Take Two: Sweet Success!

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I’m from the School of Perfectionism. Just ask Dan and he’ll tell you that when I don’t park straight, or the car is sticking out — it aggravates me and he’ll have to pull me away because I want to fix it. Let me fix it…just let me fix it! He finds it hilarious and tells me to let it go. Argh.

When the cinnamon rolls didn’t live up to my expectations, there’s no question I’d make them again until I get the results that other people achieved. I needed to know what I did wrong (as you can tell from my comments here, I did some research on the possible reasons for the non-rising dough) and make it right. The next evening, I worked on a new dough (Sorry, Bean) and paid attention to the details.

“Try and try until you succeed” was the corniest motto from gradeschool that I remember. I made fun of it a lot of times, but look who’s laughing now –

I’m just glad this second try was a lot better. It was a nice encouragement as a new baker.

Go ahead, take a bite…take a piece of heaven with that cream cheese glaze:

Mmm…enjoy the sweet taste of success: the batch of cinnamon rolls that gave me a good night’s sleep.

So what did I do differently this time?

1. I used less flour. No overzealous flouring this time. In fact, it was sticking to my hands, but I persisted.

2. I warmed up the milk really good (130ºF) AND dissolved the yeast in it. Dan’s mom reminded me to do this before I made them. I guess I didn’t warm it up enough the first time!

3. I mixed the dough manually — by hand. The recipe called for a stand mixer but we don’t have that. I used a hand mixer for the first mixing, then it’s all spatula and hand from there.

4. I made sure the “warm draft-free area” was really warm. The day I made the first batch, it was cold in the apartment. I placed the bowl with the dough in the oven, and realized after 2 hours that it was too cold in there. :( The second time I warmed up the oven, turned it off and let it cool off for about 10 minutes, then put the dough in to rise. I did the same thing for the 2nd rising to get these plump dough rolls [unfortunately, with melted butter, too]:

5. The dough after the first rise was light and airy, and smells yeasty as it should be. My hands and nose suddenly recalled the pizza doughs I made years ago (3 of them — my first ever rising dough)…it was like instant recognition. Eureka!

6. I didn’t over-flatten or over-roll the dough. I kept a light pressure to spread it into 1/4-inch thickness.

** What I would do different next time: Start checking the rolls after 15 minutes. Twenty minutes turned it too brown.

It doesn’t hurt to give a recipe a second try. It’s good to learn from one’s mistakes and make the necessary adjustments for next time. You just might be surprised with something so good and satisfying:

If you want to make these, I’ve included the recipe below. If you have useful tips for making cinnamon rolls, I’d love to hear them!

Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze
[Slightly tweaked version of the original recipe]

Dough:
1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 1/2 cups (or more) unbleached all purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 1/4 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast [approx. one pack of 1/4-oz yeast]
1 teaspoon salt
Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Filling:
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

Glaze:
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

For filling:

Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl.

For dough:
1. Combine milk and butter in glass measuring cup. Microwave on high until butter melts and mixture is just warmed to 120°F to 130°F, about 2 zaps of 30 to 45 seconds. Dissolve yeast in this mixture.

2. Pour into bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add 1 cup flour, sugar, egg, and salt. Beat on low speed 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl.

3. Add 2 1/2 cups flour. Beat on low until flour is absorbed and dough is sticky, scraping down sides of bowl. If dough is very sticky, add more flour by tablespoonfuls until dough begins to form ball and pulls away from sides of bowl. Don’t over-flour.

4. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 8 minutes. Form into ball.

5. Lightly oil large bowl with nonstick spray. Transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

6. Punch down dough. Transfer to floured work surface. Roll out to 15×11-inch rectangle. Spread butter over dough, leaving 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over butter. Starting at 1 long side, roll dough into log, pinching gently to keep it rolled up. With seam side down, cut dough crosswise with thin sharp knife into 18 equal slices (each about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide).

7. Spray two 9-inch square glass baking dishes with nonstick spray. Divide rolls between baking dishes, arranging cut side up (there will be almost no space between rolls). Cover baking dishes with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, 40 to 45 minutes.

8. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake rolls until tops are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and invert immediately onto rack. Cool 10 minutes. Turn rolls right side up.

For glaze:
Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until smooth. Spread glaze on rolls. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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