Cinnamon Rolls

My first holiday abroad was to the US. It was a trip that I will always remember for many reasons. I tried out so many different types of cuisines each day. Those days, the restaurant scene in India had not quite exploded the way it has today. Today, even in a small town or in the conservative deep down south, you will find pastas and other international cuisines. There was not so much exposure to different tastes back then. I had it better than most because my job was in a hotel where we had the opportunity to try out various cuisines.
So one of the requests I had of my brother was that everyday we try out something new. He was quite obliging and so if one day we had Italian food then the next it would be Carribean food. The next two meals would be Mexican and Mediterranean. It really was an explosion of flavors on the tastebuds and a fantastic experience.


But one memory that I carry back to this day has to be eating cinnamon rolls at the mall. Cinnabon was always a stop when we were at the mall. The aroma wafting out of there was amazing. Always bought a extra few rolls to eat at home the next day. Since then every holiday has included eating these rolls (and putting on a few kilos just eating.)

Then last year, I made a serendipitous discovery that Cinnabon had an outlet at the Dubai Airport. That promptly meant my poor husband, on EACH and EVERY visit had to lug these large boxes back for us to eat. Dozens of rolls in each of them. Imagine his plight. But he was always so sporting about it.

Finally decided, I just had to make them for myself. This recipe has been in my book from the early days of my browsing the net for recipes. I got this one from allrecipes.com . Just as usual, never got around to it making it. I finally said to myself, the time is now and made sure I made it immediately. Fortunately, I had all the ingredients required at hand.

It came out very well and the kids simply loved it.


Now for the recipe....

Ingredients:


For the rolls:

1 cup warm milk (45 degrees C)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup butter, melted
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons active instant yeast


For the filling:

1 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened

For the Icing:
75 grams cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/8 teaspoon salt

METHOD:
Mix the active instant yeast through the flour. Then add the other ingredients for the rolls. Knead well till it forms a smooth ball. Cover with a plastic sheet and leave aside till it doubles in size.

After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.



Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture.



Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. (Hint: Tightly close the bottom of the rolls to prevent the filling from running out). Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200 degrees C.



Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, icing sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.