I have been craving cinnamon rolls for forever. Recently, I was going through my mom’s recipes (I’m working on a litttttle – read: big – project) and when I finally came across her cinnamon rolls I knew I had to make them that weekend. These are one of my family’s favorite recipes (next to Sundae Pie, of course), and my cousins would always rave about them. One year, at my Aunt and Uncle’s house, my cousins were talking about how good her cinnamon rolls were and my brother and I said to each other, “what cinnamon rolls?!”. While we were adamant about her never making them for us, my mom was quick to point out that she had made them numerous times – but they were a lot of work which is why they weren’t frequent. Suffice it to say, when I finally had a bite of them the next time she made them, I definitely remembered how great they really were.
I know I said that my mom had claimed that they were difficult to make, but I really don’t think they are all that time consuming. A lot of it is proofing, which, to be completely honest isn’t even that long itself. From start to finish, including two separate rises, it was about two hours, with an hour and a half of that not even being active time. Trust me when I say that the two hours is completely worth it and you will not regret it.
While I kept the majority of my mom’s recipe untouched, I did add a bit more butter to the dough (it was originally a mistake, but ended up being even more delicious – and who’s counting calories when we’re eating cinnamon rolls) and had to add pecans which added a crunchy texture that was perfect in these. If you’re like my family and have cinnamon rolls during the holidays, then these are something that you absolutely must make.
Ingredients
- 1 pkg active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 5 Tbsp butter
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 3 3/4 cups flour
- For the filling:
- 2 Tbsp butter, melted
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
- For the icing:
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp melted butter
- 2 Tbsp water
Instructions
- In a small bowl, place the yeast and warm water in. Let sit for about 5 minutes, or until foaming at the surface.
- In a small saucepan, bring the buttermilk just to boiling, then remove from the heat.
- In the bottom of a standmixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, put the 5 Tbsp butter, sugar, and salt in. Pour in the buttermilk and stir to melt butter and cool to lukewarm. Blend in the yeast and egg.
- On low speed, blend the baking soda in, then gradually add the flour until a soft dough cleans the sides of the bowl. Knead on medium speed until smooth, adding up to 1/2 cup flour as needed to prevent sticking. Lightly grease a large bowl (you can use your stand mixer's bowl, just remove the dough before greasing) and place the dough in, turning once to coat the dough. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise for 20-30 minutes, or until doubled in size (this make take longer depending upon your weather).
- Punch the dough down and roll into a large rectangle, about 16x20. For the filling, brush the melted butter onto the dough. In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans, then sprinkle evenly over the dough. Working from the shorter side of the rectangle, roll up into a log. With a sharp knife, cut into even discs. Place in a greased baking dish and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise another 45 minutes to an hour or until they have doubled and are puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and bake the rolls for 12-15 minutes. When the rolls come out of the oven, make the icing by combining the powdered sugar, melted butter, and water (if you want a thinner consistency, add 1 Tbsp of water at a time until reached). Then drizzle the icing over the warm cinnamon rolls. Serve immediately.
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Better have some of those in the freezer when I come up to see you!!!!
Of course!!
I “perpetually” love your recipes and these cinnamon rolls are no different!
Haha thank you SO much, Sara! 🙂