good morning cinnamon rolls

Since he's probably eaten a bazillion cookies before hitting your house, leave one of these delicious treats for Santa. Your unexpected offering may secure your place on next year's nice list.

Yield: 16 cinnamon rolls
200 calories per roll
Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 200 minutes

ingredients

the dough

2 teaspoons yeast

1 cup lukewarm water

3 cups all-purpose flour

6 tablespoons vegetable oil (this equal to 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons)

1/4 cup sugar

1¼ teaspoons salt

1/4 cup nonfat dry milk

1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes

the filling

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons milk, to brush on dough

the glaze

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons milk

preparation

1. In a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup, combine the yeast, lukewarm water, and a pinch of sugar. Stir and set aside for 10 minutes.

2. Combine the remaining dough ingredients in your stand mixer bowl, pour in the yeast mixture, and “stir” until a shaggy dough forms.

3. Increase the stand mixer speed to 2 and knead until a smooth and shiny dough forms, about 5 minutes.

4. Shape the dough into a call, place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside double in bulk, about 2 hours.

5. Turn the dough out onto your lightly floured counter top and roll it into a large rectangle, about 16 by 12 inches.

6. Combine “the filling” ingredients in a small bowl.

7. Brush the dough with milk and evenly sprinkle over “the filling”.

8. Roll the dough into a log the long way, stretching to elongate the log and even it out.

9. Cut the roll into pieces, place them in a parchment lined or baking sprayed pan, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to rise until they’re noticeable puffy, about 2 hours. (You’ll want to make sure to leave plenty of space between the rolls, as they’ll spread out and crowd each other. I use large baking pans or two 9 inch pie pans to give the rolls ample room to rise.)

10. With about 30 minutes left in the final proof, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

11. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

12. While the rolls are baking, make the icing by combing all the glaze ingredients into a small bowl and stirring with a spoon until smooth.

13. Remove the rolls from the oven, turn  them out onto a wire rack, and pour over the icing.

Other modifications:

• Add nuts, chocolate chips, anything really, to the filling
• Planning to serve the rolls early in the morning and don’t want to rise at 4 am and run your stand mixer?

o   Instead of setting the rolls aside in step 9, place them in the fridge. Take them out about 3 hours before you want to bake them, allowing them to rise as outlined in step 9 before popping them in the oven

o   Freeze ‘em

Original recipe found here.