heavenly cinnamon rolls with caramel icing

You may or may not remember this post, when I expressed my slight frustration with the fact that Luke rather have Pillsbury cinnamon rolls than mine.  And here I shared that I finally found a version he would approve.  I am excited to say, the recipe below is another tally mark for me, and it came from a rainy Saturday night stuck in the house trying to scrounge up ideas for Sunday breakfast.  Because who in the world wants to go to the grocery store for a can of Pillsbury in the rain on a Saturday night, right?

I have used this yeast roll recipe time and time again, with no trouble.  In fact, I recently found out it goes above and beyond in the "can't mess this one up" category.  Those of you who can struggle with successful yeasted breads, prepare to be amazed!

A couple of  weeks ago, I had put the dough in the fridge over night so I could make fresh rolls for a meal I was taking to friends the next day.  To my frustration that morning, I found the lid had come off, leaving the dough deflated and even dried out on the top.  I figured I had nothing to lose, removed the dried layer, re-kneaded the dough slightly, then let it rise in a warm oven.  Before we left for church that morning, I had plenty of warm, soft rolls that tasted as good as if nothing had gone awry. 

I love recipes like that.

So back to the rainy Saturday night.  I thought about the yeast roll recipe and figured I could try adding more sugar to the dough, find a delicious icing, and maybe - just maybe - I'd have a couple of happy boys the next morning.  To my delight, and theirs, my trial baked up beautifully and my wish came to be.  Luke gobbled them up, and my heart was warmed.  

So here's to the third cinnamon roll recipe on the blog.  Can there really be too many?!? 

Heavenly Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Icing     

For the rolls:

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 tbsp. yeast
• 6 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. salt
• 4 tbsp. butter, melted
• 4 cups bread flour

For the filling:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

For the icing:

• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp caramel sauce
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup confectioners sugar

~ Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water.  Let sit until foamy; about 5 minutes.

~ With dough hook, mix in salt, butter, and flour until fully incorporated.  Continue to mix 

    about 10 minutes (or you can remove the flour and knead by hand a fully twenty minutes;

    MAJOR triceps workout!)

~ Remove dough and place on lightly floured surface, kneading 10 more minutes (if you

    kneaded the first 10 with the hook) until smooth and elastic.

~ Place dough in large, lightly greased bowl, turning once to cover the top.  Cover and let

    rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about an hour.

~ Uncover dough and punch down. 

~ Roll dough into rectangle, approximately 1/4 inch thick.   

~ With a pastry brush, cover dough with butter, leaving a 1/2 inch border around edge.

~ Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon, reserving 1 tbsp of mixture.  Sprinkle dough 
   liberally with remaining sugar/cinnamon.

~ Roll dough, starting with long side, and evenly slice.

~ Heat oven to 375 degrees.

~  Place cut rolls into greased pans and let rise about 30 minutes.

~ Cook rolls about 20-25 minutes, or until golden.

~ While rolls cook, whip together cream cheese and butter until fluffy.  Add caramel and 
    blend.

~ Mix in milk and vanilla until incorporated.  Gradually add in sugar and mix well.

~ Top warm rolls with caramel icing.  Sprinkle tops with reserved sugar and cinnamon.


Caramel icing recipe from Annies Eats.