Cinnamon Rolls

I really wanted to do cinnamon rolls, and I didn’t want to work too hard for them. So I decided that tackling Paula Deen’s recipe would be perfect. I love Chef Paula and I feel her recipes are straightforward and easy to use whether a chef or a home cook.


For the dough:
1 tbsp yeast
½ c warm water (my trick, if it’s too warm for your finger, it’s too hot!)
¼ c coconut milk + ¼ c regular milk, scalded (Paula uses regular milk only)
¼ c sugar
1/3 c butter
1 tsp salt
1 egg
3 ½-4 c flour (I used half AP flour and ½ Whole Grain pastry flour)
And I added ¼ tsp Nutmeg for an extra spice layer.

Heat oven to 350 F. Dissolve yeast in a bowl with water. In a large bowl combine milk, sugar, butter, salt & egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix smooth. Add yeast. Mix in remaining dough and knead 5-10 minutes. Place in well greased bowl and cover to let rise.



For the filling:
½ c melted butter
¾ c sugar + 2 tbsp ground cinnamon (or more if you really love cinnamon ;)P )
¾ raisins, walnuts or pecans (I used pecans)

Once doubled in size, punch down and roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9 inch rectangle. Spread ½ c melted butter onto the dough. Sprinkle cinnamon & sugar mixed together over dough. Sprinkle with fruit or nuts that you desire. Roll up dough and pinch together at edge to seal. Cut into 12-15 slices.
Coat the bottom of your pan with butter & then sprinkle with sugar. Place rolls close together and let rise (half hour to 45 min.) Bake about 30 minutes. My oven runs hot so it was about 24 minutes.

While baking, combine:
4 tbsp butter
2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3-6 tbsp hot water



Once your cinnamon rolls come out of the oven, combine all the ingredients for your glaze, minus the water. Add the hot water 1 tbsp at a time, until the glaze reaches your preferred consistency. We like it kind of thick and gooey, so I didn’t use a lot of water.

Allow your rolls to cool slightly, spread on frosting and enjoy!