Easy Peasy Cinnamon Rolls (简易肉桂面包卷）

INTRODUCTION

I am unsure if there is any one who do not like cinnamon rolls? I loved cinnamon rolls for its buttery rich taste, flavoured by the aromatic cinnamon powder and comes with some sweet glazing.

I am craving for this sweet bread and I thought of prepared it myself. I searched for the recipe, most recipe will requires a few hours of proofing and some even encouraged overnight proofing in the fridge. I lacked patience, and I usually search for recipe that are fast and easy.

In the search results, I stumbled across this 1-Hour Cinnamon Rolls recipe. Hmmm, the name definitely suits my character. Looking at the beautiful pictures, I am convinced that these rolls are definitely doable and I am willing to give it a chance.

Frankly speaking, I did not follow exactly the recipe, I have modified the steps and some ingredients to suit my needs. I did not time the preparation too. However, I know it is fast. I started at around 8:30am and it is only 3 hours from preparation to proofing to baking to picture taking..

I am totally not surprise as the theory behind is exactly the same as the 40 minutes bread rolls.. Using higher yeast to speed up the proofing process.

I am very pleased with the outcome, it is buttery and aromatic.. It is a very soft bread and such softness is totally out of my expectation. The gooiness of the  glaze make the cinnamon rolls look “sexy” in its own way. For those who love cinnamon rolls, you are encouraged to give it a try. It is strongly recommended.

I sincerely hope that readers get a set of standard measuring cups, it is not expensive, less than SGD10, but it will save you a lot of time for conversion. I am rather reluctant to convert (and I still did) as it is so smooth to prepare the entire bake with a set of standard measuring cup instead of using a measuring scale.

As usual, per Wikipedia:

“A cinnamon roll (also Coffee scroll, cinnamon bun, cinnamon swirl and cinnamon snail) is a sweet roll served commonly in Northern Europe and North America. Its main ingredients are flour, cinnamon, sugar, and butter, which provide a robust and sweet flavour. In some places it is eaten as a breakfast food and is often served with cream cheese or icing. It consists of a rolled sheet of yeast-leavened dough onto which a cinnamon and sugar mixture (and raisins or other ingredients in some cases) are sprinkled over a thin coat of butter. The dough is then rolled, cut into individual portions, and baked. In North America, cinnamon rolls are frequently topped with icing (usually confectioners’ sugar based) or a glaze. In Northern Europe, nib sugar is usually used with a glaze instead of icing.” (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamon_roll)

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WHAT IS REQUIRED

Recipe adapted from: 1-Hour Cinnamon Rolls recipe

Servings: Prepared About 8 cinnamon rolls

Dough Ingredients

• 1 cup (240 grams) of milk
• 3.5 cups (437.5 grams) of plain flour or all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (56.7 grams) of butter
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) of granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 10 grams of instant dry yeast
• 1 egg

Fillings

• 1/3 cup (66.7 grams) of castor sugar
• 1/3 cup (66.7 grams) of brown sugar
• 2 tablespoon of cinnamon powder
• 50 grams of butter, softened

Glazing

• 1/2 cup (60 grams) of icing sugar
• 20 grams of butter, melted
• 1-2 tablespoons of milk

Others

• 2 tablespoons of cream or milk or “egg washing”

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STEPS OF PREPARATION

• Lightly greased a 9” round baking tin.

• Put the milk and butter in a microwaveable bowl, microwave for about 45 seconds to one minute. Make sure that the butter started to melt and the milk become lukewarm. Set aside to let it cool a bit and proceed to the next step.

• In a mixing bowl of a standard mixer, put all the ingredients in the bowl. Make a well in the centre and add LUKEWARM milk (make sure that the milk is lukewarm, too hot the milk will kill the yeast). Use a tablespoon to roughly stir it until it look like a paste. Use a dough hook and knead the dough using medium speed until it is smooth (about 5-10 minutes). Of course you can also knead it manually and possibly using bread machine. Timing is for your reference and you can proceed to the next step and let it knead a bit longer until your next step is ready. It will only help you to strengthen the gluten structure and will not ruin your bread.

• While the dough is kneading, mix the brown and white sugar, cinnamon powder and butter until it resembles a paste. Set aside for later use.

• When the dough is ready, transfer out from the mixing bowl, knead in the lightly floured surface for 1-2 minutes. Shape in into a ball, let in rest in the table (covered with some clingy wrap) for 10-15 minutes. After 10-15 minutes, you will witness the dough start to grow bigger meaning the yeast is functioning. If you have time, you can let if proof longer if you want to.

• After the resting, use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 15 inches long x 12 inches wide rectangular shape. Brush some milk or cream at the edge of one size. Spread the cinnamon sugar on top of the dough as evenly as possible. Roll up the dough and end with the side brushed with cream. Shape it as evenly as possible.

• Use a sharp knife to cut it into 8 equal pieces. Place the dough on the lightly greased round baking tin. Let it proof until it double in size. Depending on the day’s temperature, in Singapore, this can be rather fast and may took about 30 minutes only.

• Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 180 degree Celsius.  Once the size doubles, brushed the top of the cinnamon roll with the cream and bake in the pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes. If it browns too fast, covered the top with some aluminium foil.

• While the baking is in process, add the melted butter and milk to the icing sugar, use a tablespoon to stir until it resembles a paste. If it is too thick, add more milk.

• To test the readiness of the bake, insert a toothpick or skewer in the centre of the bread and ensure that it comes out clean. You can also use you hand to knock the bread and ensure that it sounds hollow. When the cinnamon roll is out of the oven, drizzle the icing on top of the cinnamon rolls sparingly and as evenly as possible.

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CONCLUSION

A rather simple, straight forward recipe. It is fast and taste will not be compromised. Do give it a try and see if it suits your taste buds.

Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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