Saturday, February 28, 2009

Bread Maker Cinnamon Rolls


We don't eat cinnamon rolls often, maybe once a month, but they are so yummy and everyone loves them. These are really inexpensive, and freeze well, so you can make ahead of time and just thaw and cook whenever you want them. We eat these for every special occasion!

You need a 2 lb. bread maker for this recipe. If you have a smaller one, half the recipe.

  • 1 c. milk, heated approx. 1 min. in microwave.
  • 1/4 c. warm water, 110 degrees F.
  • 1 t. pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 c. butter, room temperature
  • 2 eggs, room temperature and beaten
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 5 cups bread flour
  • 3 t. active dry yeast
  • Cinnamon Filling (see below)
  • Butter Frosting (See below)


Preparation:
  1. Add all the ingredients except the cinnamon filling and butter frosting to the pan of the bread machine. Process according to manufacture's instructions for a dough setting. When bread machine has completed the dough cycle, remove dough from pan and turn out onto lightly oiled surgace. Form dough into an oval. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.
  2. Butter a 9x13x2 baking pan; set aside.
  3. After dough has rested, roll and stretch the dough into approx. a 15x24 inch rectangle.
  4. Brush the softened butter from cinnamon filling (see below) over the top of the dough with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the cinnamon filling over the butter on the prepared dough.
  5. Starting with long edge, roll up dough; pinch seams to seal. NOTE: Rollin the log too tightly will result in centers who pop up during baking.
  6. Cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Place cut side up in prepared pan. Cinnamon rolls should not touch each other as they need room to rise.


Options:
  • Freezer: Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 month. Before baking allow rolls to thaw completely and rise in a warm place. Just take the rolls out of the freezer and set on the counter overnight or 10 to 12 hours.
  • Refrigerator: Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight. Bake upon removing from the refrigerator. It is not necessary to allow them to come to room temperature before baking.
  • Bake Immediately: Cover and let rise in a warm place for approximately 45 to 60 minutes or until doubled in size.


Baking:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Bake approximately 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden brown.
  3. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Spread butter frosting over rolls while still warm.


Yields 15 cinnamon rolls

Cinnamon Filling

  • 1/2 c. butter softened
  • 1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
  • 4 to 5 T. of cinnamon
  • 3/4 to 1 c. chopped nuts (optional)


In a bowl combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir in chopped nuts.

Butter Frosting

  • 2 oz. cream cheese
  • 1/4 c. butter, room temperature
  • 1 c. powdered sugar
  • 1/2 t. vanilla extract
  • 1/8 t. lemon extract


In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and lemon extract until well mixed and creamy. Refrigerate frosting until ready to use. Bring to room temperature before spreading.

My Inspiration

We recently had a healthy family living seminar at my daughter's school.
I was absolutely astounded at how many parents there admitted that they had no idea how to cook at all, let alone cook healthy meals for their families.

It was really shocking!

No wonder so many frazzled moms and dads turn to fast food and Hamburger Helper to keep the family fed and so many kids miss out on good home cooking.

I know moms and dads (and marrieds without kids too!) have stressful lives today with schooling and working and cleaning and shuffling kids around and trying to squeeze in any social life and some time to ourselves.

I also know that I need help out of my cooking rut! So I started this blog so we can all share our tried and true favorite family recipes and ask for help finding a recipe that we know will be good that fits with certain ingredients or health and dietary concerns or just picky eaters!

My main mealtime issue is that I have three very picky kids and one quite picky husband. I save my "adventurous" recipes (like stir fry...sigh) for nights I know he won't be home by dinnertime or I make them for lunches! I'm just so tired of fixing a meal for my husband and I (one from "The Rotation" of approved meals) and then nuking chicken nuggets and veggies for the kids.

And I also want to get input on recipes I find online...I mean, I could search all day and find 1000s of recipes, but are they tasty? Will MY husband eat them? Will my kids?

Who better to help us than us! We know what works for our families so let's share the knowledge and make dinnertime less of a struggle and more fun! Because seriously, I can't do one more night of spaghetti!

Rules and Regulations

1. When you post a recipe, the title of your post should be the name of the dish and the tags on your post should be the main ingredient of your dish...for example: chicken, beef, pork, vegetarian, pasta...etc.

2. You may post asking FOR a recipe using certain ingredients or for a certain event or just to acquire new recipes. If you do so, use the title "YOUR NAME needs a hand in the kitchen" and use the tag "help"

3. Have fun! Share your favorite family recipes with friends and enjoy the favorite dishes of others!

4. I've added a feature that will allow you to rate a recipe posted either "Liked it" or "Did not like it" and "Plan to try it!". The feature will appear on each posted item. Please rate the recipes that you try from this blog.

5. Also, the recipe you post MUST BE a from scratch (or semi-from scratch), moderately healthy and definitely appetizing! We're looking for fun, family friendly, healthy recipes. They can take all day (like crock pot recipes) or be super fast (like homemade spicy turkey burgers) as long as they're YOUR family's favorite, it'll work!