Cinnamon Roles!

It's September, which means Christmas is basically around the corner. Autumn is probably my favourite season, and not just for the colours of the trees and the cosy jumper weather. The flavours and spices associated with these seasons are my absolute favourites (pumpkin spiced everything!). Cinnamon is another of these flavours, and one of my favourite flavours ever! Although it's a typically Christmassy flavour, I see no problem with enjoying cinnamon all the year round!

A torn-off cinnamon roll!

I decided to kick off my autumn baking with these cinnamon roles! I came across this recipe whilst looking through my copy of Jane Dunn's book. Jane describes these rolls as 'heaven in a bite', and trust me she really isn't wrong.

These rolls were surprisingly easy to make, and Jane's recipe is very simple to follow. By mixing strong flour, sugar, yeast, butter and vanilla with warmed milk, and kneading for a few minutes you end up with this beautifully enriched dough that is springy to the touch. 

Although lacking consistency in appearance, the taste
and texture of these rolls were to die for! 

I was a little apprehensive about the quantity of yeast used in this recipe. The method called for 14 grams of yeast, which felt like a lot when I considered that other bread recipes I've followed in the past have required 7 grams of yeast and 500 grams of flour (for comparison, the cinnamon roles needed 600 grams of flour). However, the dough didn't seem to rise too quickly, and the final texture was heavenly.

Filling these rolls was also very simple. After the first proof, the dough is rolled out into a rectangle, brushed with melted butter, and covered in cinnamon sugar. The dough is then rolled up from the longer side of the rectangle so a tight spiral forms. I'll admit my roll wasn't as tightly tucked as it could have been, leading to a smaller spiral and the roll opening a little as I moved the rolls to the baking tin.

This cross section really shows off
how delightful the texture is!

The rolls are then proofed for a second time, this time in the baking tin, before baking. These rolls were all gone less than 24 hours after they came out of the oven (admittedly I did eat three!). Cinnamon rolls are definitely one of those treats where one is never enough!

I now know that if I were to make these cinnamon roles again, I would need to make the roll tighter to develop a neater spiral. However, these roles certainly weren't a bad first attempt!

Gibby x