The very first time making my own cinnamon rolls, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I searched through tons of different recipes. I came to the conclusion that the easiest way to make the dough was in my bread machine. I have this one and I love it! Every bread and dough I have ever made has come out perfectly using that machine. I highly recommend it.
The next decision was what kind of filling to use. My family has varied tastes when it comes to additives like nuts and raisins, so I decided to stick with traditional butter, brown sugar and cinnamon on the inside.
I really wanted to make cream cheese frosting for these, but I had no cream cheese and the snow/ice we were getting convinced me to stay home and work with what I had on hand. So, that meant a milk/powdered sugar glaze, enhanced by the addition of almond extract.
I was really surprised at how easily this all came together. The bread machine did all the work on the dough, so all I really had to do was roll out the finished dough and add the filling. My hands-on time for this recipe was maybe 20 minutes for the whole thing.
So for the dough, I added the milk, oil, eggs, sugar, flour, salt and yeast to the bread machine and let it work its magic for the next hour and a half.
When the machine beeped, I took out the dough and rolled it into a large rectangle on my floured up cutting board. Then I melted 2 TBSP butter, brushed it on top of the dough, and sprinkled it with the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture.
Next, I rolled the dough lengthwise to get a long, skinny roll. Be careful not to roll too tightly! If the centers of your rolls pop up, it means you need to roll a little looser next time. Trust me on this one, I speak from experience.
Then, slice into 12 rolls and place them into a greased baking pan. Put them close together but not crowded.
Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Glaze them immediately after coming out of the oven, and enjoy!!
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
For the Dough:
1 cup plus 2 TBSP warm milk
3 TBSP Canola oil
1 egg and 2 egg whites, beaten
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups bread flour
1 tsp salt
3 tsp yeast
For the Filling:
2 TBSP melted butter
3/4 TBSP cinnamon
2/3 cup brown sugar
For the Glaze:
1 tsp milk
1-1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 TBSP softened butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
Begin by adding all dough ingredients to your bread maker and run the dough cycle.
When the dough is done, remove from bread machine. Roll out a large rectangle (approx. 12"x18") on a lightly floured surface.
Brush melted butter onto the rolled out dough, stopping about 1 inch from the edge of one of the long sides. Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle on top of melted butter.
Roll dough into a long log taking care not to roll too tightly. Cut into 12 slices and place into a 9x13 glass baking dish. Bake at 350 for approximately 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Mix all glaze ingredients and spread on top of warm rolls.
