Cinnamon rolls

Thank you Artisan Bread In 5

I cannot recall, since when I've been wanting to try out cinnamon rolls, really, its like forever been on my to make list, but i could never find the right time or the simplest recipe.

but all that was at the time when i used to shy away from yeasted recipes, Not anymore. Ever since i found the book "Artisan bread in Five minutes a Day" my view on yeasted recipes has completely changed, because according to them you don't need to work too hard to get a yeasted recipe right.(just my style). so now i welcome the challenge of any yeasted recipe, without putting it at the back of my to make list.

although i haven't used their exact recipe, as we don't get all the same ingredients over here in India, but i did follow their quantities and techniques to get my cinnamon rolls rigtht. so thank you Jeff and Zoe

absolutely yummy !!! whole wheat yummy !!!

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup oats flour

1 tbsp yeast (active dry )
1 tsp salt

3/4 - 1 cup lukewarm water

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

for filling:- 

1/2 cup butter softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon powder.

Method:
Soak the yeast in half of the lukewarm water with some dissolved sugar.(keep in a warm place)
mix all the dry ingredients. add the rest of the ingredients, mix with a spoon, and bring together with your hands, you may have to wet your hands a bit.
and keep for proving for two hours, in a cool dry place. If you are using the dough the same day then remove as much as required and shape. you can store the rest in an airtight container in the fridge, or you can even freeze it if you want.

Here is the secret to getting the right texture for the buns. you need to fold the dough over a few times and get that gluten all linked up and excited. Just 3 - 4 turns will to the trick, an extra 30 secs of work will make all the difference.

let the dough rest for 10 - 15 minutes. Once the dough is ready, roll it to 1/4-inch thick rectangle.
Brush the melted butter onto the entire surface.
In a small bowl mix together the sugars, cinnamon and zest. Spread the mixture over the butter topped dough. Use your hands to make sure you have an even coat of the sugar.
Roll the dough up, starting at the short end. Cut the log into 8 - 10 equal pieces.

Set the buns on a parchment lined baking Pan. Give them about 1 1/2 to 2-inches between them. It is ok if they rise together in the oven.

Loosely cover the buns and let them rest between 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The long rest will insure that you have a fluffy bun.(You can set these up the night before and let them rest overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning take them out and let them sit on the counter for about 45 minutes to an hour.) You may get away with slightly shorter rise, but the buns will not be quite as soft.
Preheat the oven to 180°C and place the rack in the middle of the oven.
Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, just until the centers are set when poked with your finger.
They should be caramel colored. Let them cool for about 10 minutes.

 whats more I used the leftover dough to try out some baked beignets, although i can't say they turned out as great as the cinnamon rolls. as i had tried filling them with chocolate ganache, which flowed out of the beignet while they were baking. (what can i say, not all experiments are a success)

chocolate cinnamon buns

Chocolate cinnamon buns, just add chopped chocolate or chocolate chips to your filling and..voila...you might not go back to the plain ones.
Next maybe i'll try some with caramel in them..or caramel and chocolate...drooling already !!!!