A girls guide to being perfect

How to make Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls are a delicious treat for breakfast or any time. Baking your own is easy and the aroma throughout your house will be delicious. You can make both traditional rolls or healthy variations with this guide; the first variation is plain cinnamon, the second variation allows for the addition of walnuts and raisins and has a different glaze and is a little bit healthier.

This recipe serves approximately 6 -8 people; preparation time is around 20 minutes, with 2 hours rising and baking time.

Ingredients
Version 1 - Plain cinnamon:
2 1⁄2 cups (590 ml) flour
25 g / 5 teaspoons fresh yeast or 8.5 g / 1/2 tablespoon of dry yeast
70 g / 2 ½ oz (5 tablespoons) melted butter
1 cup (240 ml) milk
75 g / 5 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1 pinch salt
1 tbsp cinnamon
200 g / 1 cup brown sugar
85 g / 3/4 stick of butter, kept at room temperature
Egg wash - 1 egg with 2 tbsp milk beaten together
1 handful flour for extra dusting
Version 2 - Raisins and walnuts:
2 tablespoons / 30 g sugar
1 teaspoon / 5 g salt
2 3/4 cups / 650 g bread flour
2 teaspoons / 10 g active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm / 60 ml (not hot) water
1 egg
1/4 cup / 60 g butter
7/8 cup / 200 ml milk
1/4 / 60 g cup walnuts or pecans (optional)
1/4 cup / 60 g raisins (optional)
Filling: 1 tbsp / 15 g cinnamon, 1 tbsp / 15 g melted butter, 2 tsp / 10 g icing/powdered sugar.
Sugar Glaze [1 cup / 235 g sifted powdered (confectioner) sugar, 2 tbsp / 30 g butter, softened not melted, 1/2 tsp / 5 ml vanilla extract]

Method One of Three:
Version 1 - Plain cinnamon
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
1
Add the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, eggs, milk, and butter into the bowl of your mixer. Start the mixer slowly until the ingredients start to combine.
Mix the ingredients on low for 5 minutes until the dough becomes shiny in appearance. If the dough looks too wet, add about 2 tablespoons more of flour to the bowl and mix again.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
2
Turn off the mixer. Scrape the dough from the hook.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
3
Knead the dough. Place your dough inside a bowl you have lightly floured and begin spreading it out with your palms, folding it back in on itself and spreading it out again. Add flour as needed.
Return the dough to the bowl.
Cover it and let it rise for about 1 hour or until it has doubled its size.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
4
Make the filling. While the dough is rising, place the brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter into a small mixing bowl. Mix with a spoon until combined, and set it aside.
5
Preheat the oven to 190°C/ 375ºF.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
6
Roll the dough. Once the dough has risen, remove the cover and punch the air out of the dough.
Sprinkle a flat, clean work surface with flour and place the dough on it. Sprinkle the dough with some flour.
Roll out the dough to a 1/2 cm (1/5 inch) thickness, making sure there is enough flour to prevent it from sticking to the table.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
7
Spread the filling on the dough.
Carefully roll the dough into a log.
Cut the roll into slices of about 3 cm (1.18") in thickness.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
8
Place the sliced rolls on the greased baking tray or sheet, leaving enough space for the rolls to rise. Cover again and allow them to rise for 15-20 minutes.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
9
Add the egg wash. Take the egg wash and using the pastry brush, paint each roll individually.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
10
Put the tray into the oven. Let the rolls bake for 12-15 minutes.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
11
Let the rolls rest for 10 - 15 minutes to cool.
Your cinnamon rolls are now ready to serve! They can be eaten cold but they taste especially good warm. Try them both ways

Method Two of Three:
Version 2 - Raisins and walnuts
This version can be made either in a bread machine or by hand. Instructions are provided for both.

Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
1
Sift the flour three times. Measure 2 3/4 cups of flour from the final sifting.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
2
If using a bread machine, do the following:
Measure all ingredients into bread pan, placing the wet ingredients in first. Make a "well" or indented spot for the yeast on top of all the other ingredients. Place the bread pan into the bread machine.
Select dough setting.
Press start/stop
When the time reaches 0:00, press start/stop and remove the dough.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
3
If making by hand, do the following:
Mix all dry ingredients, except yeast in a large bowl after sifting and measuring the flour.
Combine water, yeast, milk, and egg together in a bowl until well blended.
Add egg mixture to dry ingredients.
Add butter.
Add any extra ingredients (see "Tips").
Stir until mixture is smooth and slightly sticky.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
4
Work with the dough. The remaining steps apply for both methods.
Place dough into a clean bowl and knead it, using oiled or floured hands to move the dough around several times.
Cover the dough and let it sit in a warm or room temperature spot for at least 30 minutes. The dough should double in size before shaping. A clean tea towel makes a good cover.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
5
Mix the filling ingredients together in a bowl while you wait and set aside. Lightly grease baking pans while waiting.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
6
Preheat your oven to 375* F / 190* C.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
7
Place dough on a clean, lightly floured surface. Punch the dough down with clean hands. Place down on surface and pound down or roll out until you get the shape of an even rectangle.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
8
After it forms a rectangular shape, apply the melted butter to one side of the dough. Brush on or apply with another tool. Make sure it's evenly applied and use all of the butter. Apply cinnamon evenly coated and then add the sugar on top.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
9
Roll it up evenly from the longest side and roll down towards you. You should have a long cylinder.
Cut the dough up into pieces. You may get about 6 to 8 pieces, using the ends as well. Place in the lightly greased baking pan(s).
Cover and let rise about 20 minutes, and preheat the oven about 10 minutes prior to adding the rolls.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
10
Bake in the oven at 375ºF / 190ºC for 20 to 25 minutes.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
11
Mix the sugar glaze ingredients together while you wait. For every 1 cup of sugar, add 1 tablespoon and a 1/2; for 2 cups you need 3 tablespoons of milk. If you need more milk to make it soupier, feel free to add more, but only add a little bit in at a time. Blend until smooth.
Spread or drizzle the glaze over the rolls after you take them out of the oven. Enjoy!
Make Cinnamon Rolls Intro

Method Three of Three:
Mini Cinnamon Rolls
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
1
Spread butter over a piece of bread.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
2
Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the butter and bread.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
3
Roll the bread the short way.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
4
Cut three or four pieces of the bread.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
5
Put the pieces on a plate.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
6
Repeat for however many rolls you want to make.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
7
Put the plate in the microwave and heat for 30 seconds. It seems like not enough time, but, honestly, it's a little too much time.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
8
If you have glaze around, you can drizzle that over the rolls.
Make Cinnamon Rolls Step
9
Serve and enjoy!

Tips
To save some rolls put them in the refrigerator. When it's time for lunch heat them up and have a lunch desert kind of

You can make the rolls the night before, then refrigerate them until morning, baking them just in time for breakfast.

Note that for the dough, make sure you have the exact measurements. A tiny bit of flour will make the dough seem drier. If it happens add drops of water until satisfied and then keep kneading.

Toast any nuts in the oven for 15 minutes at 350ºF/180ºC, let cool. Then add them to the mixture.

There are a few healthy variations to use with both recipes. You can use wheat flour instead of regular flour or add 2 tablespoons of flax meal to the mixture. Try your own healthy additions too!

Use skim milk in place of whole or low-fat milk.

Add some dried fruits cut into small pieces for a holiday season variation.

Things You'll Need
Version One
Mixer with hook attachment.
Version Two
Optional bread machine.
Both Versions
Large and small bowls.
Rolling Pin
Knife
Clean work surface for dough
Tea Towel.
Pastry brush, basting brush or similar implement.
Spoon
Baking pan or rectangular cookie sheet.
Oven mitts.
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This was a good idea to make so try it out and tell me how it turned out in the comments!