C-C-C-Cinnamon Rolls!

My mom texted me from Alaska saying "We should make cinnamon rolls!"  From which I cleverly deduced that I should make cinnamon rolls.  It was not something I was thrilled about, because typically cinnamon rolls are not my favorite things.  But by chance I stumbled upon this recipe from Whipped, and it looked so good that even I got excited.  And MAN, did it not disappoint.

I trick myself into thinking that cinnamon rolls are not bad for me because they are breakfast, and thus automatically good.  While my logic may not be sound, this recipe certainly is.  Instead of the recommended butter frosting, I instead used a simple caramel-ish recipe.  Here's how that looked, with a pecan:

1 cup milk (heated approximately 1 minute in microwave)
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F.)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature and beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
5 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten (which apparently is good for the dough but doesn't seem to affect the overall outcome because I didn't use it and they were PHENOMENAL.)
3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast



CINNAMON FILLING:
1/2 cup butter, melted or softened
1 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
4 to 5 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3/4 to 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)


For the dough, combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a mixer in order.  Use a bread hook to stir everything until dough forms.  Turn the dough onto a lightly oiled surface and knead until elastic, about 10 minutes.  Return to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for another 10 minutes.

Butter a 9x13x2" pan and set aside.  When the dough has rested, stretch it into a 15x24" sheet.  Use a rubber spatula to spread the softened butter over the dough.  Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and sprinkle it over the butter.  Begin rolling the dough, starting with the long end, and pinch seams to seal.


Mark the roll into 1 1/2 inch sections.  Use a serrated knife to gently saw the sections apart.  Place cut-side up in the prepared pan (don't squish them close together).  I got 16 rolls out of this recipe, and baked them in two batches.

Cover and let rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes (mine didn't seem to rise much, but they came out so nicely anyhow).  Heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake 20-25 minutes.

While they're still warm, smother them with this delicious sugary sauce:


1 1/2 c. butter
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
3 tbsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
Powdered sugar


Melt the butter, add the brown sugar, vanilla and salt.  Remove from heat and add the powdered sugar until it is the consistency you want.

 Enjoy!