That said, every morning last school year when I was teaching, I would pass by the Fletcher Village Bakery. It had recently replaced a bakery I knew and loved, and I was hesitant to give it a try. But one morning when I was passing, I had not had breakfast, and my stomach told me to turn. Now. So I did. It was the beginning of a love affair that made my husband jealous. Jealous, because he could not partake in such freshly-baked goodness the way I could. My favorite indulgence was their scones. More specifically, their cheddar-green onion scones. Let it be known that I generally dislike green onions. But this buttery, flaky, brown-cheese-edged wedge of heaven made me forget that little fact. And occasionally I'd surprise my husband with a chocolate croissant or a cake. Their chocolate cake with peanut butter buttercream especially proved to be a big hit.
One day, on one of the last workdays of the year, I took my daughter with me. I decided to treat her to breakfast there. She stood, wide-eyed, as she tried to make her decision. She excitedly pointed to a cinnamon roll that was almost the size of her face and said, "I want THAT!" We paid for our order and headed to the school. I messily cut up half her roll and she dove in while I tried not to make obscene noises over my scone. When she was done, I got up to put away the second half, and she informed me that she wanted to eat that half, as well. And she did. Thus began HER love affair with baked goods. Cinnamon rolls, more specifically. I then confided to her that I once worked at the bakery of a steakhouse and actually had made cinnamon rolls. From that moment on she constantly asked if I would make them for her. This week, as a special breakfast for her first day of Kindergarten, I decided to surprise her with them. Needless to say, it woke her from her foggy sleepy stupor when daddy showed them to her. I stayed up SUPER late to make them, because I started late, and it was a 4-hour process. But boy, was it worth it!
(The corner piece missing was my tester. You can't just make
these and wait until the next morning to test how they truly are.
You have to try them warm!)
I got this recipe from Cuisine at Home magazine. What I love most about them is that they don't taste at all yeasty. The icing is vanilla glaze (it actually calls for vanilla bean paste, but I'm on a budget here & used vanilla extract), but I'm sure you could change it up for anything else. They also have a variation to make them as sticky buns, with a caramel glaze and nuts. I'll be making those for her birthday weekend, when my mom comes up. She's a sucker for caramel.
One other note: if you know of ways to make this gluten-/vegan-friendly or just lighter in general, add it to the comments! I'm always looking for variations on baked goods when I take them places!
Cinnamon Rolls with vanilla bean frosting
(serving suggestion is 12, but I made about 22)
Dough:
1 1/4 c whole milk
1/2 c vegetable shortening
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1 pkg active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1 c old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 c cold water
4 c AP flour
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp table salt
Filling:
1 1/2 sticks softened unsalted butter (12 tbsp)
1 c packed brown sugar
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp table salt
Frosting:
4 tbsp softened unsalted butter
8 oz powdered sugar (2 c)
2 tbsp whole milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste (same amt of vanilla extract works)
1/4 tsp table salt
Heat 1-1/4 c milk, shortening, and 1/4 cup brown sugar in a small saucepan over med-low until shortening is melted; transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer. Let mixture cool to 100-110 degrees (this takes forever! I ended up putting the bowl in a sink of cold water - just make sure the shortening doesn't begin to congeal). Whisk in yeast & proof until foamy, about 5 minutes. If it doesn't proof, check the date on the yeast.
Soak oats in hot water until all water is absorbed
Add 2 c flour & eggs to the yeast mixture & mix on low using paddle attachment until combined. Switch to dough hook & add remaining 2 c flour, oats, and 1-1/2 tsp salt. Mix on low until incorporated, then increase speed to med & mix until dough pulls away from the bowl, about 7 minutes.
Transfer dough to a bowl coated with nonstick spray, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours (mine took 90 min). Lift edges of dough away from bowl & press air bubbles out with your hands.
Combine filling ingredients.
Coat a 9x13 pan with butter (I used cooking spray). Transfer dough to floured surface and gently press to remove any air bubbles. Divide dough in half and roll one piece into a 10x16-inch rectangle.
Spread half the filling over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Starting at the short end, roll dough, jelly roll-style, into a log. Repeat rolling & rolling with second dough half. Freeze logs 10 minutes to firm. (Note: I started rolling the log on the LONG end to get smaller rolls.)
Slice each log into six (or 12) rolls and arrange in prepared pan. Cover with a towel & let rise until puffy, about an hour. Remove towel.
Heat oven to 375. Bake rolls until brown, 30-35 minutes.
Meanwhile, for the frosting, beat all ingredients with a mixer until combined.
Cool rolls in pan for 10 minutes, then top with frosting.
I hope you enjoy these as much as my family & friends have!!
Laura
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