Cinnamon Rolls

Breakfast is one of my favorite meals of the day. I just love breakfast food. There is nothing like bacon and eggs hot off the frying pan with a great cup of coffee. Breakfast sausage is unlike any other kind of meat in the world. There is just something about it that makes it totally unique, horribly unhealthy, and extremely delicious. Don't even get me started with hash browns. All the different shapes and sizes are just so awesome. Country potatoes, shoe string potatoes, tater tots, and all the rest are so good in the morning. Let's not forget about the carbs we love to eat for breakfast; The fluffy pancakes with the melted butter running all over them and the warm syrup, warm muffins fresh out of the oven,  hot and crispy waffles with fruit and cream. Boy do I love me some breakfast food. 

So since I love breakfast so much, I decided to have some dear friends of mine over for breakfast. I wanted to make something special for them that they would enjoy, and I also wanted to make something that I have never made before: cinnamon rolls. We always buy the sweet ones from the grocery store and then feel bad after we eat them because we have no clue how much sugar and butter we consumed, but what the heck, they are always so good. I decided to try making them myself, meaning that I know exactly how much sugar, butter and fat are in them. To the pleasure of my taste buds and the delight of my friends, they turned out pretty darn good. 

However, if you are making a new bread recipe for the first time as I was, I suggest having a practice run before you serve it to guests. Bread can be very tricky to make and I know that I have messed it up plenty of times.  A trial run is always a good idea to make sure you have it down right. 

On that note, I have put together a few little hints about making bread. These tips have helped me and hopefully they are helpful to you too. 

• Yeast: make sure it's not expired. Expired yeast is like using no yeast at all. It has lost its ability to help your bread rise
• Warm water: Warm water is not scalding hot water. Most people recommend about 120 degree water for combining with yeast for bread (120 degrees is a little cooler than a hot cup of coffee). It should be warmer than luke warm, but not so hot that you can't dip your finger in it. 
• Kneading the Bread: Do not over-knead the bread. Once it is done and smooth and no longer lumpy, STOP. If you over-knead the dough, the bread will turn out dense. Make sure you knead it completely, but once it is finished, there is no need to keep going. 

Alright, it's time for some Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:

1/4 oz package of yeast

1/2 cup of warm water

1/2 cup of milk

1/4 cup of sugar

1/3 cup of melted butter

1 tsp of salt

1 egg

3 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

Filling:

1 cup of raisins (more or less based on what you prefer)

3 Tbsp of cinnamon

3/4 cup of brown sugar

1/2 stick of butter cut into small cubes

Frosting:

1/3 cup of water

1 1/3 cup of powdered sugar

For the Dough

1. Combine the yeast with the warm water in a small bowl. Mix together and set aside. 
2. In a stand mixer, mix together the milk, sugar, butter, salt and egg. Mix together until all ingredients are incorporated. 
3. Add in 2 cups of flour and mix with the dough hook.
4. Add in the yeast mixture and mix together until all of the liquid has been absorbed into the dough.  
5. Slowly add in the rest of the flour until. Mix until the dough ball forms around the dough hook and the dough has pulled away from the side of the mixer. 
6. Remove from the mixer and place on a floured cutting board and knead together. Knead until smooth. Get out all the lumps and make sure that all of the flour is worked into the dough ball. 
7. Place in a greased bowl and cover with a towel. Store in a warm and dark place for about and hour and 15 min.  The dough should double in size. 

For the Filling:

1. Mix the powdered sugar into the water until dissolved and smooth. 

Once the dough is done rising:

1. Put the dough out on a floured cutting board and punch it down. 
2. Take a rolling pin and flatten the dough until it is a large rectangle. It should measure about 15 x 9 inches. 
3. Take the cubes butter and spread it evenly all over the surface of the dough. 
4. Sprinkle the cinnamon and brown sugar and raisins evenly all over the surface of the dough. 
5. Roll the dough together starting from the 15 inch side. Pinch the dough together once you get to the end so it does not unroll easily. Cut into about 12-14 pieces. 
6. Place in a greased 9 x 13 glass baking dish. They should be spread out in the baking dish as much as possible because they are going to rise more and need room to grow. 
7. Cover with a towel and let rise for another 45 min. 
8. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25 min or until golden brown on top. 
9. Once they are done baking remove from oven and pour frosting over the top. 
10. Let cool and enjoy!