Passed down from mother to daughter, this sweet breakfast recipe is meant for sharing
When hosting company on the weekends, my flex is making my mom’s cinnamon rolls, blending mind-bending deliciousness with decades of nostalgia in a single breakfast treat. The recipe stretches back to before I was born, and I learned the steps from my perch on Mom’s kitchen counter. It is so ingrained in me that I can make them at a moment’s notice, though advance planning is required. Taking it one step at a time simplifies the process.
It begins with a brioche-style dough that rests on the counter to rise before an overnight (or three) chill in the fridge. Once made, the dough can be halved to make nine or 10 cinnamon rolls and a hefty dozen butter horn rolls. The dough can also be doubled for a crowd or to have plenty to share. I love having a multi-tasking recipe up my sleeve.
I fetch my favorite rolling pin and roll the baby-soft dough on a floured tea towel into a large rectangle, cover it with a buttery cinnamon-sugar mixture studded with ground pecans, then roll it into a long pinwheel and slice it into individual portions. I place them into a parchment-lined sheet cake pan and leave them to rise for about an hour, maybe two, depending on the season. For gifting, these can be nestled into festive disposable baking pans, leaving about an inch between them to allow for rising.
The added bonus is that prior to rising, the rolls can sleep—covered in the fridge—while you do, and rise when you wake before your houseguests’ feet have hit the floor. While they bake, the perfumed air will signal to everyone else in the house that it’s time to get up. Brew the coffee while the rolls cool slightly, then drizzle with as little or as much glaze as you like. Portion them out onto awaiting plates and get ready for rave reviews.
In addition to the art of making these, I believe there is an art to eating them. I uncoil one in my hand, savoring a bite-sized piece at a time, until I get to the center, which is enrobed in buttery cinnamon goodness, with finger-licking encouraged. Please pass the linen napkins.
I delivered a pan of these warm cinnamon rolls to a friend as a hostess gift, and she shared the extras with coworkers who declared them the best cinnamon rolls they have ever tasted. I can attest that every visitor to my mom’s kitchen was treated to the cinnamon roll experience. And they still talk about it. I continue her tradition. The call to action is to give these a try and share with glee.
Mom’s Cinnamon Rolls
Make the dough. Let it rise. Refrigerate. Roll out. Rise again. Bake. Glaze. And take your bow. It only sounds complicated; it’s really like clockwork. Happy cooking!
For the dough:
¼ cup warm
water
2 tsp. instant yeast
¾ cup butter at cool room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
1½ tsp. fine salt
3 eggs, whisked in a small bowl
¾ cup milk at room temperature (15 seconds in the microwave will take the chill off cold milk)
4 cups unbleached flour, plus extra for rolling
For the filling:
½ cup butter
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ cup ground pecans (finely chop in food processor or by hand)
For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
Make the dough:
Measure out ¼ cu
p warm water into a small bowl and sprinkle yeast on top. Whisk with a fork to let yeast “bloom.”
Cream butter, sugar and salt together in a large mixing bowl, preferably using a
stand mixer and paddle attachment. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then pour in whisked eggs, milk, water-yeast mixture and flour (the order is important for best mixing).
Mix together on low speed until well blended. Scrape bowl down to the bottom to ensure everything is well incorporated. Mix again for a four count.
Scrape dough off beater, and again scrape bowl down to the bottom so the sides are clean. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and allow it to rise until doubled, about one and a half hours.
Fold risen dough with a large spoon or scraper and transfer to a one-gallon
zip-top bag.* Press air out of the bag, seal and refrigerate, at least 6 hours and up
to 3 days. (Each day the dough is in the refrigerator, open and reseal the bag to let some air out. The bag may start to get a little puffy from the yeast activity.)
*I cuff the top of the bag over a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup to hold the bag in place while I scrape the dough into the bag.
Make the filling:
Melt butter in a large skillet over low heat.
Remove from heat and add brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and pecans, and stir to combine. Set aside to cool while you roll the dough.
Lay a large clean tea towel out on your work surface. Sprinkle with flour and use a rolling pin to distribute flour across the towel in a 10-in. by 20-in. rectangle.
Turn chilled dough out of the bag onto the center of your floured towel. Dust the top of the dough liberally with flour and roll out from the center to create a 9-in. by 20-in. rectangle (about ¼-in. thick).
Spread cooled filling out evenly over dough, leaving a ½-in. border on the far long side.
Wet your fingertips with a little water and lightly dab a bit of water along ½-in. border. Starting with the long edge next to you, roll up the dough away from you into a long log-shaped pinwheel, gently pressing the wet edge to the log to seal.
Slice log into 1-in. pinwheels.
Place on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, leaving about 1 in. between each roll.
Cover with a clean towel and let rise
until doubled, about one and a half hours. Alternatively, cover the pan with plastic wrap to seal and let rest overnight in the fridge, then remove from the fridge and let rise as above. (Remove the plastic wrap and cover with a clean towel.)
In the last 20 minutes of rising time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Uncover and slide the pan of rolls into the oven to bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. (Edges may brown more quickly than the center. Be sure the rolls in the center of the pan are at least golden.)
Let cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes before glazing.
Make the glaze:
Pour powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Add milk and vanilla extract
and whisk together until smooth. Consistency can be adjusted with a little extra powdered sugar or a little extra milk to suit your preference.
Drizzle glaze over warm cinnamon rolls and let it set for a moment.
Serve rolls warm with seasonal fruit, coffee and a smile.
Makes about 20 rolls.
