Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Holy goodness. These are to die for. I made a project for myself this year of mastering baking with yeast. I have never had much luck with it, but I've always wanted to be able to make my own bread, pizza, and yes, cinnamon rolls. I tried some pizza last week, and since it was successful I thought I could move on to cinnamon rolls. I was absolutely thrilled when they started to rise! This is what they looked like before going into the refrigerator the night before.

I got up a little bit early to take them out of the refrigerator, and then we baked them before going off to the Memorial Day parade in town. They were simply gorgeous.

And delicious. I fully intended to take pictures of individual cinnamon rolls and us eating them, but once I took a bite, I couldn't will myself to stop. They were soft, warm, and the vanilla glaze was wonderful. The only thing I might have done differently is to make a double batch of the glaze. They are slightly time consuming, but the good part is that all of the work (except the glaze) is done the night before, leaving you to a leisurely morning smelling cinnamon rolls in the oven. This book has become one of my very favorites. Enjoy!

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

from Family Meals: Creating Traditions in the Kitchen by Maria Helm Sinskey

For the dough:

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water (105 degrees)

4 1/2 cups flour

4 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon cinnamon

For the Vanilla Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

To make the dough, in the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle the yeast over the water, allow to bloom for a few minutes, then whisk until smooth. Whisk in 1/2 cup of the flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm spot, about 30 minutes.

Add the eggs, sugar, salt and remaining 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and knead on medium speed until smooth, 3-4 minutes. Add the room temperature butter and continue to knead, adding a little flour to reduce stickiness if needed (I added quite a bit), until the dough is smooth, 10-12 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

Butter a 9x13 baking dish. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. roll out into a 15x10-inch rectangle. Brush the rectangle with half of the melted butter, leaving a 2-inch wide strip uncovered on one long side. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the butter. Starting at the long side covered with sugar, roll up the rectangle snugly and pinch the seam together. With the seam facing down, cut into 10 equal pieces. Place the pieces, cut side up, in the dish. Brush with the remaining butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning, remove from the refrigerator and let rise until half again as high, about 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Spread the glaze over the warm rolls and serve.

To make the glaze, in a small bowl, sift together the powdered sugar and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, milk and vanilla and stir into the sugar to form a smooth paste.