In July of 2020, I self-isolated for 14 days after someone in the office tested positive for Covid-19. During that time I made three 10″ x 15″ pans of cinnamon rolls and ate them all myself.
The first time I ever tried making cinnamon rolls I followed a copy cat recipe for Cinnabon™ which used a huge amount of butter and heavy cream. This time, since I was going to be binge-eating, I decided to “healthy” them up.
I substituted canola oil for butter and didn’t miss it a bit; completely ditched the heavy cream too. The great thing about rolls like this is, if you have the right amount of dough, you don’t have to be particularly fussy about how you arrange them in the pan. They’re going to expand to fill up the pan without slopping out and burning your oven.
Dough Ingredients:
- 600 grams (5 cups) Flour
- 66 grams (⅓ cup) Sugar
- 28 grams (4 tbsp.) Dry Milk Powder
- 2 tsp. Active Dry Yeast
- 2 tsp. Salt
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp. Canola Oil
- 330 grams (1½ cups) Water
Filling:
- ¼ cup Canola Oil
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 2 tbsp. Cinnamon
- 1 tbsp. Vanilla Extract
Frosting:
- 1 ½ cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 ½ tbsp. Unsalted Butter, melted
- 1 ½ tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 2 – 4 tbsp. Milk
Mix first three ingredients. Add milk a tablespoon at a time until desired thickness.
Directions:
Step 1: Combine the dry ingredients for the dough. Add egg, canola oil and water and mix well. Knead for 10 minutes and set aside in an oiled bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually about an hour.
Step 2: Mix the ingredients for the filling together to form a paste.
Step 3: Knead the risen dough to form a smooth ball. Let the dough relax for about five minutes. Dust a countertop with plenty of flour. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough until it is approximately ¼ inch thick, dusting liberally with flour to prevent sticking.
If you’re talented enough to roll it out in a rectangle shape, good for you. I’m not. Don’t let it stop you. Cinnamon rolls are not precision baking.
Step 4: Spread the filling around the outer edge of the dough with a spatula. Continue spreading the rest of the filling from the outside in to the middle.
Step 5: Roll lengthwise from one end to the other. Slice into approximately two inch rounds and arrange in an oiled 13″ x 9″ pan. Place the thinner outer slices in the middle of the pan and fill up the rest of the pan with the fatter rolls from the inner part of the cylinder. The rolls will bake better that way. Let rise for about 30 minutes.
Step 6: Place the baking dish on a sheet tray and bake in an oven that has been preheated to 375°F. for 25-28 minutes.
Step 7: Spread on frosting.
Notes:
During my self-isolation period there was a commercial on TV for the Rachel Ray Show that had Guy Fieri as her guest. It showed him making a ginormous greasy burger with butter dripping off the bun. He was topping it with potato chips. I thought it looked disgusting.
But I know that’s not what my reaction is supposed to be. I’m supposed to think, “Whoa, that’s so cool ’cause it’s maxed-out extreme!”
I’m supposed to be so numbed from over-stimulation that only an ever-increasing amount of voltage will jolt me into feeling anything.
In other words, it can’t just be a good cinnamon roll, it has to be the gooey-oogliest cinnamon roll anyone could ever conceive of in order to be worth eating.
Well, whatever. I ate three pans of these in a little over a week. That would have cost me, like, $135 plus tax in Cinnabon™ land. And I didn’t have to leave home.
Schmecken! 