*The Stevens Adventures*: Delicious/Easy Cinnamon Rolls

So I've kind of been obsessed with cooking different things that require yeast, proofing, kneading,etc. Tanner got my a bosche 2 christmas's ago, and I just love to use it! Bosche is the bomb. Anyway, the other day I was having a weird pregnancy craving...CINNAMON ROLLS! I'd never made them before, but I was determined to do it Sunday after church. We get out at 12 so I knew I'd have the rest of the day to do it. I found a recipe on Pinterest that looked pretty easy and had 30 5 star ratings. I just have to share the recipe for those that want an easy, but delicious cinnamon roll recipe for those darn cravings :) I actually halfed the recipe to make 6 instead of 12, but I'll post the full recipe.

Buttermilk Soft and Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls

Yields about 12 cinnamon rolls

Takes a total of 3- 3.5 hours.

Dough:
4 1/2 C. Flour
1/3 C. Sugar
2 1/4 tsp. instant dry yeast (so with this, I did a lot of research and came to the conclusion that it really doesn't matter what kind of yeast you use. All I had was fast-drying dry yeast and I used it and it worked perfectly)
pinch of salt
6 TB (3/4 of a stick) butter, melted
3 large eggs, whisked
3/4 C. buttermilk

Filling:
1/2 C Butter (let sit out to soften while you're making the dough)
1 to 1 1/4 C. Brown sugar (however sweet you like it)
About 3 tsp. cinnamon

Frosting: so when I halfted this...it was plenty for 6 and I had lots left over...so this is what I did:
Half a stick of butter, softened
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 TB. vanilla extract
2 to 2/12 C. powdered sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)

DIRECTIONS:
DOUGH:
1.In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Mix and
set aside.

2. Place 6 TB of butter in a microwavable dish and melt for about 45 seconds. Set aside. Whisk the
eggs in another bowl and set aside.

3. Add buttermilk to a glass measuring cup and warm to temperature, about 45 seconds on high power in the microwave. (Based on the type of yeast used, milk temperatures will vary. Red Star Platinum yeast calls for warmer temperatures than most, 120 to 130F; other brands and yeast call for much lower temperatures, about 95 to 105F. You want the buttermilk to be warm, not hot. Try heating it for 25 seconds first, if not warm, heat for another 15 and it should be about perfect.

4. To the dry ingredients in the stand mixer, add the melted butter, eggs, buttermilk, and beat on medium-low speed for about 1 minute, or until combined.

5. Switch to the dough hook (the dough will have stuck to the paddle and just pick off what you can and put it into the bowl) and knead for 10 to 12 minutes (15 to 18 minutes by hand). If after 5 minutes more flour is needed, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough clears
the side of the bowl but sticks to the bottom. This is a very sticky, tacky, moist, and borderline sloppy
dough; don't be tempted to over-flour it. It's supposed to be that way. The more flour you add now,
the less fluffy and more dense the rolls will be. Dough should clear the sides of the mixer while
kneading but sticking to the bottom is fine.

6. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl, spray a large mixing with cooking spray, and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with plasticwrap and place it in a warm, draft-free place to rise for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or doubled in size. I kept my bowl in the bathrooom, ad turned up the heat to 78-80 degrees and at 2 hours it was perfect. If your rising spot is cold, it will take longer than 2 1/2 hours.

7. Prepare a 11-by-17-inch or similar sized jellyroll pan or sheetcake pan with a raised edge, or use a 9-by-13-inch pan. I used a 9- by- 13 inch pan. Line pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.

8. Rolling Out the Dough - After dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Turn dough out onto a
floured countertop. Knead it lightly for about 2 minutes. With a rolling pin, roll it out to a 16-by-12-inch rectangle.

9. Filling - With a knife, butter the dough with 1/2 cup soft butter, leaving a 3/4-inch border around the edges. Sprinkle the brown sugar over it. Sprinkle the cinnamon over the brown sugar; I was very generous with the cinnamon and used almost 5 teaspoons and recommend at least 3; just eyeball it and shake it on. YUMMMMMMM this is my favorite part haha.

10. Slicing the Dough - Loosen the dough from the counter (i used a metal spatula) and starting with a long edge, roll the dough into a tight log. Pinch the seam closed and turn log so seam side is down. Gently stretch the log to be 18 inches in length with an even diameter all the way around and pat the ends to even them up. Don't fret if your log isn't perfect; it's okay. mine sure wasn't. I wish I would've taken a picture haha.

11. Slice your non-perfect log into 12 evenly sized rolls. Go get some floss, a pretty good sized piece, and cut with the floss. It works wonders haha. Arrange the rolls cut side down in the prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap.

12. Decide to Make Straight Through- Let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 2- 2/12 hours

OR

13. Decide to Make as Overnight Rolls- Don't let rolls rise after they've been sliced and placed in the pan. Place pan in refrigerator for up to 16 hours. Before baking, let the rolls sit at room temperature until they have doubled in size, about an hour.

14.Baking- For either version, bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden on top. Immediately and generously, spread the frosting on the rolls. These can keep in the fridge for up to a week.

FROSTING:

In a bowl, combine the butter, and cream, cheese and beat on medium speed with an electric mixer for a minute. Add the vanilla, 1.5 cups of powdered sugar, and beat until smooth and fluffy. Add remaining powdered sugar, to taste.

AND WALAH!!!! It looks difficult looking at all the steps but it really wasn't bad...and my hubby said these were better than his MOM's! Now that's sayin something hahaha. Anyway, enjoy! Here's some pics of the finished deliciousness. Oh, and yes, they were gone that night...haha.