Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

Makes about 11 or 12 depending on how big you roll your dough.

 3.5-4.5 cups of flour 

1.5 cups of water 

1 egg (egg replacer works here) 

1/4 cup of melted butter (oil works too, or vegan butter) 

1/3 cup of brown sugar, regular sugar or coconut sugar

 1 packet of instant yeast or active dry yeast. (2 1/2 tsp’s) 

1 tsp salt Warm the water not above 100 degrees.

More brown sugar and cinnamon for the rolls

About 1-2 cups of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon

Syrup:

1 stick of butter (½ cup),

 ⅓ cup of brown sugar

 ⅓ cup of maple syrup

 A big splash of vanilla, & sprinkle of cinnamon.

Icing:

2 sticks of butter softened but not melted (1 cup)

8 ounces of cream cheese softened

2 -3 cups of powdered sugar 

1-2 tbsp of milk

Optional: 1 tbsp of maple syrup, 1 tsp of cinnamon

Cooking Instructions

If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook use that. 

Mix the water, sugar and yeast. 

Let sit for 5 minutes & make sure it froths a little. 

Add in the egg, butter and 3.5 cups of flour, & salt. 

Using the dough hook or a wooden spoon mix until you have a cohesive dough. 

Adding in 1/2 cups of flour at a time until it’s a smooth-ish mass. If you don’t have a dough hook I would use my hands once you are able to and start kneading it. Knead for about 3 minutes on a mixer and about 5 minutes if by hand. Using the palm of your hand you turn and press the dough and repeat.

Oil this bad boy and set it in a proofer drawer or a warm place, cover the bowl with a wet paper towel and another towel over that for extra cozy living space.

 Set aside ideally until doubled but at least 20 minutes.

 Prepare your pans, I use a 9x11 and an 8x8. Spray if you have baking spray or lightly oil the sides and corners. Make the sticky syrup while your dough rests. Using a small pot mix the butter, vanilla, brown sugar and maple syrup, and bring to a boil for a few minutes until all the sugar dissolves, pour into the baking dishes. 

Turn the dough out to a floured surface, (once it has rested a bit) roll it into a not quite rectangle not quite square shape, about 18x12. But whose measuring?

Spread your brown sugar and cinnamon all over, let some fall off so it's all the way to the edge.

Roll length wise up, trying to keep it tight as you roll it. Cut with a very sharp knife or bench scraper into 11-12 pieces, place them in the dishes, giving them a little space. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and a wet towel and place somewhere warm for a quick nap. About 20-30 minutes. Or until almost doubled in size. Preheat your oven to 375. Once they have had a good rest, pop them in the oven for about 20-30 minutes. They will be golden brown and when you give them a light tap they will feel a bit hollow.

While they are baking, make your frosting. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream your butter until smooth, add in the cream cheese and cream until smooth, add in the powdered sugar, with 1 tbsp of milk to start, the optional add-ins if using. Mix until you have a consistency you like. Add more liquid if you want a more runny icing, add more sugar if you want a less runny icing. Also if you want more of a frosting wait until they cool to put it on. If you want a melty drizzly icing put it on while they are still warm. But definitely let them cool for at least 5-10 minutes if you can resist.