Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Look at my first attempt at making homemade cinnamon rolls.  I think they're gorgeous.  My daughter-in-law Jennifer has been making these for sometime now so I thought I'd give them a try.  Now that I've gotten over the fear of yeast, my bread baking days are taking off.

I was a little leary of making these because the recipe called for combining and kneading the dough in a bread machine.  Well, a couple of months ago, I broke the one I had.  I was trying to be so smart in taking it apart to clean it properly, then I couldn't put it back together again.  Oh well. Don't know till you try. 

But, I used my Kitchen Aid Mixer with the dough hook and they came out great. 

Spreading the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture and rolling it up.

Cut and allowed to rise a second time.

Out of the oven and ready to frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cinnabon...eat your heart out!

The part that gave me some bit of a problem was rolling the dough out into a rectangle.  It took a while, but I got it done.  Next I made some coffee and scarfed down one.  I thought I'd be able to eat two, but they come out so big that I only managed to eat one.

While I was waiting for the rolls to come out of the oven, I went out back to sky watch, a habit I enjoy.  An eagle flew over head.  I ran back in to get my camera and when I returned, I found it gone.  BUT, the MetLife Blimp was going by so I took a picture of that.  Happy weekend everyone. 
My Cinnamon Rolls


1 cup warm milk (110 degrees)
2 eggs, room temp
1/3 cup butter, melted
4 ½ cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup white sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

Filling:
1 cup brown sugar
2 ½ tablespoons cinnamon
1/3 cup softened butter

Frosting:
1 (3 ounce) cream cheese, softened
¼ cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt


Dough:

Warm milk in saucepan until it reaches 110. Remove from heat ad sprinkle in yeast and ¼ teaspoon sugar, do not stir. Set aside for 5 minutes until foamy. Whisk in eggs, melted butter and vanilla. Whisk the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture. Mix on low with dough hook until thick and slightly sticky. Knead on medium until dough gathers around the hook, about 6 minutes. Add a couple of tablespoons of flour if necessary. Remove the dough and shape into a ball. Place in a buttered bowl. Turn dough to butter underside. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until double, 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Roll out dough into a 16 x 21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. . Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.