.................. Cooking with Barry & Meta: Speedy Cinnamon Rolls – start to finish in about 1 1/2 hours

If you haven’t checked out Chef Alli’s blog, it’s time to do so. You can do it in all the time you save making her Speedy Cinnamon Rolls! I tend to have doubts about yeast recipes that are speedy but the only things this recipe is missing is hours of time. The rolls are soft, tender and tasty.

Chef Alli calls for instant yeast but she uses rapid rise; I used used instant. (Click on DIFFERENCES to find out how rapid rise and instant yeast differ.) I used her speed method and it took me just about an hour from start to finish. She also provides additional tips for making her cinnamon rolls + nutritional analysis with the recipe on her blog. Also included are instructions on how to freeze cinnamon rolls before baking.

September 2024 — I made a few additions to these already delicious rolls including adding heavy cream right before baking (see specifics in step #16). According to King Arthur baking site, "As the rolls bake, the cream in the bottom of the pan heats up. Its liquid migrates up into the rolls, making them moister. And the remaining fat, milk solids, and milk sugars coalesce into a sweet, sticky syrup that coats the rolls’ bottom (which become their top when you turn them out of the pan)." However, since Barry likes additional frosting, I added a layer of Butter Pecan Glaze to part of the rolls (recipe included in step #18.)

Speedy Cinnamon Rolls Makes 16 rolls

Cinnamon Rolls

1 cup milk

1 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoons kosher salt

1 egg

6 1/2 to 6 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, as needed to make a nice, soft dough

5 teaspoons instant yeast

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, very softened

1 to 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 cup dark brown sugar, or substitute 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup dark brown sugar

Creamy Cinnamon Roll Icing

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 to 4 tablespoons milk, as needed

3 cups confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Cinnamon Rolls: Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Combine milk, water, oil, sugar and salt in microwave safe bowl; heat 1 to 2 minutes, or until the temperature is to 120 - 130 degrees F. at the center.
While the liquids are heating, measure 3 cups of flour into the bowl of a stand mixer; add yeast, combining it with the flour.
Pour the heated liquids into the flour/yeast mixture. Using the whisk attachment, beat at medium speed for 30 seconds, then add the egg and beat one more minute.
Switch to the dough hook and add 3 cups of flour, kneading the dough until the flour is fully incorporated. At this point, the dough is likely to still be pretty sticky; add the remaining 1/2 cup of flour, a little at a time, only adding as much as needed, until the dough is soft and pliable, slightly tacky to the touch and no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl. Typically, when the dough has reached the perfect consistency (slightly tacky and still soft and tender), it will come all together on one side of your mixing bowl. As soon as this happens, STOP KNEADING!
Note: At this point, if you have time, place the dough into a large greased mixing bowl and cover with a lightweight towel; let the dough raise until double in size, approx. 40 to 45 minutes. If extra first raise will make your cinnamon rolls extra tender. I
you don't have time for this step, just proceed to the next step.
Remove the dough to a lightly floured work surface, allowing it to rest for 5 minutes. Punch the dough down, then allow it to rest for another 5 minutes.
Using your favorite rolling pin, roll the dough into a large rectangle, approx. 22"wide x 18" tall in size.
If you begin rolling out the dough into the rectangle and the dough keeps pulling back each time, let the dough rest for an additional 5 minutes. Once the dough has fully relaxed, it will roll out easily.
As you roll out the dough, make sure you roll from the center towards the edges so that the center of the dough isn't thicker than the rest. Also, try to be sure to roll out the dough into a RECTANGULAR sheet, not an oval sheet. These two steps really help you wind up with cinnamon rolls that are all uniform in size.
Spread the softened butter over the surface of dough; sprinkle the dough evenly with cinnamon first, and then the brown sugar. Using your palms, lightly press down over the brown sugar to kind of "adhere" it into the dough a bit.
Roll up the dough starting from the long edge closest to you, gently tucking and rolling the dough and the filling as you go.
Using a sharp serrated knife or a piece of dental floss, cut the log of dough evenly in half. Now place both halves horizontally before you on the work surface, one above the other on the counter, but not touching.
Make incisions on top of each log of dough at the same time, marking where you want to slice so that both logs of dough can be cut into equal pieces. Slice each one at the incisions you made on top of the rolls of dough, then place the cinnamon rolls onto a greased, rimmed baking sheet, 13" x 18" in size. You can slice 12 large cinnamon rolls from the dough, 16 medium cinnamon rolls, or 20 small cinnamon rolls.
Let the rolls raise in a warm, draft-free place for 15 to 20 minutes.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for approx. 14 to 15 minutes (20 small rolls) 16 to18 minutes (16 rolls) 19 to 20 minutes (12 large rolls) or until lightly golden brown, taking care not to over bake. HEAVY CREAM ADDITION - Drizzle 1/3 heavy cream over each pan of about 8 rolls right before putting them in the oven. Use a pastry brush to smooth out the cream so that it covers the surface of each roll.
Let the cinnamon rolls cool slightly, 10 to 15 minutes, then frost with the cream cheese icing.
Creamy Cinnamon Roll Icing; Using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Beat in the vanilla and milk, then gradually mix in the confectioners' sugar and salt until the icing is smooth and fluffy. Spread over the cinnamon rolls while they are still slightly warm. FROSTING VARIATION: Butter Pecan Glaze: Cream 1/4 cup softened butter with 1/2 packed brown sugar and 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Blend in 3 tablespoons heavy cream, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 cup chopped pecans. Add additional cream if you want more of a glaze versus frosting. Spread frosting/glaze over rolls. Sprinkle on additional chopped pecans if desired.

Recipe without photos . . . Speedy Cinnamon Rolls Makes 16 rolls