I love to bake almost as much
as I love to eat what I bake ... I have been on a quest for years to find a
cinnamon roll recipe that would give me a Cinnabon type result. My quest is
over, behold the Cinnabon Clone!
Now I have
tried many a recipe and most come out like the canned cinnamon rolls you get in
the store ... these are big, soft with just the right amount of cinnamon along
with the cream cheese frosting, TO DIE FOR! Now I do have to say that previous
recipes I did not use bread flour ... this time I bought the wheat gluten (1
Tablespoon Gluten to 1 cup all-purpose flour) so I am not sure if it was the
gluten or the recipe, either way it worked!
This review is
courtesy of my 10 year old daughter because I am on a no sugar/no carb diet to
try and lower my cholesterol and triglycerides without having to go on meds ...
another post, another time. I trust this review as she has grown up with a
foodie and chooses sushi over pizza and artichokes over fries. Her favorite
meal is Teriyaki Tuna, artichokes and rice. She has made comments to me in a
restaurant, "Mom while this food was not very good the presentation was
fabulous" ... such a proud moment in my life :)
So without
further ramblings ... Here is the recipe, make sure and let me know how it
worked for you :)
"Clone of a
Cinnabon" Cinnamon Rolls
adapted from mangiodasola.blogspot.com
Dough:
2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast or 1 package active yeast
1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted (and slightly cooled b/c of the eggs)
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
4 1/2 cups bread flour (1
Tablespoon Gluten to 1 cup all-purpose flour)
Filling: (I actually mixed the filling together, then spread it over the rolled out dough)
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting:
6 ounce cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by
the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start. I had trouble with my
machine not mixing the ingredients, so I slightly stirred them (this was after
I thought I didn't have the mixing lever at the bottom attached and had to put
my hand inside, MESSY so check before you add the ingredients).
When the dough cycle is done and 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 making sure to get it to the edges. (The following tip is from
another website from someone who claimed to have worked at Cinnabon: lightly
roll the cinnamon/sugar/butter mixture into the dough. Then pat it down with your hand until it is well-meshed or integrated into the rolled-out dough.)
Roll up dough starting on the long edge and cut into 12 rolls. (If you want
smaller rolls, cut into 18 rolls) Place rolls in a Pam w/Flour sprayed 9x13
inch baking pan. (Comes out much better if you use a metal pan and not a
glass one) Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes or
overnight these by placing them in the refrigerator at this point. Then take
them out of the fridge 60 minutes before baking time (If you have a cool
house like I do, turn oven on to 200 degrees, once it has reached temp, turn
off, open door wide and place covered rolls inside) Preheat oven to 350
degrees F. and then throw them in the oven.
Bake rolls in a preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 - 20 minutes. While
rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Then add
powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before
serving. ENJOY!!
These freeze really
well and can be re-heated in the microwave for about 1 minute on 6 power,
turning ½ through.
TIPS: I heated the milk & butter together then added the yeast, stirred and then put it in the bread machine.
I then whisked the eggs together and added them to the bread machine.
The flour, sugar and salt were then added on top. It is a lot of flour so make sure you stir the liquid from the bottom up to the top a bit BEFORE turning on the machine.
I also took the filling and creamed it all together, then spread it over the rolled out dough. That way it really gets pushed in there.
After rolling it, I cut the ends off, since they usually are not even unless you are a perfect rectangle roller, and put them together end to end to form one roll.
I made these again and after they were baked, turned them upside down on parchment paper so the ooey gooey stuff on the bottom was now on the top. That way it isn't all left on the bottom of the pan.
Don't let them cool too much before spreading on the frosting. The frosting will spread much better while the rolls are hot and gets in all the crevasses :)