BBA Challenge Round 7: Cinnamon Rolls

The Challenge Bread

This week, we're making Cinnamon Rolls!



[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="374" caption="What's left of the Rolls after ONE day..."][/caption]

A Little History

Cinnamon Rolls are the first Challenge Bread That I remember from my childhood.  I remember helping my mom make these on Saturday (and sometimes Sunday!) mornings.  I know these will never live up to my mom's from my memories, but hopefully they'll be a great tribute to those delicious rolls of memories.

The Ingredients

Here's the list...not too healthy, but darn tasty!

• Sugar


• Salk


• shortening


• Egg, slightly beaten


• Lemon extract


• bread or unbleached flour


• yeast


• Whole Milk


• Cinnamon/Sugar mix ( and lots of it!) (6:1 Sugar to Cinnamon)

Corn/Dairy Free changes

Since the recipe calls for Shortening, the only thing I changed was Soy Milk for Whole Milk.  The topping was a different story.  I was planning on making Caramel Sticky buns, but at the last minute, I decided to just do a sugar/caramel-like glaze.  That was just 2 cups water and 2 cups sugar, boiled until just before caramelization.

The Shaping

I first creamed the sugar, salt, and shortening together.  (This was the first indication that this was more of a cookie/treat than a bread)  I then whipped in the egg and lemon extract until it was a nice smooth consistency.  I added the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT for the Cinnamon/Sugar Mixture.  Once it finally formed a nice ball, I started to knead it until I got a nice tacky, but not sticky, Silky dough.  I then transferred it to a bowl to proof until it doubles in size.

After the proofing, I rolled out the dough in a roughly 14" by 12" rectangle.  I spread the cinnamon/sugar mixture evenly over the top of the dough.  I then rolled the dough up lengthwise like a giant cigar, not quite Cuban tight tough.

I then cut the dough into 10 equal pieces and put them on a parchment lined baking sheet.  I then let the rolls proof for 75 minutes until they almost doubled in size.

The Baking

I preheated the oven to 350.  I then placed the sheet on the middle rack of the oven.  I baked them for about 30 minutes, where they reached a nice golden brown color.  Right after they came out, I drizzled the sugar glaze over them.

Results and My Final Thoughts/Notes

The end result was good.  The flavor of the rolls themselves was sweet, somewhat dense and comlex.  Since I didn't fully caramelize the topping, the glaze cooled clear.  This didn't affect the final flavor, only the presentation.  When I make them again, I will definitely caramelize the sugar.

Comparing the DF/CF rolls to the standard recipe, I really couldn't tell the difference.  Both had the subtle lemon tartness with the creamy, sweetness you expect from cinnamon rolls.

They were good, but weren't as good as my "Memory Rolls."

Up Next…

Next week, we're making Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread!  I don't know if my arteries will make it....

Comments? Suggestions?

So what do you think? Sound good?  Anything I should change/do better?  Do you have a rolls topping suggestion?