Sunrise Cinnamon Rolls

Whew! Christmas Day was a huge success. All of our kids were home with us and it could not have

been better! God truly blessed us that they could spend Christmas Day with us.

I was recovering from the flu so my sweet, beautiful, talented daughter stepped up and made the cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning breakfast. They turned out beautiful and delicious!

The recipe for these rolls has been adapted from my grandmother Onie's bread recipe. She scalded milk and sifted flour, then she kneaded the bread and let it rise twice. Her bread always turned out beautiful. Over the years I have tried making her recipe into a cinnamon roll recipe, however when baking the center rolls and bottoms are gooey if not cooked long enough. The other dilemma is if I let them cook longer, the tops and edges get too over cooked, even when baked at a lower temperature. So, I have re-worked the recipe so that the rolls are less doughy and more cake-like. I think these have the perfect texture. They have turned out better than I had hoped. The true test? These rolls are eaten up without complaints and I have had wishes for me to make additional batches to last through the holiday vacation.

Enjoy 

• YIELD: 12-16 rolls 
• Prep time: 2 hours 
• Refrigerate overnight 
• Pre-baking resting time: 1 hour 
• Baking time: 25 – 30 minutes 

These rolls are not FAST but are well worth all the effort and time! Make them the day before so that you can pop them in the oven and have warm cinnamon rolls for breakfast. They are so delicious! I wish that I could eat the entire pan full!

Dough & filling Ingredients:

· 1 Box Duncan Hines Yellow Butter Cake mix

· 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus a bit more during the kneading process

· ½ cup whole milk

· ½ cup water

· 2 ½ teaspoons of QUICK rise Active Dry yeast (or one package of Rapid Rise Active Dry yeast)

· ¼ cup white granulated sugar

· 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled,

· 2 large eggs – room temperature

· 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

· 1 teaspoon salt

· ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

· ¼ cup ground cinnamon

· 1 cup dark brown sugar

· 1 cup chopped pecans


Dough Directions

1. Warm the water and the milk for about 30 seconds in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl. The temperature of the liquid should be between 105°F and 110°F.

2. Sprinkle the active dry yeast on top and add in about 1 tablespoon of sugar, using a small whisk stir well; set aside, undisturbed, until foamy, about 5 minutes. Always check the dates on your yeast and make sure it has not expired.

3. When the yeast has finished proofing, whisk in the melted butter, eggs and vanilla into the yeast mixture until combined.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the cake mix, flour, the remaining sugar, salt and nutmeg.

5. Make a well in the center of the dry mix and then pour in the liquid yeast mixture and stir with your hands to make thick and slightly sticky dough. THIS IS MESSY but I find that using my hands is the best and easiest method. As you knead the dough and add more flour your hands will become clean.

6. Turn the sticky dough out onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is soft and elastic, about 6 minutes. Keep adding in small amounts of flour until the dough is not sticky anymore. Shape into a ball.

7. Using non-stick cooking spray, coat the inside of a large bowl and add the dough, turning to coat well the entire dough’s surface.

8. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour. (The dough may not rise very much and this is due to the cake mix…but letting the dough rest is important. My dough hardly ever grows much. Not to worry.)


Making the Cinnamon Rolls:

9. Line a cake glass baking dish (9” x 13” or larger) with parchment paper making sure the parchment paper goes all the way up the sides.

10. After the rising/resting time, turn the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly to release excess air.

11. Now, using a rolling pin on a floured surface or pastry cloth, roll out the dough into a large rectangle approximately 11” x 17” (roughly the size of the bottom of a cookie sheet pan)

12. Next, with a stick of softened-room temperature butter, spread the butter out evenly over the dough; go all the way to the edges.

13. Over the top of the butter evenly distribute with brown sugar and then the ground cinnamon and finally the chopped pecans.

14. At the widest edge, gently and as tightly as possible, roll the dough all the way to the other side. Stop with the seam on the bottom of the long roll.

15. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1 ½ -inch slices and place the newly cut cinnamon rolls in the prepared baking pan. Lightly press the rolls to flatten (approximately 3 across and 5 down).

16. Lightly brush the tops of the cinnamon rolls with some melted butter.

17. Use a large piece of plastic wrap cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

BAKING the cinnamon rolls.

1. 1 hour before baking, remove the rolls from the refrigerator and uncover them. Let them set at room temperature before baking.

2. After the one hour of resting at room temperature, PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. (If using a dark metal pan, reduce the heat to 325°F to bake.)

3. Place the dish in the centermost part of the oven and bake uncovered until they spring back when pressed, 25 to 30 minutes.

4. Remove when done and let them cool 10 minutes in the pan.

While the rolls are baking, prepare the icing:

· 1 stick of room temperature butter

· 2 cups powdered sugar

· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


1. With a hand mixer and a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth.

2. Add in the powdered sugar and slowly mix until smooth and creamy.

3. Add in the vanilla extract; mix again.

4. Spread icing over the warm cinnamon rolls.



NOTE: You may freeze the baked rolls for up to 2 weeks. Cool completely before freezing and seal them tightly in plastic wrap. Before serving thaw and then warm up individual rolls for about 10 seconds in microwave and glaze before serving.