Cookbook chronicles love of cinnamon rolls

CINNAMON ROLLS, SIMPLIFIED

These tips from “I Love Cinnamon Rolls” author Judith Fertig save time and headaches.

• Skip the proofing step by using instant (or bread machine) yeast instead of active dry yeast.

• Stock up on boxes of hot roll mix, which contains flour, dry milk, salt and instant yeast, then follow Fertig’s recipe for Easy Cinnamon Roll Dough to have rolls ready in about two hours.

• Invest in a Danish dough whisk. The stickiest dough won’t get stuck in this $10 tool, which has two stiff metal loops.

• Use a serrated knife to cut cylinders of dough into rolls without smashing their round shape.

• Mix dough the night before, let it rise, then store it in the fridge until morning. “The cold makes yeast go into hibernation,” Fertig explains.

• Bake and cool a batch of Classic Cinnamon Rolls, then stash them in the freezer. Next time you want cinnamon rolls, warm them in the oven and apply your favorite icing.

TRADITIONAL CINNAMON ROLL DOUGH

From “I Love Cinnamon Rolls”

Makes 6 jumbo, 12 large, 16-20 medium, or 48 minirolls

This easy dough, which bakes up all soft and feathery, can be kneaded with a mixer or by hand. “You know you’re done when you can stick your knuckle in it and it bounces back, like a pillow,” author Judith Fertig says.

1 cup whole milk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

31/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and dusting

21/2 teaspoons instant or bread machine yeast

In a 4-cup measuring cup, combine the milk, butter, sugar and salt. Microwave on high for 1 minute or until warm (Careful: Exceed 130 degrees and you’ll kill the yeast). Whisk in the eggs.

Place the flour and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the liquid ingredients. Mix on low speed, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time, until the dough forms a soft mass and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, 5 to 6 minutes.

Remove the paddle attachment and switch to the dough hook. With the mixer on low, knead the dough with the dough hook. Sprinkle the dough with a tablespoon of flour, if necessary, to keep it from sticking to the sides of the bowl. When the dough is smooth, not sticky, and springs back when you press it with your finger, you’ve kneaded it enough (4 to 6 minutes). Place the dough in a large, oiled mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place (about 85 degrees) for 45 to 60 minutes, or until it has almost doubled.

Proceed with a cinnamon roll recipe.

Per serving (based on 12): 209 calories (25 percent from fat), 6 grams total fat (3 grams saturated), 49 milligrams cholesterol, 33 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams protein, 200 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.

THE WICHITA EAGLE — Jan. 9, 2013

CLASSIC CINNAMON ROLLS

From “I Love Cinnamon Rolls”

Makes 12 large rolls

1 recipe Traditional Cinnamon Roll Dough (see above)

Flour for dusting

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided and softened

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

21/2 tablespoons cinnamon

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Pinch of salt

1 tablespoon whole milk

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons strong brewed coffee

1/2 tablespoon maple syrup

For the pan sauce, spread 4 tablespoons of the butter into the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch pan.

Transfer the dough to a floured surface and roll out to a 16-by-20-inch rectangle.

For the filling, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Spread the dough with 4 tablespoons of the butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Starting with the shorter side, roll up the dough to form a tight 16-inch cylinder. Cut the cylinder into 12 rolls. Place in the prepared pan, spiral side up. Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

For the glaze, whisk the remaining ingredients together in a medium bowl. Drizzle over the warm rolls.

Per roll: 439 calories (29 percent from fat), 14 grams total fat (9 grams saturated), 72 milligrams cholesterol, 73 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams protein, 221 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber.

THE WICHITA EAGLE — Jan. 9, 2013

SWEDISH CINNAMON ROLLS

From “I Love Cinnamon Rolls”

Makes 48 minirolls

1 recipe Traditional Cinnamon Roll Dough

Flour for dusting

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cardamom

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 large egg yolks, beaten with 2 teaspoons water

3/4 cup Swedish pearl sugar or coarsely crushed sugar cubes

Line 48 muffin cups with cupcake liners.

Transfer the dough to a floured surface. Cut the dough in fourths. Roll each fourth out to an 8-by-12-inch rectangle.

For the filling, combine the sugar, cinnamon and cardamom in a small bowl. Brush a fourth of the butter over the dough and sprinkle with a fourth of the spice mixture.

Roll up the dough and form it into a tight 12-inch-long cylinder. Cut each cylinder into 12 slices. Place each slice, spiral side up, in a paper-lined muffin cup. Repeat with the remaining dough. Cover the pans with a tea towel and rest in a warm place until almost doubled, 45 to 60 minutes.

Brush the tops of the rolls with egg wash and sprinkle with pearl sugar.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Per roll: 439 calories (29 percent from fat), 14 grams total fat (9 grams saturated), 72 milligrams cholesterol, 73 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams protein, 221 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber.

THE WICHITA EAGLE — Jan. 9, 2013