Cinnabon Rolls at Home!

After trying this recipe once it became an immediate family favorite and I have since baked these several times! They are simple and absolutely FABULOUSLY delicious. My dear husband raves about them and will eat the leftovers days in a row! The only drawback is if you don't have a bread machine... (in which case I would strongly encourage you to get one.... what a valuable investment!)

Dough

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup water
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1 Tblsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 cups bread flour
1/2 of a (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding
2 1/2 tsp yeast

1. Place ingredients in bread machine in the order listed above.
2. Select the "dough cycle" setting and start machine
3. Once cycle is complete, remove dough and on a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to approximately a 17x10 inch rectangle.

Filling:

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 Tblsp all-purpose flour
2 tsp cinnamon

1. Combine the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon, mixing well.
2. spread softened butter over rolled out dough
3. sprinkle sugar mixture evenly over top
4. roll, as for jelly roll, pinching edges closed when completely rolled
5. slice rolled dough into 1-inch slices. Place into three (greased) 9 inch pans (**I usually do two pans with about seven rolls)
6. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 30 mins)
7. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, until lightly golden brown. DO NOT OVER BAKE!

Frosting:

2 oz cream cheese, softened
2 Tblsp butter, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp milk

1. Combine all ingredients until smooth
2. spread onto warm rolls

If I am making this recipe for breakfast guests, I usually try to do most of the preparation the night before; combining all dry dough ingredients in one bowl, and preparing the filling ingredients in another bowl. That way in the morning I can pretty much just dump it in the bread machine and push start. (and go back to bed :o)

I also learned from my grandmother that an easy way to cut the rolls, is to use a piece of string or floss. Just wrap the string around the 'log', crossing over the top and pull the ends. It makes a beautiful clean cut without squishing the cinnamon roll log with a knife.

This recipe makes lots of rolls, so if I am making it for just Aaron and I, I've learned to shape the rolls, and then freeze one pan. That way, at a later time, I can thaw them out, raise them and bake them fresh!

I'd love to hear if you've tried this recipe and how it turns out!