Weekends can primarily go either one of two ways come Saturday morning. They can be wonderfully productive, filled with yummy things like laundry, top to bottom house cleanings and meal prep for the upcoming week. The other way they can go is to turn into mini vacations where it feels like every moment with your partner or family has been stolen and must be paid for somehow (usually in a less organized, free falling following week). My fiance and I had one of these mini vacation weekends last weekend. Saturday morning started with these cinnamon rolls and the weekend ended with happy hour and Italian Family Pizza with friends. It was pure luxury yet balanced decadence with hard workouts each day. See? Moderation is key. Its not just something dietitians say. While I’m not sure I could claim that if you make these cinnamon rolls, you too will have a mini vacation weekend, they might just set that tone regardless.
I had been craving cinnamon rolls. Typically cinnamon rolls that you see in a restaurant or diner are huge, larger than your face and covered in inches of frosting. By the time you have a few bites, you are sugared out but don’t want 9/10ths of the frosting to go to waste. Even after a cinnamon roll from a bakery, I’m usually left feeling like I need a sugar detox and just want to eat vegetables the rest of the day. So I decided instead I would make them. My goal was to make them with just a touch of sweetness, to satisfy the cinnamon roll craving and a size that has plenty for you to enjoy but not so much that you look for looser fitting pants after eating them.
When I am making something slightly sweet and delicious on a Saturday morning, nothing is more fitting than R&B and soul where each lyric sounds like a proclamation of devotion pouring out of the singer’s mouth. Al Green’s The Belle Album was a perfect match to these not-too-sweet Cinnamon Rolls. Who needs extra sugar in their day when they have Al Green’s voice caressing their ears?
Not-too-sweet Cinnamon Rolls
Makes 10 rolls
Ingredients
- 1 cup of non-fat milk
- 2 1/4 tsp of rapid rise yeast
- 1 Tbsp of white sugar
- 5 tbsp of butter, divided
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 cups of all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp of cinnamon
- 1/2 cup of walnuts, chopped
- 2 Tbsp of light brown sugar
Instructions
- Warm the milk in a small bowl until it reaches around 110 degrees F. I would make sure to either temp the milk or have it feel just slightly warmer than your finger. If it is any warmer, it may scald the yeast. Add the tablespoon of white sugar to your mixing bowl, pour the milk on top and mix lightly. Sprinkle the yeast on top. Let sit for around 15 minutes until the yeast is foamy.
- Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter. After the yeast has started to activate, add the butter and salt to the milk mixture.
- Add the flour going fairly slowly, no more than 1 cup of flour at a time. Mix well after each addition. The dough should be slightly tacky. Take it out of the bowl and knead for a few rotations until you have a well formed dough ball, perhaps 3 or 4 quick kneads.
- Spray the inside of the mixing bowl with a canola spray and place the ball back inside. Cover and let rise for 60-90 minutes.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, roll it out on a floured surface into a long rectangle. Mix the cinnamon, brown sugar and walnuts in a small bowl.
- Brush the dough with 2 Tbsp of butter (this will work easier if you melt it in the same bow you did for step 2). Sprinkle with the cinnamon walnut mixture. Roll the rectangle tightly, ending with the seam down. Cut into 10 individual rolls and place into a round cake pan, 1/4-1/2 inch apart. Brush with any remaining butter and cover. Let the cinnamon rolls rise for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake for 30-40 minutes until the rolls are golden and extra delicious looking.
The frosting really is optional but if you make cinnamon rolls, you really do want the frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 4 oz of cream cheese, softened. (If you take it out when you start the cinnamon rolls, it will be perfect)
- 2 Tbsp of unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup and 2 Tbsp of confectioner’s sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp of pure vanilla extract
- 2-3 Tbsp of non-fat milk (optional)
Instructions
- Combine the cream cheese and butter in your mixer and beat until well combined, about 45 seconds. Scrape down the mixer and add the sugar and vanilla. Mix until light and fluffy.
- If you want an icing that is more pourable and less spread-able, add the non-fat milk until you have your desired consistency.
Enjoy!