(UN)GLAZED CINNAMON ROLLS

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Fellow baker Hanaâ instigated me to buy yet another baking book – as if my bookshelves were not already buckling down under the weight of my cooking library. She invited me to join her ABC baking challenge, every month trying out a new recipe, currently from Abby Dodge’s: “The Weekend Baker”.

My husband loves sticky buns and their sugar laden relatives, but, though I like cinnamon, I was never very fond of the overly sweet stuff, he would sometimes buy. Therefore, without Hanaâ’s challenge, I would probably never have thought of baking cinnamon rolls.

What I especially like about “The Weekend Baker” and this recipe, are the several “do ahead” options. I prefer working with slow fermentation, and most doughs show their appreciation for the cold treatment with a significant better taste, so, after a 30-minute rise, I put my my dough to sleep in the fridge overnight.

I always try to incorporate some whole grains in my recipes, a substitution of 10% white flour with whole grains doesn’t require additional liquid, so I replaced 47 g of all-purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour.

The recipe was easy to follow, and the next morning the dough had nicely risen in the fridge. I rolled it out cold – it will come to room temperature quickly – and the filling was no problem, either. Next time I probably would add some toasted, chopped nuts, though.

Cutting a roll of dough in even slices with a bench scraper or knife is not that easy, the layers slipping away over the crumbly filling. Using dental floss, as Hanaâ suggested, works much better.

I skipped glazing the rolls, nice as it looks, it adds even more sugar, without contributing to the taste. And even without this decoration – the cinnamon rolls looked beautiful when they came out of the oven and their wonderful aroma filled the whole house, so that I could hardly wait to try one until they had cooled down a bit.

“… now I know their taste – now I’m a believer…” you don’t have to be a Monkee to love these treats!
I am converted, and my husband could wallow in them, so good are they!

They, also, freeze well, wrapped in plastic foil and then placed in a ziplock bag. To enjoy them you only have to nuke them for a few seconds, and then re-crisp them at 350ºF/175ºC for a few minutes in the oven.

I can only encourage everybody to purchase Abby Dodge’s “The Weekend Baker” – I got it, used, at amazon. But, if you would like to bake the cinnamon rolls, and don’t have the book, Abby posted the recipe in Cookstr http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/glazed-cinnamon-rolls-2

And if you would like to join the ABC challenge – Hanaâ will be happy to welcome you (if you are not a jerk!)

3 thoughts on “(UN)GLAZED CINNAMON ROLLS

  1. The last part of your post made me laugh out loud, ha ha. No jerking around here at ABC, mind you! :o) I'm glad you have a new appreciation for sweet rolls and happy your husband liked them that much. They were a big hit at my house too. I used 25% WW flour, added 1-2 Tbsp of extra water, and they were just fine (not dense or heavy). Thanks again for the tip of “early” refrigeration, even though I didn't let it do the short 30 minutes rise first.

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  2. Thank you!
    Joyce, I traveled all over Malaysia in 1976, it was a wonderful trip.
    Hanaâ, as you saw, it doesn't matter too much whether you refrigerate the dough at once, or let it rise for 1/2 hour first. You can always give it more time to rise when you take it out of the fridge, if it hasn't risen enough overnight.

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