{"id":8421,"date":"2011-04-10T11:23:30","date_gmt":"2011-04-10T16:23:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/crankymouse.com\/?p=8421"},"modified":"2011-04-16T23:24:08","modified_gmt":"2011-04-17T04:24:08","slug":"how-to-basic-cinnamon-rolls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/2011\/04\/10\/how-to-basic-cinnamon-rolls\/","title":{"rendered":"How-To: Basic Cinnamon Rolls"},"content":{"rendered":"

The essential cinnamon roll recipe that everyone needs to have tucked away in their bag of tricks. This one is Swedish in origin, a kanelbulle or “cinnamon bun,” and rest assured there is plenty of cardamom in the dough for a spicy kick.<\/em>
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\nI’m the oldest of five in my family. My siblings can attest to the fact that I display many of the typical Type-A qualities people expect from a firstborn child, not the least of those being perfectionism. I am a perfectionist to a fault. The kind of debilitating disease that has me alphabetize my spice cabinet and be constantly annoyed at the state of a house with four young children. (Some things you just have to learn to let go of. An always organized and picked-up house is one of them at this stage in the parenting game.)
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It’s that same trait that led to the production of 80 cinnamon rolls last week as I tried recipes and tweaked and twisted and finally landed on the cinnamon buns I was looking for, the ones that need no glaze, but instead, sing on their own. I found them in a cardamom-spiced dough traditional to their origin. They are a bit lighter than their American counterparts, and they puff up easily, showing off the swirl of cinnamon tucked within.
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\nThe first order of business is scalding the milk. Simply heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat until bubbles form around the edge of the pan and the temperature reaches 180\u00b0 F. Turn the burner off and add in butter, sugar, cardamom and salt. I like to toss in unmelted butter here as it melts and cools the milk simultaneously, meaning I don’t need to wait for the milk to cool for as long.
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\nWhen the milk mixture is down to between 110\u00b0 and 120\u00b0 F, sprinkle the yeast over the top and wait 10 minutes for the yeast to froth.
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\nDump the milk mixture into your stand mixer or a large bowl and slowly add in four cups of flour. Change to the dough hook Allow the mixer to run on high for 30 seconds or so after you add the last cup so that it pulls the dough together and away from the sides of the bowl. If you’re hand mixing, you can just knead the dough lightly in the bowl. Cover it up and let it rise in a warm place for an hour.
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\nOnce the dough has risen, punch it down, turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead it gently into a ball.
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\nRoll the dough into a rectangle. I like to go with the larger the rectangle, the more cinnamon swirl, and I’m all for several rolls of cinnamon in my cinnamon buns.
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\nBrush melted butter onto the dough.
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\nThen sprinkle sugar and cinnamon all over the top. Again, there is some leniency here as far as amounts are concerned. You could go heavier on both the cinnamon and the sugar, the cinnamon only, whatever suits your taste preferences.
\nRoll up your rectangle starting at one end and moving down towards the other and then reversing and coming back until you have a long cylinder of dough. It’s a pretty forgiving dough, so don’t be afraid to stretch and pull on it.
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\nCut rolls off the tube. I aim for about an 1-1\/2″-2″ thick. Much thicker and cooking time and temperature will need to be adjusted.
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\nPlace the rolls in the vessel you intend to bake them in or on. These can be set on baking sheets, placed in baking dishes or however you prefer. Be sure to leave room because after the next 45-minute rest, the cinnamon rolls will puff up quite nicely. Before baking, brush them with a bit of egg wash and sprinkle with pearl sugar. You can skip the sugar sprinkle if you plan on glazing them at the end.
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\nA short bake time in the oven, and piping hot cinnamon buns will be on your table. These are perfect for a brunch, an Easter breakfast, a lazy Saturday morning or any other day of the week.
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Do-Ahead Tips:<\/h3>\n

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