Kendra's Treats

If you don’t follow The Pancake Princess blog, you totally should! She blogs mostly bake offs – where she’ll find the most popular recipes for waffles, pumpkin bread, cinnamon rolls, etc and then bake them all up, have her friends taste and rate them and then she does a very detailed report. I love it! Well, back in November she posted her cinnamon roll bake off results. I already have a cinnamon roll recipe I love, but this recipe for Pioneer Woman’s cinnamon rolls ranked pretty high and after reading about the recipe I was intrigued. The dough is totally no-knead and the amount of butter was Paula Deen level haha. Jason is a HUGE cinnamon roll lover, so I decided to give them a try. I could easily get on board with the no-knead dough, but I had to cut the butter and sugar down some. The original recipe calls for 2 sticks in the filling. I just couldn’t y’all. One stick generously covered the dough, so I stopped there. I also cut the sugar down some. Trust me, there’s still plenty of filling!

The frosting is also different than your typical cinnamon roll frosting. It has maple flavoring and coffee. The original recipe called for strongly brewed coffee, but I used a small amount of instant coffee granules (because I don’t drink coffee). I honestly couldn’t taste a coffee flavor at all, but that may have been because of the maple flavoring. I was worried the maple flavor would be weird on the cinnamon rolls, but the maple flavor is not overpowering.

Overall, we really enjoyed these cinnamon rolls. A very good, classic tasting cinnamon roll! And that no-knead dough is pretty amazing. So hands off and no stand mixer required! Give them a try. Enjoy!

Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls 

For the dough:
2 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1/2 scant teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tablespoon salt

For the filling:
1 stick unsalted butter, melted, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, for sprinkling
3/4  cup granulated sugar, plus more as needed

For the maple icing:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3-4 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/8 tsp instant coffee granules
1/2 tablespoon maple flavoring or maple extract

1. For the dough, heat the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat; do not boil. Set aside to cool to lukewarm. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit on the milk for 1 minute.
2. Add 4 cups of the flour. Stir until just combined, cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside in a relatively warm place for 1 hour.
3. Remove the towel and add the baking powder, baking soda, salt and the remaining 1/2 cup flour. Stir thoroughly to combine. Use the dough right away or place in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, punching down the dough if it rises to the top of the bowl.
4. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a large rectangle, about 20 by 10 inches, with a long side facing you.
5. To make the filling, pour melted butter over the surface of the dough. Use your fingers to spread the butter evenly. Generously sprinkle the ground cinnamon and sugar over the butter.
6. Beginning at the end farthest from you, roll the rectangle tightly toward you. Use both hands and work slowly, being careful to keep the roll tight.  When you reach the end, pinch the seam together. With a sharp knife, make 1 1/2-inch slices. One log will produce ~15 rolls.
7. Place rolls in greased 9×13 inch pan.
8. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cover each pan with a kitchen towel and let rise on the countertop for at least 20 minutes before baking. Remove the towels and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Don’t allow the rolls to become overly brown.
9. While the rolls are baking, make the icing: In a large bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, milk, butter, and instant coffee granules. Splash in the maple flavoring. Whisk until very smooth.  The icing should be thick but still pourable.
10. While the rolls are still warm, generously drizzle icing over the top.
*adapted from Food Network