How to Make Perfect Cinnamon Rolls

Making homemade cinnamon rolls is a challenge. Like making other from-scratch, really wonderful but difficult baked goods, such as pie crusts and cheesecakes and fudge, practice makes perfect. You have to get used to the amount of time it takes and the specific job and how the ingredients come together, so that you figure out the technique and can replicate the same results each time. That being said, I've got the absolute BEST recipe shared from one family member to another, and I've figured out a few tips to help ensure that a cinnamon roll is everything a cinnamon roll should be.

First of all, the recipe. I'm not sure where it originated. I just know an aunt brought a batch of cinnamon rolls made with this dough recipe to a family gathering and my mother got it from her. Then, when I asked Mom a year ago for a good cinnamon roll recipe, she immediately passed this one onto me. She gave me a different icing recipe, though, that she thought was better. I agree. I will never use any other icing recipe for cinnamon rolls. It is the best. But I make 1 ½ recipes of it because I don't think one recipe is enough.
Dough:
1 C oatmeal (old-fashioned, preferably)

3 T softened butter

2 C boiling water

2 pkgs yeast, dissolved in 1/3 C warm water (not hot)

1 T white sugar

2/3 C brown sugar

1 ½ t salt

5 C all-purpose flour

6 T melted butter

1 C sugar mixed with 2 t cinnamon

In large bowl, pour boiling water over oats and butter. Stir until butter is melted and let cool to lukewarm (takes about 10 minutes in a stainless steel mixing bowl placed in the freezer). Meanwhile, dissolve yeast in water with white sugar. Add yeast mixture, brown sugar and salt to oatmeal mixture. Knead in flour one cup at a time, just until flour is blended. Cover and allow to rise in warm place (such as the stove top above a warm oven) for 1 hour. Punch down and roll out on a well-floured surface into a 1"-thick rectangle shape. Spread with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Roll up and cut into rolls 1" wide. Place in a lightly greased, 9x13 glass baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees 20-25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes and top thickly with icing.

Icing:

1-2 T milk

1 ½ C powdered sugar

2 T butter, softened

1 ½ t vanilla
Mix all ingredients. Icing should be thick and rich.

This recipe is truly out-of-this-world. The dough tastes delicious and thanks to the oatmeal and 2 packages of yeast, they are guaranteed to be the softest things you ever ate. They melt in your mouth. The icing, as I said before, has the best flavor and richness to it.

Now for the tips to make them turn out well. The dough is already a tested, no-fail recipe. The only thing I've done to mess it up is mix the white sugar into the dough with the brown sugar instead of feeding it to the yeast when it's dissolving in the water. It causes the yeast to expand and makes the dough really soft. You need to put the yeast, water, and sugar in a bowl that holds at least 2 C of liquid, because it turns into a foam of bubbles that grows and grows and you want the bowl to be able to contain it so it won't spill over the edges and all over your counter. Also, remember to grease the baking dish so the cinnamon rolls will lift out easily. They tend to bake together because they expand in the oven. Just cut them apart before removing them from the dish to serve.

When rolling out the dough, cover a large area of your work surface with flour. The dough sticks to the table if it's not well coated with flour. I roll the mound of dough around in the flour a few times so that all sides are covered with flour when I apply the rolling pin. This ensures that the dough will not stick to the surface or the rolling pin.

I've found that the more melted butter you brush on the rolled-out dough, the softer and gooier the cinnamon rolls are. So don't skimp on the butter-brushing. The less butter you use, the dryer and tougher the rolls will be. Also, make sure you brush the butter really well around the edges. This is always the driest, chewiest, least tasty part of the cinnamon roll. But not if you use enough butter and get it all the way to the edges. Be sure also to sprinkle as much cinnamon and sugar on the edges as you do in the middle. Do this and every part of the roll will taste as great as the center, the best part.

I always make my cinnamon rolls the night before. To do this, make them as directed and place them in the greased baking dish. Then cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, take them out of the fridge, uncover them, turn on the oven, and place them on the stovetop above the oven. Let stand for 20 minutes. They will warm up and rise a little. Bake as directed.

Serve with a simple fruit salad, bacon, and a tangy juice like cranberry, and coffee. Re-heat left-over rolls in the microwave on high for 30 seconds. Great with an afternoon cup of rich, bold coffee.

The most fundamental tip, though, is practice. These cinnamon rolls are really worth the time and effort. They make a great family tradition. Your kids and hubby will brag for years about mom's great cinnamon rolls. It takes time and repetition to get down the technique for handling the dough and the rolling out and the cutting. So keep trying and don't give up and it will come more easily each time and they will be perfect.