Cinnamon Rolls

Set up your stand mixer with a metal bowl and dough hook. Add the yeast to the bowl and gently combine with one teaspoon of sugar, then add the warm water. Don’t make the water too hot, or the yeast will die. Let it bloom for 5 minutes. If it doesn’t bloom, toss it and start over.

While you are waiting for the yeast, boil the water. In a medium bowl, stir the 1/2 cup sugar, egg, and oil. Add the cold water and stir. Slowly drizzle the boiling water into the mixture, stirring as you go so you don’t scramble the egg. Add this to the yeast mixture and stir until combined. With the stand mixture on low speed, slowly at 4 cups of flour, one cup at a time, until incorporated.

Let the stand mixer knead the dough for about 5 minutes, adding another 1/2 cup of flour or more so that the dough comes together in the bowl and isn’t too sticky. Put the dough in a large, clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise, either on the countertop or in the refrigerator, about 3 hours until it has doubled in size.

Combine the remaining sugar and the cinnamon and set aside. Melt a stick of butter and use 2 tablespoons to grease the bottom and sides of your baking dish or foil pan with a pastry brush.

After the dough is done rising, punch it down a bit, take it out of the bowl and place it on a lightly floured countertop. Use a rolling pin to roll it to a rectangle of about 20 by 10 inches. I like to go a bit larger, around 22 by 12 inches, so that I can cut off the ends that aren’t as pretty before I cut the log into even rounds. If you roll it much bigger than 22 x 12 inches, you will have thinner dough/more layers, which tends to make a drier cinnamon roll. I prefer the fewer, softer layers.

Pour 4 tablespoons of melted butter onto the rectangle of dough and spread evenly, all the way to the edges. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on top, again going all the way to the edges. It’s a mess – go with it. With the long edge facing you, roll the dough into a tight log, working side to side like a typewriter. With the seam down, gently squeeze the log seal it. Slice off the uneven ends so you start with a nice, even cylinder. Use a measuring tape to mark off 12, 2 inch rounds (give or take a 1/2 inch each) then slice at the marks with a sharp knife.

Place the rounds, cut-side down, onto the baking dish. Brush the tops of the rolls with the remaining melted butter. Cover the top with plastic wrap and allow the rolls to rise 1 1/2-2 hours. If you want to save them for another day, add a layer of foil over the plastic wrap and put the pan of un-risen rolls into the freezer; the night before you want to serve them, let them thaw and rise on the countertop overnight, then proceed to bake as directed.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the rolls about 35-40 minutes until the tops are golden brown.

While the rolls are baking, make the icing. Sift the confectioner’s sugar into a small bowl so there are no lumps, then add the milk and stir until combined and smooth. When the rolls are finished baking, let them cool for five minutes and then pour the icing on the warm rolls. Serve while warm.

If you want to serve the baked cinnamon rolls at a later time, let them cool and simply cover with foil and warm in the oven later. Or, when cool, wrap in plastic wrap and then foil and freeze. The night before you want to serve them, let them thaw on the countertop overnight, remove the plastic wrap, cover lightly with new foil and warm in the oven.