Cinnamon Rolls and Variations

Adjust

Directions for all dough: In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water with a sprinkling of sugar. While yeast is foaming, In kitchen aid mixing bowl, add butter, sugar, egg, salt and 2 cups flour. Whisk buttermilk into foamy yeast mixture. Pour into kitchen aid mixing bowl. Whisk everything together. Attach dough hook attachment. Add the remaining 1 1/2 c. flour. Let dough mix on dough hook until it leaves the sides of the bowl. Stop mixing. The bowl should look clean. Remove dough hook. Leave dough in bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or towel and let rise for 1 1/2 hours.

*Note: if making cranberry orange rolls, add zest of 2 oranges to the dough recipe.

*Note: if making pumpkin cinnamon rolls, add 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree, 1 tsp. ginger, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg and 2 tsp. cinnamon to the dough. You will also need to add significantly more flour.

Cinnamon rolls: Turn dough onto floured surface. Don't knead. Roll dough into 18x12 inch rectangle, checking frequently to make sure it's not sticking. Spread with softened butter. Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over dough. Gently press into the dough. Roll up starting with long end. Cut into 12 pieces. Transfer cut rolls to greased 13x9 inch pan, evenly spaced out. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise another 1 1/2 hours. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes until just starting to brown. Don't over bake. Take out of the oven and let cinnamon rolls sit in pan for about 5 minutes, then spread cream cheese frosting over the top.

Cream cheese frosting: Beat all ingredients together with electric mixer until aerated and fluffy. Resist the urge to add milk.

To make caramel pecan sticky buns: After cutting cinnamon rolls, make caramel sauce: melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, cream, honey and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until caramel is golden brown and glossy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Pour into the bottom and swirl slightly up the sides of a 13x9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle pecans over top. Let cool for 15 minutes. Place cut rolls on top of caramel sauce. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise 1 1/2 hours. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes until no longer doughy in the center. Take out of the oven and let sit in pan for ten minutes. After sitting for ten minutes, flip sticky buns over on a large plate so caramel sauce drizzles over the top and sides.

To make chocolate buns: Make dough recipe and let rise as normal. Turn dough onto floured surface. Don't knead. Roll dough into 18x12 inch rectangle, checking frequently to make sure it's not sticking. Spread with softened butter. Sprinkle cane sugar evenly over dough. Scatter chocolate chips over dough. Roll up starting with long end. Cut into 12 pieces. Transfer rolls to 13x9 inch pan, evenly spaced out. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in warm place for 1 1/2 hours. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Don't overbake. Let cinnamon rolls sit in pan for about 5 minutes, then spread cream cheese frosting over the top.

To make cranberry orange buns: Make dough recipe, except add zest of two oranges to dough and let rise as normal. Turn dough onto floured surface. Don't knead. Roll dough into 18x12 inch rectangle, checking frequently to make sure it's not sticking. Spread with softened butter. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over dough. In a food processor, pulse cranberries until finely chopped but not quite pureed. Scatter evenly over the dough. Roll up starting with long end. Cut into 12 pieces. Transfer rolls to 13x9 inch pan, evenly spaced out. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in warm place for 1 1/2 hours. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Don't over bake. As soon as rolls come out of the oven, squeeze orange half over the tops, then spread with cream cheese frosting.

To make pumpkin cinnamon rolls: Make dough recipe with modifications (as listed above). The dough will not be as firm as normal. It's going to be pretty sticky, but stop adding flour. It'll be okay. Let rise as normal. When you turn out the dough to roll it, you're going to have to add more flour to the work space as normal and flip it over frequently because it will stick very quickly. but DON'T KNEAD. Spread with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon roll filling. Roll up starting with long end. Cut into 12 pieces. Transfer 8 rolls to a greased 13x9 inch pan, and the remaining 4 to a small baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in warm place for 1 1/2 hours. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Don't over bake. As soon as rolls come out of the oven, brush with pumpkin glaze, then spread with cream cheese frosting.

Pumpkin glaze: Whisk all ingredients together in a saucepan. When mixture bubbles, taste to adjust sugar and seasonings. When it's to your liking, take off the burner and strain through a sieve. What strains is what you'll use to brush over the rolls.

To freeze cinnamon rolls/chocolate buns/cranberry orange buns/pumpkin rolls for baking later: After cutting into 12 pieces, transfer to baking sheet, and place baking sheet in the freezer for one hour. Then, put rolls into gallon sized ziploc bag. If you need to make several dozen, you can stack them on top of each other at this point, and they won't squish. Unbaked cinnamon rolls will keep in the freezer for a month. The night before you want to make them, take rolls out of the freezer and place them in a greased 13x9 inch pan; cover with plastic wrap and let rise overnight in a warm place (about 8 hours). Bake in the morning at 350 for 12-15 minutes.

To freeze sticky buns for baking later: follow the same steps for freezing cinnamon rolls except the night before you plan to bake them, make caramel sauce, then place frozen cinnamon rolls on top of sticky bun caramel in 13x9 inch pan. Let rise overnight in a warm place; bake in the morning at 350 for 30-40 minutes.