Warm Gooey Goodness

Tonight I got one of those sudden inexplicable urges to bake something, so after a quick straw poll (okay, I only asked one person) I settled on some homemade cinnamon rolls. I planned it so that they'd be out of the oven just in time for a warm, gooey midnight snack. Healthy no, indulgent yes, delicious double-yes.

These cinnamon rolls remind me of ones that my mom used to make when I was little. She didn't make the dough from scratch, she used that Pillsbury dough that comes in the tube that pops open when you twist it, but they taste almost exactly the same. And hers probably took a lot less time (and made a lot less mess - as usual, I managed to make flour explode out of my food processor and coat every surface of my kitchen). Ah well, c'est la vie. Regardless, these babies are yum, and my school friends can look forward to getting one or a couple when I see you in the next couple days. :)


Cinnamon Rolls
Recipe from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything
Makes a dozen

• 2-1/2 c. all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
• 1-1/2 tsp. instant yeast
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 c. plus 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. plus about another 4 Tbsp. butter
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c. milk, plus more as needed
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3/4 c. raisins and/or nuts, if desired
  

Combine the flour, yeast, salt, and 1/3 c. sugar in the container of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process for 5 seconds. Add the 2 tablespoons butter and the egg and pulse a few times, until well combined. With the machine running, drizzle most of the milk through the feed tube. Process just until a dough ball forms; add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, if necessary. Knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for a minute or two longer, adding a little more flour or milk if necessary, until the dough is silky smooth and elastic.

Butter a bowl; place the dough in it. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, at least 2 hours. (Hasten the process by putting it in a warm place.) Roll out the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Brush liberally with the 4 tablespoons butter (melted), then spread with a mixture of the 1/2 cup of sugar and the cinnamon. If you like, dot it with about 3/4 cup raisins or nuts (I didn't). Roll it up, lengthwise, then cut into 1- to 1-1/2-inch thick slices. Place in a buttered 12-compartment muffin tin and let rise until puffy, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Brush the tops of the rolls lightly with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until nicely browned, about 20 minutes.