if they were pillows, i’d hug them

2008 July 3
by ovenhaven

There’s always a first, isn’t there?

And just like how I decided to go ahead and make my long-yearned-for madeleines albeit without their much-craved-for moulds, I took the plunge and traipsed my way down the yeast road one morning. After much deliberation and trepidation, I finally braved the yeast and made the first thing that came to mind.

The last time I made cinnamon rolls, I took the easy way out, and opted for a biscuit-dough bun, steering far far away from yeast. While they tasted great, the texture certainly didn’t appease my nostalgic side insisting on reminiscing the teenage years of drooling over the fluffy Saint Cinnamon buns.

But this time round, to put it simply, I was one happy girl.

I divided the dough into two, making one with raisins, and another without. Surprisingly, even though I’ve always thought of myself as a raisin cinnamon bun fan, I actually preferred the plain buns. Perhaps it was because they complimented the sugar icing perfectly, and furthermore, it was so much more heavenly to appreciate the fluffy texture of the buns in their simplicity.

While this bake had most certainly increased my confidence in embarking further onto the yeast journey, it will be a long while before I venture into breads and such. But hey, at least this was a first.

Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls
(adapted from here)
- serves 12 -

1 packet active dry yeast
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs
4 cups flour

FILLING:
1 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon powder
1/3 cup butter, softened

ICING:
8 tbsps butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

  1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk.
  2. Add sugar, butter, flour and eggs. Mix well.
  3. Knead the dough into a large ball, and place in a bowl, covered with a damp towel, and allow to rise for about an hour.
  4. When doubled in size, punch the dough down. Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface to form a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.
  5. Preheat the oven to 200C.
  6. To make the filling, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
  7. Spread the softened butter over the surface of the dough, and sprinkle the filling evenly over the surface.
  8. Roll the dough tightly from the long edge to the bottom edge.
  9. Cut the dough into slices about 1 3/4 inch, and place in a lightly greased pan, slightly apart.
  10. Bake for about 10mins.
  11. To make the icing, beat all the ingredients until fluffy. Spread generously over the cinnamon rolls when they are done.
29 Responses leave one →
  1. 2008 July 3

    Ooo these look good! I could eat cinnamon buns everyday.

  2. 2008 July 3

    Ooh i have SO many cinnamon-raisin buns recipes bookmarked but none have made it to my kitchen so far.

    Your looks amazing! Love the gorgeous pokka dotted placemat by the way :)

  3. 2008 July 3

    Ashley: Apparently I could too!

    thecoffeesnob: Thanks, sweetie :) You should start making them! I’m a huge fan, so I can imagine turning to them ever so often.

  4. 2008 July 3

    These buns look really delicious. Very nice pictures, enjoying your photoshoot with your new DSLR?

  5. 2008 July 3

    You did a wonderful job with the yeast. The rolls look finger licking good!
    I had the same with yeast up to last year. Now I can manage it, it’s not my favourite to use because of the chances of it not working as it should but I’m getting the hang of it now.

  6. 2008 July 3

    if they were pillows, i’d eat ‘em.
    cinnamon buns are my favorite guilty breakfast pleasure–i try to only eat them when i’ve done something really reward-worthy. like wake up on time. or avoid the snooze button. :)
    yours look delectable.

  7. 2008 July 3

    didally: Thanks, dearie. Yup, pretty much! Have yet to bring them out for a run, though :D

    linda: I know exactly what you mean! I think I’ll be hanging out with these rolls for awhile, till they meet their next yeastie friend.

    grace: If I were to abide by those stipulations, I don’t think I’ll ever get to have them for breakfast. The snooze button and me go together like *this* :P

  8. 2008 July 3
    happygrub permalink

    oooooo… I really love your photos, I can see that you have a great eye at composing shots too!

    Anyway I hope you’ll be bitten by the bread bug, can I suggest you make pizza bases next? I think your mister will appreciate a pizza with a 3 cheese topping..

    May I volunteer some bread hints:
    1. Bread improver improves texture and shelf life, just add a pinch to each cup of flour (sometimes I skip this and some people just don’t like the “chemicals” in it, but it does wonders to the texture of ur bread)
    2. Let ur dough rise in an airtight container, yeast is anaerobic so it thrives in an oxygen poor environment
    3. Consider attaching your dough hook onto your mixer (it is a hook device that looks different from the paddle or whip attachment) and knead the bread for a good 15 mins at medium speed. This really gives the gluten a chance to develop and your bread fluffy and chewy.

  9. 2008 July 3
    the mister permalink

    Wah… It seems that I’m not the first tagger this time round! Harumph!

    Those rolls look gorgeous dear! :D

    I’m really loving the way you play with the focus brackets! Esp the second pic, it should be on a page in a recipe book!

  10. 2008 July 3

    happygrub: Thanks for the tips, dearie :) I actually do have my eye on making pizza next; have a particular recipe bookmarked. I’ll be sure to refer to these tips when I decide on making one! Btw, I used your tip of cutting the dough into slices using thread :)

    the mister: Someone been too busy, that’s why! Hehe :) Thanks, love. As of now, three things rock my world: focus brackets, PS and… YOU! :D

  11. 2008 July 4

    Wow, they look so yummy!!! Looking forward to more bread entries!!! :D

  12. 2008 July 5

    This is so beautiful! I just love your close up drool worthy pictures, I feel so lucky to be that much closer to your beautiful food!

  13. 2008 July 5

    My goodness, I’d hug these too. They look so good!

  14. 2008 July 5

    The word ‘Cinnabon’ alone makes me weak in the knees; I was addicted to those yummy carby treats as a kiddo. Great job on venturing out into the yeasty world of baking! :)

  15. 2008 July 5

    Bernice: Thanks, sweetie! In the meantime, I’ll just read your lovely bread entries ;)

    White on Rice: And I feel like a fool drooling all over my laptop each time I look at your enticing photos! :P

    Pat: Thanks, dearie! They look huggable, don’t they? :P

    sophie c: Thank you :) With all the support, I feel like going all yeasty again soon!

  16. 2008 July 6
    leeshuang permalink

    hello!
    just a question!
    can we use bread flour??? or just normal flour?

    i have 2 failed experience baking bread. * sighs

  17. 2008 July 6

    Hi leeshuang, I used normal flour, but I don’t think there’ll be a problem using bread flour if you want to. Good luck baking, dearie! :)

  18. 2008 September 19

    Hi, i would just like to check what kind of milk do you use ? isit those kinda carton-ed pasturised milk like HL ? THANKS!

  19. 2008 September 20

    Hi lu, yupperz, I used low-fat fresh milk like HL :)

  20. 2008 September 21

    oh thank you so much! hopefully i’ll be trying those yummy cinnamon rolls soon! :D

  21. 2008 September 24

    Best of luck! Hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I did :)

  22. 2008 November 23

    hi! I have a question. how did you place the icing? do you have to melt it after beating it up?

  23. 2008 November 23

    Hi Grace :) Nope, the icing’s pretty runny, so I just poured it over the rolls.

  24. 2009 June 15

    I so wanna make these and EAT them after I have hugged them! I made the soft pretzel version and yes they were good. BUT I think I’m gonna prefer your version. Will try and let you know ;)

  25. 2009 June 17

    Hope you’ll like them as much as I did! Btw soft pretzel version sounds good ;)

Trackbacks & Pingbacks

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