Giant Cinnamon Rolls

This goes back to when I first launched Lost Recipes Found for the Chicago Tribune, in answer to a reader request. It’s still a much-requested recipe. People tell me they dream about these: Giant, gooey cinnamon rolls from a 1987 recipe that makes six buns, which just fit into one cake pan. Great tip from Chicago Tribune recipe developer JeanMarie Brownson: use button thread, (or unflavored dental floss), rather than a knife to cut the raw dough into rolls before baking–they hold their shape better.

Giant Cinnamon Rolls

2016-04-02 19:08:45

Serves 6

This much requested recipe makes six, giant, gooey cinnamon rolls. If you want to prepare at night to have ready for morning, simply place the well-covered pan of prepared rolls in the fridge (before the final rise in the pan.) Remove from the fridge in the morning, allow to come up to room temperature and bake.

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Ingredients

1. Dough Ingredients
2. 4 cups all-purpose flour (about)
3. 1 pkg. active dry yeast
4. 1 1/4 cups milk
5. 1/4 cup sugar
6. 1/4 cup unsalted butter
7. 1 tsp salt
8. 1 large egg
9. Cinnamon Filling Ingredients
10. 1/4 cup granulated sugar
11. 2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
12. 1 Tbsp ground cinamon
13. 5 Tbsp melted butter
14. Glaze Ingredients
15. 1 cup confectioners sugar
16. 1/2 tsp vanilla
17. half-and-half

Instructions

1. Make dough: Mix 1 1/2 cups flour and yeast into large bowl. Heat milk, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter and salt in small pan ( or in microwave) until just warm and butter is mostly melted. OR melt butter in microwave, heat milk, sugar and salt in separate bowl in microwave for 30 seconds. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast/flour mixture with liquid. Add egg. Beat at low speed for 1/2 minute, scraping bowl. Beat 3 minutes at high speed. By hand, stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding sprinkles of flour as needed, about 8 minutes. Shape into a ball. Place in lightly-greased bowl; turn to grease surface. Cover. Let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk; about 2 hours. Punch down; turn out onto floured surface. Cover. Let rest 10 minutes.
2. Make filling: Mix sugars and cinnamon. Brush 9-inch round cake pan with 1 Tbsp melted butter.
3. Shape rolls: Roll dough on lightly-floured surface to a thin rectangle 12 x 20 inches. (Note: I do this on a large cutting board that's about that dimension.) Brush generously with melted butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Roll up jelly-roll-style, starting at one 12-inch end. End up with a fat log, about 12-inches long. Cut rolls in 2 inch intervals, using dental floss or button thread: Slide the thread underneath the finished cinnamon-roll log. With one end of the thread in each hand, pull straight up and around the log, criss-crossing at the top and pulling tight to cut log into 2-inch slices. Place cut rolls in the prepared cake pan, cinnamon-swirl-side-up, and drizzle any remaining butter over all. Cover and let rise 20 minutes.
4. Make Glaze: combine confectioners sugar, vanilla and enough half-and-half to thin this mixture to glaze consistency.
5. While rolls are doing their final rise, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes until puffed and golden, making sure the center bun is fully baked. Remove pan to cooling rack. Serve rolls warm, drizzled with glaze.

Adapted from JeanMarie Brownson

Adapted from JeanMarie Brownson

Lost Recipes Found https://www.lostrecipesfound.com/