Cinnamon Rolls - Harshitha Ravva - Hour 4

C I N N A M O N   R O L L S

 

 

I N G R E D I E N T S :

DOUGH:

• 1/4 ounce package yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 scalded milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 4 cups all-purpose flour

FILLING:

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

GLAZE

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanillas extract
• 3 tablespoons hot water

D I R E C T I O N S :

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

• When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread melted butter all over dough. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over buttered dough. Sprinkle with walnuts, pecans, or raisins if desired. Beginning at the 15-inch side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices.

• Coat the bottom of baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

• Meanwhile, mix butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until the glaze reaches desired consistency. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.

P R E P A R A T I O N   M E T H O D :

I did my best to follow the recipe exactly as written. The only problem I encountered was that 4 cups of flour was no where near enough to form the dough. It was so sticky that I had to add almost 1.5 cups more to be able to knead it. One possible explanation is that the person who wrote the recipe counted 4 packed cups of flour, whereas I measured 4 sifted cups. 

The method I used for this recipe is the straight dough method we used to make bread in class. I first combined all the ingredients but the flour and the yeast mixture. Then I slowly added the flour and yeast into the wet ingredients and let it mix thoroughly. Next, I let it double in size before kneading it. Kneading helped to redistribute the yeast and gas in the dough. The only difference between the method used in this recipe and the method we read about in the textbook is that the textbook recommends letting it double in size again after kneading. 

For the glaze, I used the creaming method, though the directions did not specifically say to do so. I combined the butter, sugar, and vanilla first. Then I slowly added water until it reached the desired consistency.

C R I T I Q U E :

Overall, my cinnamon rolls were delicious. They weren't Cinnabon level, but they were definitely good, especially when compared to my previous baking disasters. One thing that I noticed is that the dough tasted a little bland, which can be explained by the fact that I added a lot more flour than the recipe called for. By doing this, I assume that I threw off the proportion of the ingredients, causing the flavor to be slightly off. This didn't cause a huge problem in the overall flavor because the filling and glaze masked the blandness. As far as appearance goes, they looked fluffy, gooey, and tender. The cinnamon rolls also smelled just as good as they tasted. As they were baking, my entire kitchen smelled like sweet cinnamon sugar. 

A S S E S S M E N T :

I would definitely make this recipe again. In fact, i'll probably make them again over Thanksgiving break. It wasn't too difficult to make such a tasty dessert. One thing I learned from this experience is that recipes may not always be written properly. Even though I followed the directions exactly as they appeared, my dough didn't turn out right. This shows how sometimes you might need to work with a recipe a few times before perfecting it.