Saturday, February 28, 2009

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Inspired by Alton Brown's show, "Good Eats" I ventured into my first attempt at making homemade cinnamon rolls. I recorded his show about breakfast breads this week and watched it twice to make sure I understood his technique. The recipe recommends letting the dough rise for 2 1/2 hours but I ended up letting it rise for 8 hours. It could definitely have risen overnight, though.

It's a long, slow rise so if you try this recipe keep that in mind. This is definitely not a recipe you can hurry! I started the dough at 3:30 p.m. Friday and pulled them out of the oven at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Next time I will start the dough at noon and let it rise all day. I can shape the rolls after supper and let them sit in the fridge overnight. They'll be ready to bake when I get up the next day.

And let me just state that the odor eminating from this pan of rolls (even before baking) is an intoxicating blend of yeast, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon--the nectar of the gods.

The dough has 5 eggs yolks in it which makes for a beautiful deep golden color and a sturdy, easy-to-handle texture. I barely used any flour on the counter when I was shaping the dough. The buttermilk in the recipe gives the rolls a whole new dimension in flavor and texture. Lucky me, I found a quart of buttermilk on sale for 89 cents Friday!

This recipe would be great during the busy holidays. It could easily be prepared in advance and forgotten until the next day. It could also be very easily doubled to make a big batch. The rolls were easy to assemble and it was a real pleasure to form them because of the fantastic smell of the filling as I worked with it. I could have licked my hands clean! I plan to make more of these in the near future. It was a no brainer and fit into my busy schedule without a hitch.

7 comments:

  1. Yummmm! Those rolls are so gorgeous. I used to make this for my old bed and breakfast and the smell would wake anyone up faster than the coffee. I made it the faster way though. Prepared the stickies and put on bottom of pan in the morning, then laid the risen dough. Takes a manly flip to serve and delivers a less pretty roll, but tastes just the same for less effort. Of course, I would then go over to your house and have the pretty rolls, lol.

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  2. Griffin, thanks for the suggestion. Not a bad idea! Cinnamon rolls hit every nerve in a good way. No wonder they are so impossible to resist. If you want to really get someone's attention, make 'em some cinnamon rolls.

    I am absolutely stuffed after having one for dessert after supper tonight. You should have heard Jim moaning and groaning as he ate his. I was confused as to whether or not I should have felt jealous!

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  3. I'll have to make these in a few weeks when I'll have family visiting. Seems like just the thing for breakfast for a bunch of people.

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  4. AARRRRGGGGHHHHH! Stop it, just stop it! You're killin' me here!

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  5. Christy, these would be perfect for breakfast when company is over. Let us know how they turn out for you.

    Susan, I'm just trying to figure out how to cram them into that box...

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  6. Wow, this was the wrong blog to come too on the same day I started a diet! LOL. Just kidding, great blog!

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  7. Ditto Jennifer! They look soooo yummy! And how is the ice cream maker coming along..dont tell me you havent tried it yet either! I would have had to make some right away! LOL

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