Jo Mama's Soft and Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls

By Addie

I volunteered to make cinnamon rolls for a children's breakfast at our church. A bit nervous about the prospects, I tried out three more cinnamon roll recipes to be sure I ended up with perfect rolls. This recipe is adapted from a recipe in "A Real American Breakfast" by Cheryl and Bill Jamison. I tried a hint I got from a fellow cinnamon roll baker and it worked out great. She suggested NOT preheating the oven. Putting the dough in a hot oven stops the growth of the yeast quickly. She puts her rolls in a cold oven and as the oven heats up, the rolls have a chance to rise a bit more as they begin cook. I was apprehensive at first, but it worked out beautifully in my oven.

Ingredients

• For Rolls:
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup water, lukewarm
• 1 cup unsalted butter ( 2 sticks)
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 6-7 cups bread flour (I prefer bread flour) OR
• 6-7 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• ......................................................
• Filling:
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar ( light or dark)
• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted ( part will be used to prepare pans)
• .......................................................
• Glaze:
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2-3 tablespoons water

Preparation

Step 1

Start by sprinkling yeast over the 1/2 cup lukewarm water.

In heavy-duty mixer with dough hook on medium speed, cream together the 1 cup butter and 2/3 cup sugar until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is light and fluffy.

Beat in the yeast mixture, milk, salt, 1/12 teaspoons vanilla, eggs, and 5 1/2 cups of the flour. Beat for a couple of minutes, adding additional flour 1/4 cup at a time.

When dough is thick enough to start pulling together in a ball, reduce speed appropriate for kneading. Add no more flour than necessary for it not to be sticky. Knead for about 15 minutes. (I think this extended kneading help makes dough light and soft).

Transfer to an oiled bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot, until dough doubles (1 to 1 1/2 hours).

While dough is rising, prepare filling: Stir together 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 3 tablespoons cinnamon in small bowl.

Line two 15 x 10-inch cookie sheets with parchment and brush with melted butter.

Roll dough until it is 12 x 18-inch rectangle. Brush with remaining butter (but leave about 1/2 inch at long side[on other side from you] with no butter so it will stick when rolled up). Sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon filling mixture. Roll up dough from longer side[close to you], snug but not too tight. Cut dough with sharp knife (or dental floss--if you know that trick--crossing it around roll and pulling quickly) in slices approxamitely 1" thick.

Arrange in pan and cover loosely with foil (coated with non-stick spray so it won't stick). (DON'T BE TEMPTED TO CROWD THEM IN THE PAN -- they will end up doughy--not cooked all the way through. They rise and spread.).

(I also brush a bit of butter between sides of rolls so that when they rise they won't stick completely to each other--helps separate them when you serve them).

To prepare glaze, mix ingredients with 2 tablespoons warm water. If it is too thick, add additionly warm water until it is thin enough to drop easily from a spoon.
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WANT TO EAT THEM IN ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF?.

Let dough rise until doubled again, about 45 minutes to an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, until puffy and golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes or so and then drizzle glaze over warm rolls and serve.
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FOR OVERNIGHT RISING, after rolls are shaped and arranged on pan, cover and place in the refrigerator to rise overnight (8 to 10 hours). Take them out to sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before baking. There is plenty of cinnamon sugar--I don't use all of it. Use according to your own tastes.

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REVIEWS:

This was just was I was looking for - cinnamon rolls that weren't heavy or dough or stiff - these were fluffy, flavorful, and delicious. I halved the recipe for just the right amount of dough to fit in my 2lb. bread machine. I reduced the amount of butter in the dough by one-fourth, and I also did not brush the pan or between rolls with butter because I was trying to cut down on the fat content; I also reduced the amount brushed on before the cinnamon sugar, and melted what I did use so that it would spread out easily and cover all the dough - I don't feel the taste suffered at all, they were still fantastic! I put them in a 9x13 pan, because I did the overnight rising and didn't have room in my fridge for a jelly roll pan... I had to bake them a little longer, but they were not too doughy. Not preheating the oven really did help them rise even more! My kids and my husband loved these, too - thank you so much for sharing!

Fantastic! The tip of not pre-heating the oven was excellent. They turned out as billed - soft and fluffy. I used the same day rise method. I ran out of white flour and had to substitute a cup or so of whole wheat and they still turned out wonderful. I have made cinnamon rolls in the past but always had them turn out too hard or bready. These were great! I think I will do them as caramel next time.

Awesome! I always use my mom's recipie but had it packed so went searching for the perfect replacement. This is better (don't tell my mom). I made this for Thanskgiving and I am making it again for Christmas. I used the BREAD MACHINE....worked great)

Really good. I mixed and kneaded by hand since I don't have a mixer with dough hooks. I let mine rise about an hour and a half. Then I made the rolls and let them rise again about 45 minutes. I put them in the oven cold and let it heat up. I also added a little cream cheese to the glaze. I halved the glaze like some people said, but it wasn't enough. I recommend using all the glaze like the recipe calls for. I also recommend spraying a little cooking spray on them before and after they come out of the oven. Very good.

This is a really good basic recipe for cinnamon rolls! I was expecting them to be a little lighter and fluffier but I think perhaps there may have been a freshness issue with the yeast I was using. The taste of these rolls are definitely work the work involved. I highly recommend giving them a try. Just be sure your ingredients are fresh, and be patient with the rise time, depending on conditions (temp and humidtity), it can take longer than for the dough to rise than the recipe indicates. If you can plan ahead, the overnight method may be your best bet.

These were great. Family really loved them alot. Actually cooked up a double batch then flash froze them. Taste good right of the freezer and into the toaster oven.

Oh My Goodness!!, well these have to be with out a doubt the best cinnamon roll's I have ever tasted!!! and so easy I am a great baker but for some reason dough doesn't seem like me but this recipe was so easy and they turned out perfectly! thank you so much for sharing this recipe ! it is a keeper!!

This recipe is awesome! The rolls are moist and yummy like you expect a great cinnamon roll to be. This IS the recipe you need for a great bun!

I do not hand out compliments on baked goods easily as I am a harsh critic, but these deserve all five stars. The dough was soft and easy to handle, and the finished rolls were, in a word, outstanding! I love how these were not too sweet, even with the glaze, and the other flavors were all there. Thanks for sharing a recipe that really delivers!

Oh man these were so good ! I've found my cinnamon roll recipie for life! My husband has been eating them up like he'll never see them again. I didn't let them rise a second time in the pan then bake them, I just put them in the oven then turned it on and they rose as it warmed up. The second pan i put in the already warm oven and they also turned out just fine. The biggest one I got was 6" x 2.5" . There was enough sugar filling mix left for a second batch. If i could give it 7 stars I would. Love the fluff and texture of the dough. My kids love them too.

By CassieMN on April 05, 2008 This is a wonderful recipe! I was looking for a fluffy and light cinnamon roll, and I am so happy I gave this recipe a try. I baked the rolls in 3 cake pans because I was worried about crowding them. After they rose, the cake pans were completely filled. They were huge! I did make carmel rolls out of one of the pans, and they turned out great too. I am sure I will be making these again. Thanks!

This is the best recipe I have tried. I also used cream cheese for my frosting,only because that is what my kids r used 2. My family eats cinn.rolls at least 2 times a week, so we know a good recipe when we find 1. I think this will take the place of our usually favorite.

These rolls are incredibly good - I had to give half of them away to the neighbors to keep us from eating them all in one sitting. My mixer started to smell a little hot after 5 minutes of kneading so I did a few minutes by hand and called it good -- they still came out light and fluffy.

What a yummy roll. Time consuming but worth it. I did the overnite method so I would have it Christmas breakfast. Great way to start the day. I did make a couple of changes. 1/2 cup sugar and l cup brown sugar. Makes them less of a white sugar taste. Also the glaze I used was much better. Instead of 2-3 Tbs water, I used 4 oz softened cream cheese and 3 Tbs melted butter. What a nice addition. In the end, everybody said they were better than Cinabon!