Cinnamon Heaven

It was cold - it's still cold - so I made cinnamon rolls from The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham. 

I cook from her books a lot. She re-wrote The Fanny Farmer Cookbook, she is an incredible teacher and writer, and if you don't have at least one of her books, get one. Now. Try any of the muffins in The Breakfast Book - persimmon. cinnamon butter puffs. orange. nutmeg. Are you hungry yet?

I shared. They went fast. They're smaller than the cinnamon bombs sold in bakeries everywhere, but they have just as much flavor in a smaller package. You bake them in muffin tins...

You have to start them the night before if you want to have them for breakfast. So forego that last cocktail and mix up a batch. Because it's still cold.

Glazed Cinnamon Rolls from The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham. Copyright Marion Cunningham

Makes two dozen reasonably sized cinnamon rolls

1/4 cup warm water

1 package dry yeast

1 teaspoon plus 1/4 cup sugar

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound (two sticks) butter, chilled

3 egg yolks

1 cup milk

filling:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

6 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon (I use Saigon cinnamon and yes it makes a difference)

glaze:

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon water (a trifle more may be needed to make a manageable glaze)

Put the warm water in a small bowl and sprinkle the yeast over. Add 1 teaspoon sugar, stir, and let dissolve for 5 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt with a fork to mix them well. Cut the butter into pieces the size of small grapes and add to the flour mixture. Using either your hands or a pastry blender, rub or cut the butter into the flour mixture until it is distributed and there are coarse little lumps of butter throughout. Stir in the yeast mixture, the egg yolks, and milk. Beat until blended. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator at least 6 hours (this dough can be refrigerated for 12 to 14 hours).

Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured board, roll out half the dough into a rectangle about 10 by 12 inches. Spread 2 tablespoons of the melted butter over the rectangle. Mix the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar and the 1 teaspoon sugar together in a small bowl. Sprinkle half the sugar mixture evenly over the rectangle. Starting with the wide side, roll up the rectangle like a jelly roll. Divide the roll into twelve pieces by first cutting the roll into 4 equal portions, then cutting each portion into 3. Put the rolls cut side down in a greased muffin tin. Repeat these steps with the other half of the dough. Cover loosely and let rise for 1 hour.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree f oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the rolls and put them on a rack set over a piece of waxed paper.

To make the glaze, sift the confectioners' sugar into a small bowl, them beat in the butter and water until smooth. Spoon a little on the glaze over each roll while still hot.