Cinnamon Rolls – Part I

One of my all-time favorite sweet breads is cinnamon rolls! Unfortunately I have not found too many bakeries that can pull off a great, fully-baked, moist bun with just the right touch of sweetness, cinnamon, and frosting. Sometimes they’re just too sweet. Sometimes it’s like eating dough (yuck!). Often I am just disappointed, not to mention flabbergasted at how pricey they can be! All this lead me to the great idea that I’d make my own…

AHEM, little did I know the amount of “love” (read: labor) involved in creating these high-calorie treats! Reading over Alton’s recipe, it didn’t seem all that difficult or complicated. However, my end result was such a disaster that I didn’t even want to post the picture! Well…they looked pretty, but they were extremely dense – the dough never rose as it should have, though I left it to rise for about 3 hours. I also baked them over the time instructed but just could not get them to not be doughy on the inside. *SIGH*

Oh Alton Brown, it’s not you, it’s me. It’s me because I keep trying to “health up” your recipes. For some unapparent reason to me, it’s just YOUR recipes that I try to alter.:)

Alton Brown’s Overnight Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

Dough:

4 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 large whole egg, room temperature
2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/4 cup
3 ounces unsalted butter, melted, approximately 6 tablespoons
6 ounces buttermilk, room temperature
20 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 cups, plus additional for dusting (I had the great idea of using an organic mix of unbleached/unbromated white-multigrain flour)
1 package instant dry yeast, approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

Filling:

Vegetable oil or cooking spray 8 ounces light brown sugar, approximately 1 cup packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
3/4-ounce unsalted butter, melted, approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons

Icing: