A Taste of Home – Cinnabunns Cinnamon Rolls

This has absolutely nothing to do with Thailand but several of my expat friends have been asking for this recipe which we made many times while living in China. These are definitely a little slice of home if you are living overseas. For lack of a better place to store the recipe for others, and myself, I am putting it on my blog! There are many versions of this recipe available online but these taste just like the ones at the mall. This recipe originally came from cooking.com.

Ingredients:

2 pkg. active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)
2/3 cup plus 1 tsp. granulated sugar
1 cup warmed milk
2/3 cup butter
2 tsp. salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
7/8 cup all-purpose flour, or more if needed

1 cup melted butter, divided
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
3 tbsp ground cinnamon

2/3 cup melted butter
4 cups powdered/icing sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
4-8 tbsp. hot water

In a small bowl mix together warm water, yeast and 1 tsp. sugar and set aside.  In a large bowl, mix milk, remaining 2/3 cup sugar, melted butter, salt and eggs; stir well and add yeast mixture.  Add half the flour and beat until smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining flour until dough is slightly stiff (dough will be sticky).

Turn out onto a well-floured board and knead 5-10 minutes. Place in well-buttered glass or plastic bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

When doubled, punch down dough and let rest 5 minutes. Roll out on floured surface into a 15 x 20 inch rectangle.

To prepare filling: spread dough with 1/2 cup melted butter. Mix together 1 1/2 cups sugar and cinnamon; sprinkler over buttered dough. Sprinkle with walnuts and raisins, if desired.

Roll up jellyroll-fashion and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices. Coat bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking pan and a 8-inch square pan with remaining 1/2 cup melted butter, then sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in pans. Let rise in a warm place until dough is doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until rolls are nicely browned. Cool rolls slightly.

To prepare glaze: Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix melted butter, powdered sugar and vanilla, add hot water, 1 Tbsp. at a time until glaze reaches desired consistency. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.

Tips and tricks:

1) It is not necessary to have a full-size oven to make these. We managed with a very large toaster oven in China, although they had to be baked one pan at a time.

2) Don’t even bother trying to substitute the copious amounts of butter and sugar for anything healthier!  If you are looking for healthy, you are in the wrong place!

3) Don’t spread the filling right to the edge. Leave about an inch on each side so it will stick together when rolled up.

4) If you roll it out on a cutting board about the same size as you want the finished dough rectangle, it is easier to stretch it into the right shape and match the size.

Enjoy!