut roll into 1 inch pieces. Place rolls cut side down into a greased 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise in warm, draft free place until double in size, about 30 to 45 minutes.

Bake in preheated 375 degrees F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on rack for 10 to 15 minutes, then drizzle with powdered sugar icing made by combining 1 cup powdered sugar with 1 to 2 tablespoons milk and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Blend until smooth. If too thin or too thick, add more powdered sugar or milk, respectively, until desired consistency is reached. Cut apart and remove from pan.