I have never seen an easier cinnamon roll recipe than the one from The Pioneer Woman.
++Notes 001 // I substituted the maple icing with pure honey as topping.
++Notes 002 // The original recipe makes 40-50 cinnamon rolls. I halved the recipe, to feed my small family.
++Notes 003 // Her step-by-step instruction here, completed with photos, really useful.
++Notes 004 // Original recipe asked for the dough to be used right away after adding baking soda, baking powder and remaining flour. But I could not roll it out as it was too wet, so I proofed it for another hour and this made the dough easier to handle. Recipe also stated that chilling the dough in the fridge for an hour before hand will also make it easier to handle. Remember always to cover the dough with a clean towel to prevent the surface of the dough from drying out.
++Notes 005 // Dough can also be kept in fridge for up to 3 days. But take note that the dough will still rise and need a “punch-down” once a while when it rises above the bowl.
++Notes 006 //Overnight buns will taste better if reheated in a toaster oven for 2 minutes.
RECIPE : EASY PEASY HONEY DRIZZLED CINNAMON ROLLS
/ Source
/ Makes 25 buns
____________
Dough
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp instant yeast
4 1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tbsp salt
Filling
1 cup melted butter
1/8 cup ground cinnamon
1 cup sugar, white or brown
Icing/Topping
Pure honey
____________
Dough
Heat the milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Do not bring the mixture to a boil. Set aside and cool to lukewarm. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the mixture, do not stir and let it sit on the milk mixture for 1 minute.
After 1 minute, pour in 4 cups of the flour. The remaining 1/2 cup will be added later after the dough rise/first proofing. Stir until just combined, then cover with a clean kitchen towel, and set aside in a relatively warm place for 1 hour. I left it standing on the still-warm stove.
After 1 hour, the dough would have risen. Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the remaining 1/2 cup flour on top of the still a-bit-too-wet dough. Stir to mix in the added dry ingredients. Cover back again with towel and set aside for another hour.*
On a clean worktop (recipe suggested floured surface, but I could manage without), roll the dough thinly into a 30 x 10 in rectangle.
Filling
Pour melted butter over the surface of the dough. I pour about 3/4 cup of it before it starts to flow over the dough. I reserve the remaining and pour them over the arranged buns on the pan, so that they stay in/on the bun, not on my work top.
Using fingers, spread the butter evenly all over the dough. This is my favorite part of the recipe:-)
Sprinkle ground cinnamon first then sugar over the butter. According to Ree, The Pioneer Woman, “Gooey is the goal.”
Assemble
Next, with the longer side facing you, roll up the dough towards you, taking care to roll it really tight. I use a food scraper to scoop up the fillings into a bowl that oozes out as the dough is being rolled up. I then pour them over the dough before them are being baked. No waste!
When reaching the end, pinch the seam tightly to seal the roll.
Place the log roll on a cutting board with seal facing down, and cut 1/2-inch slices with a very sharp knife.
Grease a baking tray by pouring some melted butter on it. Arrange the sliced rolls in the tray, leaving some space in between. The dough will expand further, and even more during baking. You can pour the remaining melted butter + cinnamon butter sugar goo on the dough now.
Preheated oven now to 180C/375F. Leave the dough covered to rise for another 20 minutes before baking. The oven should be done by the time the dough rises for one last time.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown. Don’t allow the rolls to become overly brown.
Remove buns from the oven. Immediately drizzle honey over the top of the hot buns. About 1 tablespoon per bun. And more on the sides and edges.
Serve warm.
MONO and CO 