Simply INCREDIBLE Cinnamon Rolls

Simply INCREDIBLE Cinnamon Rolls

First I must comment that the local library is an under appreciated resource, so far as I can see. As one who has spent the last years working towards an elusive educational goal, I can honestly say that when the library staff either recognizes you OR has come to know you by name, there is a certain element of community established. A trusted brotherhood or unspoken bond that has been entered.

I am pleased to say, (without exaggeration) I can honestly assert that my local library staff has certainly come to recognize my mug! And this amuses me to no end.

Alright, so hit the library, always a treat. You got it.

Now, to the treasure I recently discovered. A work by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë Francois, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

As a slightly compulsive fan of Loafin Larry and the Breadsmith, (http://www.breadsmith.com/) (check them out down on

Market Street

, between Target and Summit Mall). I am always in search of a delectable loaf of heartwarming bread. With the help of the Hertzberg/Francois book, I was able to supplement my Breadsmith cravings with a couple good ones from my own kitchen.

The general idea behind Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day is a very simple but logical approach to home baking. Make lots of bread dough, freeze a bit, and cook it up when you need it. (ha, ha… knead it) As someone who is not too savvy on the bread front, I often fail to allocate enough time to allow for the (much needed) bread rising or ‘resting’, as the book states. (Something I need to work on)

With an ounce of practice, though, I have been able to master a few of the delicious recipes in the book. Going in, know that the text is not written like a regular cook book. You will certainly need to read all the text for each recipe, though it is not terribly long, as there are no simple outlined directions. On the flip side of this coin, you will find a great many tips for the making of your specific loaf with each text segment.

Alright, my ‘Simply INCREDIBLE Cinnamon Rolls’ begin with the ‘Brioche’ recipe from the Hertzberg/Francois text (p.189).

Again, pick up the book, because the historical information on this loaf is just fantastic. What a great conversation piece when you pass your masterpiece to a neighbor, a discerning relative or a boss who you are hitting up for a raise!

This recipe makes four one-pound loaves

1 ½ C lukewarm water

1 ½ T yeast (2 packets) *I used the rapid rise and found no reason not to use it again in the future

1 ½ T Salt

8 eggs, lightly beaten

½ C honey

1 ½ C unsalted butter, melted

7 ½ C all-purpose flour

*Egg wash – 1 egg white beaten with 1 T of water (I omitted this, as it did not apply to my cinnamon rolls)

• Mix yeast, salt, eggs, honey and melted butter with water in large bowl

• Mix flour to above mixture. Don’t knead

• When fully mixed, allow to rest at room temp for 2 hours (told you I wasn’t good at waiting, had to find something else to occupy me for this timeframe… like blogging)

• Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 4 weeks

• When you are ready to use the dough, if frozen, put in fridge for 24 hrs. When pulling dough from fridge (Hertzberg and Francois are great about telling you when to dust the loaf with flour— as a bread novice, I found this very helpful), dust with flour

• Elongate loaf into an oval and allow to rest (room temp) for an hour and twenty min

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees about 20 before your hour twenty is up

   As promised, this information can all be found on pages 189 and 190 of the best bread making book I have ever stumbled across…

Hertzberg, J. & Francois, Z.  Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, The Discovery that Revolutionizes Home Baking. (2007).  St. Martin’s Press:  New York.

… Insert my improve sequence

• I then rolled out the loaf, pretty darn thin. This stuff likes to hold on, kinda elasticity, I would say. Roll it as thin as you can without causing holes or tears

• Mix a cup of white sugar with a tablespoon of cinnamon

• Take the cinnamon/sugar mixture and spread it over the rolled dough

• Take a long edge of the dough and begin rolling the dough into a tidy log

• After the log has been rolled, I again let the dough rest for about twenty minutes (I’m getting into this dough resting stuff, see?!?!)

• Take a bread knife (any knife with a serrated edge will probably work), slice the log into segments that are as wide as you would like your cinnamon roll to be tall… ish. I cut mine into one inch segments, if this helps

• Grease a baking dish with butter

• Take your cinnamon roll segments and place them in the greased pan. Place pan in the preheated oven

• Cook for about a half hour (check on them 25 min in, especially if they are shorter than I discussed)

• While your kitchen is filling with the incredible cinnamon roll smell, whip up your icing. For this, I went to a trusted old friend, allrecipes.com. Specifically, check out this recipe:  http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/cinnamon-bun-icing/Detail.aspx

Basically, take some cream cheese, margarine, vanilla and powdered sugar; mix with a splash of milk until they are all creamy.

• I altered the portions a bit from the recipe cited above until I came up with what I believed would be the most INCREDIBLE icing for the most INCREDIBLE cinnamon rolls. Make it work for you!

• Keep an eye on those rolls now. When they reach a point (JUST before you think they are cooked to perfection) pull the baking dish from the oven. Slather the tops of the cinnamon rolls with the icing and pop them back in the oven for another 3- 5 min (use your own judgment)

Your family will come racing to the kitchen to try this stuff!

Comments I received “AWESOME”, “JUST PERFECT”… to name a few.

Now, what is nice about the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day book is that it outlines which recipes can freeze for however long. By my count, I should still be able to use this batch for Thanksgiving. I’ll knead (totally getting into the bread bit here) to make another round for Christmas/New Year’s festivities, but hey, I’m half-way through the holidays already! Not bad! I love a good holiday pregame. It helps the season progress without TOO much time in the kitchen and too little spent with the folks you care about.

I am learning it is an art. My Grandmothers, my Mom, my Mother-In-Law and others certainly have the art of ‘pregaming’ the holidays down. Just the right amount of time is spent with little ones, decorating cookies and the like, and the rest is spent together doing whatever else you please.

Perhaps the holidays seem a bit ‘far off’… but there are only weeks between this moment and a house full of holiday guests. Don’t chance it; stick with a recipe that won’t let you down!!!!

Prep your cinnamon rolls weeks in advance and toss them in while the kids are just peaking under the tree. They will be ready to devour after the last wrapping is shredded, while the batteries are being installed and the new clothes donned.

mmmmmmm.  Simply INCREDIBLE Cinnamon Rolls!