Make-Ahead Cinnamon Rolls

Sundays are special. Not because I don't work on Sundays. Not because I get to spend time with my friends. And not necessarily because we go to church. No, Sundays are special because it is a day of rest. A day to stop, to turn from my independent, busy self and remember my needy, dependent self. A day to celebrate with the rest of the Adopted, that I have been given glorious, new life. A day to remember that the old has gone and the new has come, that my Savior has rescued and restored me.

This is why Sundays are special. I get to celebrate the Gospel with my brothers and sisters.

Brad has recently led our family to spend some time preparing on Saturday night for Sunday Celebration the next morning. I made a playlist of songs we sing at church and we listen to the five that we will sing in the morning. Then we read and talk briefly about the meditation text. It has really served to help my heart be ready and excited for Sunday Celebration. I am so thankful for Brad leading us in that way.

But I wanted to contribute something as well to reflect to my family that Sundays are special. So I picked food. Surprise.

And sweet breads won. Cinnamon Rolls, Sticky Buns and Cinnamon Twists will be filling our home with their mouth-watering aroma on Sundays. Most Sundays.

Sweet breads can be exhausting. Not because they are necessarily hard, but because they take so long and you have to get up so early to start them on time, which is especially difficult when you have to be at church at nine am. Thankfully, all three of these recipes are made mostly the night before. All you have to do in the morning is bake! 

And these Cinnamon Rolls are the best I've had. The dough is sweet, but also tangy due to the addition of buttermilk. The cinnamon filling is the perfect balance of spice and sugar, with none of that syrup-y mess that hardens and glues itself to whatever it touches. Warm out of the oven, or eaten as a tasty Monday treat, they are deliciously satisfying. Best of all, this recipe is flexible, with make ahead instructions for the fridge and freezer, which means that I can bake half of the recipe (6 rolls) one week and freeze the remaining six for the next week. 


Note: Don't feel condemned if you can't make sweet doughs for your family every Sunday. This works well for Brad and I, but it won't necessarily for you. Do something else to make Sundays special if you cannot bake something on Sunday morn. =)

Cinnamon Rolls

Makes 12 rolls
Total time: At minimum, 7 hours; maximum, 21 hours

Sweet Dough:

4 1/4 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/4 tsp. yeast (1 envelope)
1 1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup buttermilk, heated to 110 degrees

6 T. butter, melted and cooled

3 eggs

Filling:

1 T. melted butter, plus extra for the dish

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

pinch salt

Icing: 

1 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened

3 T. buttermilk or whole milk or cream

1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

Alternate Icing: 

1 cup confectioners sugar

1/4 tsp. vanilla

3 T. to a 1/4 cup of cream or milk

Mix together 4 cups of the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook.

Add the warmed buttermilk, melted butter and eggs. Mix on low until combined, about 1 minute.

Knead on medium-low for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. 

After 5 minutes, add up to 1/4 cup extra flour if dough is not yet pulling away from the sides of the bowl. You know you have enough flour when dough forms a cohesive ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, leaving a circular ring at the top.

Turn dough out onto a floured counter and knead briefly by hand and form into a ball.

Place in an oiled bowl, cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Dough is fully risen when your finger leaves an indentation when pressed instead of springing back.

While you are waiting you can mix the ingredients for the filling: 

brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt.

When dough is fully risen, turn out onto a floured counter and press into a 16 x 12 inch rectangle.

Brush dough with 1 T, melted butter and sprinkle with the filling.

Press to adhere it to the dough and leave about an inch border on each side.

Then, beginning on the long side, roll the dough tightly into a long log.

Pinch seams together and stretch log gently to 18 inches. Then roll it over to be seam-side down.

Cut into 12 equal pieces. 

(I start by cutting log in half, then quarters and then cut each quarter into 3 equal pieces.)

Arrange sections, cut side up, in a buttered 9 x 13 pan, or in two buttered 9 inch cake pans.

If you plan to freeze one of the pans, make sure to use a metal cake pan that can handle the shock from cold freezer to hot oven.

For the pans you plan to cook, wrap tightly in greased plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 2 or up to 16 hours.

When ready to bake, remove rolls from fridge and let sit on counter for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, 

until rolls have risen and are pressed up against each other.

Then remove plastic wrap and bake for 20 - 30 minutes at 350 degrees, until golden and puffed. 

Cool for a few minutes before topping with your preferred icing.

For the pan you wish to freeze, if any, wrap loosely in greased plastic wrap and let rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until rolls have risen and are pressed up against one another. 

Then wrap tightly in greased plastic wrap and tuck into a gallon sized freezer bag.

Freeze for up to 1 month.

To bake, remove plastic wrap and re-wrap in tin foil. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.
Then remove tin foil and bake for 20 - 30 more minutes, until puffed and golden.
Cool for a few minutes before topping with your favorite icing.

To make icing, simply whisk all ingredients together for your preferred icing. 

Start with a small amount of milk or cream and keep adding until you get the desired consistency. 

You want it to be spreadable but not too thin or it will run right off your rolls.

This Recipe is from The Best Make-Ahead Recipe.