Soft and Sweet Cinnamon Rolls

Making my first batch of cinnamon rolls was an adventure.  This past spring my family and I took a trip to Cape Cod and during that trip we found a new coffee shop.  In need of some caffeine we decided to check it out and also get our toddler a treat.  When I was scanning through the pastry case I saw the cutest little cinnamon rolls, which were perfect size for a toddler.  Needless to say, he loved the cinnamon roll and has requested a “cinnamon cookie” many times since.  I started researching recipes and found that either they had too many ingredients and steps or were so basic you just pop open a can of pre-made dough and roll them.  The first recipe I tried was a complete failure.  Mainly on my part because it was the “quick” method I was mostly interested in and substituted real milk and butter vs almond milk and vegan butter.  Let’s just say that recipe was a disaster and the hunt continued.  I was on a quest to find a middle ground, a recipe that provided a bit of a challenge and around 10 ingredients.  I finally found one that looked promising on the Serious Eats website, Classic Cinnamon Rolls.  The use of honey, powered sugar and yogurt appealed to me and I was ready to make a second attempt.

After such a failure on my first attempt I woke up the next day wanting to prove to myself I could pull it off.  As I starting prepping I reviewed the recipe one last time and then…. I stopped in my tracks.  It asked for bread flour, which I thought I had, but only had all-purpose flour.  Ugh, here we go again.  The flour brand I had was King Arthur and I recalled that they had a baking hotline , so in my state of frustration I called to see if I could substitute or add wheat gluten to the flour.  First, I was amazed that someone actually picked up the phone after two rings and second, they helped me tremendously.  The woman explained that I could use the all-purpose flour and it would give a softer texture.  I also learned that the dough should feel similar to pressing your thumb on your cheek.  Brilliant!  I was back on track.

By the end of the day I actually made cinnamon rolls I was proud to say I baked and would eat.  Below is the recipe I made with the all-purpose flour.  I have provided the link to the original recipe in the event you would like to give that a try.

What has been your biggest recipe challenge?  I would love to hear about it, leave a comment below.

The children’s 13″ rolling pin used during this recipe is by Vermont Rolling Pin Co.  The handmade, cherry wood rolling pin will be part of so many kitchen memories!