Cinnamon Rolls

I got this strong desire to bake and consume cinnamon rolls this week. Luckily, I had all the ingredients I needed to make this happen and the time. Making them from scratch takes a bit of time, but it's worth it. You can always prepare these at night and throw them in the oven in the morning.

Let's begin our cinnamon roll journey.

Ingredients

2 cups of all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

2 1/4 teaspoons of instant yeast

1/2 cup of water

1/4 cup of milk

2 and 1/2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1 large egg (or egg whites)

Cinnamon Filling

2 tablespoons of brown sugar*

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/4 cup of sugar*

1/4 cup of chopped walnuts*
*more or less depending on your preference

Vanilla Icing/Glaze

1 cup powdered confectioners sugar

2-3 Tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl pour 2 cups of flour,  sugar, salt, and yeast together and mix.

Heat water, milk, and butter together in the microwave until the butter is melted. Stir the butter mixture into the flour mixture. Next, add the egg.

On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for a few minutes with your knuckles. Next, put dough in a bowl, loosely cover and let it and you rest for a few minutes. 

Roll the dough out in a 15x9 inch rectangle. It doesn't have to be perfect. Spread the softened butter on top. 

Mix together the brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle it all over the dough. 

Roll up the dough as tightly as you can. Slice into even pieces (I had about 13) and place in a lightly greased 9-inch round pie dish. 

Loosely cover the rolls with aluminum foil and allow to rise in a warm place around for about an hour. I put mine on top of the oven as it warmed up.

Now that they have risen and have grown in size, put dish in pre-heated oven at 375 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. 

Mix the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla together. Add the glaze once they have cooled off a little bit and enjoy them nice and warm!

Tea time anyone?