Tasty Tuesday: Cinnamon Rolls

We took a break from the apple recipes this week. We also made these on Monday. That's one of the joys of homeschooling. We have the opportunity to be flexible. Yesterday, I made homemade biscuits and gravy for dinner. Usually, big breakfasts like that are reserved for Saturdays when the whole family is together. Every few weeks or so, we have Pillsbury cinnamon rolls afterward. I figured that it would be a nice treat to make them from scratch since "breakfast" was actually dinner, and I had more time to prepare them. Every time I make them, we ask, "Why do we ever use the cans of refrigerated rolls?"  

Ingredients:
Dough

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F)

2 eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup butter, melted

4 1/2 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup white sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Filling 

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, softened

Frosting

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start. (My machine takes 90 minutes for the dough cycle.)

2. After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.

3. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

4. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

I don't have any pictures making the dough. I was busy preparing dinner at the same time. Excuses, excuses . . .

She pretended she was rolling out play dough.

Look how hard he was working!

They enjoyed "cleaning" the counter with their hands and licking them.

Jake helped cut the log.

Before rising

After rising

After cooking

Look at all that yummy goodness!

These are also good reheated. Or room temperature. Or cold. Basically, these are just really, really good! I have a feeling we'll be making fewer Pillsbury and more homemade.


* Update *
Since this post, we've only made these cinnamon rolls. No more cans of rolls for us! I usually prepare the rolls the night before and keep them in the fridge. I pop them in the oven in the morning when we're ready for breakfast. As they're baking, I make the frosting.