Anyway, I took this recipe from 101cookbooks, but the author of that blog (Heidi), took it from a Lotta Jansdotter cookbook, called "Handmade Living: A Fresh Take on Scandinavian Style." Anyway, we were having company on Christmas Day, and this recipe really spoke to me. I am a sucker for baking yeast breads, and I had just bought cardamom at Penzey's... So, apparently, I couldn't help myself. These cinnamon rolls are good. Really good. But who cares? They just LOOK so beautiful, it kinda doesn't matter how good they are. Well, I guess it does, but you know what I mean. Anyway, these rolls are so much fun (and easy) to make, and they actually make 2 batches, one of which you can freeze before baking. So, I have another batch, all rolled and ready to bake, sitting in the deep freezer, just begging to be popped into the oven. Mmmmmm... My house smelled so good.
Make these. You'll be so proud. 4 Bowls, but only because they aren't quite as good after they're cool. Cinnamon Rolls
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm whole milk (105F to 115F / 40C to 46C) (I used skim - it was totally fine!)
3/4 cup / 100g light muscovado or brown sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup / 125g unsalted butter, barely melted
1 tablespoon ground cardamom (I used 1/2 a tbl, because my Penzey's cardamom is known for being super strong)
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
4 cups / 600g all-purpose flour
Filling:
1/2 cup / 60g light muscovado or brown sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 cup / 125g unsalted butter, softened
Glaze: (I didn't glaze mine)
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water
large grain raw sugar or pearl sugar for sprinkling OR you can make an icing to spread on the rolls after baking (recipe below, not pictured)*
Sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk in a large bowl. Add a pinch of the sugar and stir to dissolve the yeast. Let stand for a few minutes or until foamy.
Add the remaining sugar, the egg, melted butter, and cardamom. Stir until smooth. Stir the salt into the flour, then gradually add the flour to the bowl, a bit at a time, incorporating the flour after each addition. Transfer the dough to a floured counter top and knead for 8-10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn it to coat with oil, and cover with a kitchen towel or equivalent. Let the dough rise in a sunny or warm place until doubled, about an hour.
Cut the dough in half on a floured counter top and form each piece into a ball. One at a time, roll each piece into a rectangle 12 inches/30cm and 1/2 inch/12mm thick. See the photos up above if this is confusing.
For the filling, start by combining the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Spread half of the butter evenly over one rectangle of the dough. Sprinkle half of the sugar mixture evenly across the butter. Roll the dough up tightly lengthwise, then turn it so that the seam side is down. Cut the roll into 12 equal slices, a serrated knife works best. You can bake these, cut-side up, on a parchment lined baking sheet, in cupcake liners, or in a buttered baking dish. I used a well-buttered standard pie dish. Unless you are using individual cupcake liners, you want to arrange the slices about 1/2-inch from each other on the baking sheet or in the baking dish. They rise and expand, and end up nice and snuggly in/on the pan. Repeat with the remaining rectangle of dough and filling. You can freeze any slices you aren't going to bake at this point.
Cover the rolls you are going to bake with a dry towel and let rise in a sunny or warm spot until doubled, about an hour. The timing is pretty flexible here - you can go a few hours depending on what is convenient.
Heat the oven to 400F/ 205C with a rack in the top third. Brush the buns with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar if you like. Bake the buns until golden brown, roughly 15-18 minutes. Don't over bake, the buns will dry out = not as good. Remove from the oven and serve warm if possible, plain or with a slather of icing* on top of each bun.
*Icing recipe: as I mention up above, this is the icing I also use for these hermit cookies. I like to spread a bit on each individual roll before serving or serving the icing on the side with a palette knife for individual spreading. Whisk 1 cup / 3.25 oz / 100g sifted powdered sugar, 4-5 tablespoons heavy cream, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 2 tablespoons bourbon or brandy together in a small bowl. Let sit for a few minutes, then adjust with more sifted powdered sugar if you want a stiffer icing. I'm going to do a creme fraiche version of the icing on Christmas - trading out the heavy cream for creme fraiche.
Adapted from the Cinnamon Bun recipe in Lotta Jansdotter's Handmade Living: A Fresh Take on Scandinavian Style by Lotta Jansdotter.
Prep time: 150 min - Cook time: 20 min
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