I am a big Pioneer Woman Fan. Her cinnamon rolls are my favorite! I have made them for Christmas. I have made them camping. I have made them with my eyes closed and my hands tied behind my back. They are a fabulous dessert!
The only problem with PW's recipe is that it make 7 or 8 pans of cinnamon rolls. That is the last thing the Stephenson's need laying around the house! We we eat them. All of them.
So, I got to work recreating her recipe, to better fit our needs.
Here is the ingredients list:
for the rolls
2 cups milk
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup white sugar
1 pkg yeast
4 1/2 cups all purpose or ultra grain whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick softened butter
1 cup white sugar
generous amount of cinnamon
for the icing
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp maple flavoring
1/4 cup milk
1/8 cup melted butter
1/8 cup coffee
pinch of salt
First, scald 2 cups of milk, 1/2 cup canola oil and 1/2 cup of sugar. Then cool for 45 minutes - 1 hour.
When the liquid is still luke warm, add 1 package of yeast and let it sit until it foams up and comes back to life.
Add 4 cups of flour. I chose the ultra grain whole wheat this time. Stir the mixture until it forms a ball of sticky dough. Cover with a towel and allow it to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
After the sticky dough rises, add 1/2 cup more flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt. Stir this together well.
Flour a nice large counter top or table and prepare yourself to get your hands gooey...just a little.
On the floured surface, press the dough out into a rectangle shape. It doesn't have to be perfect, but you probably don't want any holes in it.
Spread 1 stick of softened butter over the entire rectangle of dough. Then evenly sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter. Finish that off with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. There is quite a bit of dough to season here, so don't skimp or you'll be sorry.
Roll the dough length-wise, pinching the sugar and butter into the roll as you go.
Using a length of dental floss, cut the dough into 1 inch rolls.
Place each roll into a greased baking dish. You can either use one cake pan or two pie plates.
Cover the rolls and allow to rise again, but only for 30 minutes this time.
Bake at 400* for 15 - 18 minutes.
While your rolls are baking, go ahead and mix up the frosting. You are going to smother the rolls with the frosting as soon as they come out of the oven. Pouring the frosting over hot rolls does 2 wonderful things. 1. It allows the butter and sugar to melt and seep into all of the nooks and crannies. 2. It allows you to eat the glorious cinnamon roll sooner, and while it's still warm.
In a bowl, mix 4 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp maple flavoring, 1/4 cup milk, 1/8 cup melted butter, 1/8 cup brewed coffee, and a pinch of salt.
As soon as all of the lumps have been stirred out, pour over the cinnamon rolls.
