Mmmm, mmmm, good!

It's no secret that I love cinnamon rolls! I admit it, I'm a lover of the delicious treat!

I think we've made three batches in about two weeks, maybe even four?  So, I think I should at least share the recipe with you, so that I'm not the only one taking in a million carbs a day! In this together right?

First though...huge disclaimer!  I am not a baker, it is definitely not my forte!  I have a few recipes that I make and they are my "go to" recipes.  I don't know much about baking to be very honest, just the basics, so for all I know, I could be doing things totally wrong re: methods.   Also, there are a million ways to make cinnamon rolls, it can kind of be confusing, cut them this way, cut them that way, use this ingredient, use that one....wow!  For a non baker it can be very overwhelming!  So I love that I've finally found a recipe that works for me!

Okay, on with the show!  I use a basic swedish tea ring recipe that was forwarded to me by my lovely mother in law.  I've tweaked it a bit and that's the recipe that I'm sharing with you today!  Also, I use a bread machine to make the dough.  Throw all of the ingredients and voila, so simple!

So, here's what you'll need:

Dough:

• 1 1/4 cup of milk (I use skim because that's what we drink and I warm it for about 25-30 seconds in the microwave)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp margarine
• 3 1/4 cup flour
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp bread machine yeast

Filling:

• 1/3 cup margarine (make sure it's somewhat soft)
• 1 cup packed brown sugar (I use demerara...why? to be honest, I started buying it ions ago when we first moved out on our own thinking it was your typical brown sugar. I had no clue it wasn't until about a year ago! ha! just love how it tastes, so I keep on using it).
• 2 1/2 tbsp of cinnamon (you can use more if you like)

Okay, now how to make it!

Put all of the ingredients in bread machine in order listed above.  Start dough cycle and walk away until finished (this is a great time to read some blogs get some house work done, play with the kiddos).

Once the bread machine has done it's job, take the dough out and transfer it to a lightly greased bowl (I use my kitchen aid mixer bowl).  Turn the dough over to grease all sides.  Cover and let it sit until it has almost doubled in size (40-50 mins).

Next you want to roll it out.  I like to do this right on my counter.  So I give it a good scrub, throw down some flour and put the dough on top of the flour.  You want to make a rectangle, about 16 x 21 inches, doesn't have to be perfectly straight, but you do want the dough to be relatively thin.

After you have rolled the dough out, spread it with the margarine (from the filling ingredient list) leaving an approximate 1" of dough without margarine along one of the 21" sides.  I sometimes use more than a 1/3 cup, just play it by ear.  Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl.  Spread this mixture over the margarine, covering it well (my kiddos love helping me out with this step, as you can see in the photo).  You can now take your rolling pin and gently roll it over the sugar mixture to pack it down a little.

Now you want to roll the dough up starting on the opposite 21" side of the edge without margarine.  Just take your time.  Roll a bit, then tighten.....keep doing this until it is all rolled up.  I don't make it super tight, but you do want it to be tight enough so that the filling doesn't fall out once you have cut your rolls.

Take a knife, cut off the ends of the roll, mark 12 rolls and then cut them out.

After, you want to place them in a 9 x 13 pan. I like to spread a little margarine on the bottom and then sprinkle it with some brown sugar.  Place all 12 rolls evenly in the pan, like this.

Okay, now this is where I used to do things wrong.  The recipes usually call for you to cover the pan and let them sit for another 30 mins or until the sides of the rolls are touching.  I never believed that that could actually happen (the sides touching) because it never happened in 30 mins.  Then one time, I just left the rolls sitting there until the sides did touch.  It took at least an hour if not longer.  So, I recommend just leaving them until the sides touch or are relatively close to touching, because in my opinion, that is the key to having fluffy rolls.  

I also use one of those home made heat sacks (the ones with seeds in fabric). I heat it up and place the pan on top of it for warmth (I usually have to microwave it twice because it cools down before the hour is up).  I know you can place the pan in the sun too, but there are many grey days here during the winter months, so I can't rely on mother nature!

See.....sides are touching!

I now sprinkle the top with a mixture of melted margarine and brown sugar and then plop the tray into the oven.  Bake at 400F for 15-18 mins or until tops are golden brown. (I put a layer of aluminum foil in the bottom of the oven just incase the sugar overflows, nothing like burning sugar in the oven, oy!).

Take them out of the oven, let them sit for a bit and voila!

Now, if you happen to cook them a little too long because you are busy tweeting like I was, no worries!  Simply turn them upside down when you serve them and no one will know, like this!

Mmmmm, enjoy!

Cheers,