Cinnamon buns

I was scrolling through Pinterest on Friday and found a recipe for 45 minute cinnamon buns from The Recipe Critic - so I made them! :) They took a little longer than 45 minutes but I think they will get easier the more I make them! My whole family loved these and after one bite were already making plans for me to make them again! You can find the original recipe HERE and here is how I made them...

Start by mixing 2 3/4 cups of flour, 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 2 1/4 teaspoons of Rapid Rise Yeast together in a medium mixing bowl.

Set the dry ingredients aside and add 1/2 cup of water, 1/4 cup of milk and 2 tablespoons of butter to a glass measuring dish.

Heat the water, milk and butter in the microwave until it is 125 degrees Fahrenheit - I recommend microwaving it for 20 second increments. I use a candy thermometer to measure the mixture.

Once the water/milk.butter mixture has reached 125 degrees Fahrenheit, pour it into the dry ingredients and begin to mix in in with a wooden spoon. My dough was a hot mess at this point, I had no clue what to expect! Add in 1 egg and mix until the dough begins to hold together.

As my dough was beginning to hold together better, I transfered it to a very lightly floured surface.

Ummm and it still looked like this - I was getting nervous because I am fairly capable in the kitchen but I am no magician. Well if this happens to you, fear not! Power though and knead your dough for 3-4 minutes and it will look like this...

TA-DA! Normal dough! :) At first the dough will be quite sticky but as you continue to knead, it should become less sticky and cling to itself more so than to you! :)

Once you have kneaded your dough, set it in a lightly greased bowl to rest for five minutes.

While the dough is resting, make the filling! Mix 1/4 cup of brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon together in a small bowl. I used 2 tablespoons of cinnamon and it was a little strong. Depending on how much cinnamon you like, I might recommend reducing this amount to 1 1/2 tablespoons.

Once your filling is mixed, melt 1/4 cup of butter. Then...

Roll out your dough, so it is a 9x13 inch rectangle. Spread the melted butter over the top of the rolled out dough.

Sprinkle the cinnamon and brown sugar mixture over the top of the melted butter. Sprinkle the sugar mixture as evenly as possible over the top of the rolled out dough.

Roll the dough up tightly and cut the roll into 9 equal pieces. I used a bench knife to cut the rolls.

Place the rolls into a lightly buttered 9 inch square baking dish and cover the rolls with tinfoil or plastic wrap. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Once your oven reaches 200 degrees Fahrenheit, turn the oven off and place the covered cinnamon rolls in the warmed oven to rise for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes of rising, take the covering off (the tinfoil or plastic wrap) but leave the buns in the oven - turn the oven onto to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and let the cinnamon rolls bake for 15-20 minutes. Mine were in the oven for 17 minutes.

While the rolls are baking, make the glaze. In a small bowl, mix 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of milk.

Remove the rolls from the oven and pour the glaze over them right away.

CINNAMON BUNS
yield: 9 cinnamon buns
ingredients
for the dough:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons rapid rise yeast
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg

for the filling
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon (I will reduce this 1 1/2 tablespoons in the future)
1/4 cup brown sugar

for the glaze
1 cup icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk

directions
1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt and yeast together until combined.
2. Add water, milk and butter to a glass measuring dish and heat in the microwave until the butter is melted and the mixture is 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Add the wet ingredients in the glass measuring dish to the dry ingredients and begin to stir the ingredients together. Add in the egg and continue to stir.
4. When the dough forms a shaggy mass, transfer it onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for 3-4 minutes - until it is smooth and elastic and no longer sticky.
5. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl to rest for 5 minutes.
6. For the filling, melt the butter and set it aside. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and ground cinnamon together.
7. Remove the dough from the bowl and roll it out into a 9x13 inch rectangle.
8. Once the dough is rolled out, spread the melted butter over it and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the top of the butter.
9. Roll the dough up tightly and cut it into 9 equal pieces. Place the rolls in rows of 3 in a 9 inch square baking dish that is lightly buttered. Cover the rolls with tinfoil or plastic wrap.
10. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the oven is warmed, turn it off and place the covered rolls in the oven to rise for 20 minutes.
11. After the rolls have risen for 20 minutes, take off the cover (plastic wrap or tinfoil), put the oven onto 375 degrees Fahrenheit and let the rolls bake for 15-20 minutes - until the are golden brown.
12. While the rolls are baking, mix the glaze together - in a small bowl, combine icing sugar, vanilla extract and milk.
13. As soon as the rolls come out of the oven, pour the glaze over the tops of them.

Let these cool a little before serving them but they are delicious when they're warm so don't wait too long!