For Christmas breakfast, I made cinnamon rolls. They are one of my breakfast favorites and are very similar to Lloyd’s family’s Christmas tradition (Monkey Bread), so we thought this would be a nice Christmas tradition of our own. I originally found this recipe in my bread machine cookbook and have been making it, with some variations, ever since.
Step 1: Plan ahead. The rolls need to rise in the fridge over night and the dough needs to rise by itself for a couple of hours before you put it into roll form so start early. (This is why I don’t get cinnamon rolls as often as I like.)
Step 2: Make the dough.
- 1 egg plus enough water to equal one cup
- 3 tbl oil
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
Place all ingredients in a bowl and stir until well mixed and the dough forms a soft ball.
Step 3: Wait. Cover the dough with a wet cloth and let it rise for 2 to 4 hours.
Step 4: Make the filling:
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tbl cinnamon
- 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup raisins
Melt the butter before adding the rest of the ingredients. Mix thoroughly.
Step 5: Make the rolls. Roll out the dough into a rectangle roughly 12 by 6 inches.
Step 6: Prepare a pan. Grease either a standard muffin tin or an 8 by 12 inch baking pan. For this batch, I used a muffin tin because I’d heard they were good for cinnamon rolls and figured I’d give it a shot. It actually bakes them much more evenly than when I use my regular rectangular baking dish so this will probably be my new standard.
Step 7: Slice the rolls. Cut the roll into 1 inch slices and place them in the baking dish.
Step 8: Cover and refrigerate over night.
Step 9: In the morning, bake at 350 F for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Step 10: Make the glaze.
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tbl milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Thoroughly mix all ingredients.
Step 11: Glaze and enjoy.