Cinnamon Rolls

Thursday we were able to move into our apartment and get that set up so that when we come home from our honeymoon we will be able to settle right in and start our life together! We have a cute little one bedroom apartment right in the heart of old town scottsdale, and we could not be happier! With five days away from the wedding, a weekend of fun and relaxation was exactly the medicine that I was needing. Thankfully my mom, sisters, and fiance have been extremely helpful in this whole wedding planning process, so this last week will be essentially chaos and stress free.

We also had our bachelorette and bachelor parties this weekend! Knowing this, I thought what a perfect time to make something for us all to have! The groomsmen decided to come over to our apartment and have us all watch the soccer championship; so I could not just prepare any old breakfast for them. The best part about the story of these cinnamon rolls, is that I made them two weeks ahead of time and froze them in order to save time that morning. (if you choose to do this just make sure you take them out enough time before you bake them to let them defrost and rise) Mom decided to make some for her house as well since the week of the wedding we will have people staying at our house. We one and a halfed the recipe, and as we were making them we were a little scared at how much dough it was making but thought nothing of it. Well, 100+ cinnamon rolls ended up coming out, and we did not know what to do with all of them! So lone behold that one batch of these will be plenty to last you for a long time, or feed a lot of people.

Cinnamon Rolls

yields 20-30 depending on thickness of cut

for cinnamon rolls:

2 cups warm whole milk 

1 1/3 packs (or tablespoons) yeast

2 eggs and 1 egg yolk

1/2 tablespoon salt

1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup melted butter

zest of half a lemon

10-12 cups all purpose flour

for cinnamon roll filling:

1/2 cup butter, completely at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

enough cinnamon to coat dough

In a large bowl, whisk the warm milk and yeast together until frothy. Let stand for five minutes. Add the eggs, salt, sugar, and cinnamon and whisk until incorporated. Add the melted butter, lemon zest, and about 2-3 cups of flour. You want to barely mix it so that the flour incorporates just enough with the yet mixture to make a wet and sticky mixture. It will not look like dough yet. Let stand for 15 minutes uncovered. 

Add another 3-4 cups of flour until it is hard to mix with a wooden spoon. Dough will still be very sticky at this point. Add the rest of the flour and incorporate with your hands (this is where your baker's judgement will come in handy. If your dough needs more flour because it is too sticky, then add more. You do not need to stick to the recipe verbatim. Use your judgement until the dough is no longer sticky.) Need the dough, on a floured surface, for about five minutes. Set in a large, oiled bowl, and cover. Let rise for 1 hour. 

Once dough has risen, give it one solid punch to release the elasticity. Place on a floured surface and roll out until dough is about 1/4 inch thick or thinner. Roll out the dough so that it is longer in width and shorter in height. It should not be any more then a foot in the height of the dough. 

Spread softened butter over whole surface of dough. Add sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Use enough cinnamon to coat the dough. Roll the dough from top to bottom. So your roll will be very long and skinny. Cut the dough in 1 inch slices. If you want your rolls thicker, cut thicker slices and vice versa for thinner rolls. Place on a lined cookie sheet and cover. Let rise until doubled in size. Bake at 375º F for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

for the cream cheese frosting:

1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

4 cups confectioners sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

a splash of milk

In a food processor, mix the cream cheese and butter. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and mix. Pulse until smooth. 

Once the cinnamon rolls come out of the oven, top with frosting and serve immediately.