Cinnabon Clone

In our family lore from a very long time ago, there's a story that has me telling Martin he shouldn't eat a Cinnabon in the morning while we're out on a shopping trip. I have no recollection of this event whatsoever but figure it must've come shortly after we were married and before I figured out that sweets are pretty much all Martin ever wants for breakfast. This is a big difference between the two of us because, as much as I'll snack all day on sweet things, I'm not much a breakfast eater and when I am, I can't stomach sugar.

Whatever I actually said, it's now gone down in history, to be repeated at any similar instance. Every Christmas eve morning when the gang heads out for their mall shopping blitz, one of the last things Martin will say before he heads out the door is something like, "let's go everyone, but remember! We can't eat any Cinnabons cause Mom said so!" Of course, that's exactly what they go and do as part of that sweet (literally) holiday tradition.

I've been seeing "Cinnabon Clone" recipes on Pinterest and, wanting to try my hand at yeast again, I decided to make a batch. In hearing about how this recipe went, you're going to learn a few things about my "idiosyncrasies" in the kitchen and beyond...

Not feeling happy with my recent exposure to yeast, I've been googling the subject, only to find out that the yeast itself can often be bad. I've looked up images of exactly how yeast should look when it's good and I've researched different brands. Given that it was too late to order up a special batch from one of my favorite online sites, I went to the store and proceeded to buy up four or five different brands of the stuff. This recipe called for a bread machine so I got yeast for bread machines. But did I stop there? I think not! I bought a different brand than I usually do, I bought quick rise yeast, I brought yeast in a jar and yeast in packets....yea, I think I pretty much cornered the local yeast market. Not to mention, doomed myself to having to make yeast products every day for the next....year or so.

But, guess what? Turns out I was pretty smart because when I went to use my bread machine, one of the parts was missing - and since it was the internal kneader paddle, I figured we had a bit of a crisis on our hands. I haven't used my machine in a very long time so it's quite possible my housecleaner threw that piece out...or I did. All I know is I haven't seen it in years and I was certainly not going to waste time looking for something that probably doesn't exist anymore, in this household. Especially when I could go online and order a new one for seven dollars!

Well, isn't it a good thing I bought the non-bread machine yeast too???? Fortunately there were alternate directions for using my Kitchenaid mixer so I was back in business.

When I proofed my first batch of yeast it didn't produce the look of foaming that showed in the pictures I now had as proof of what good yeast should look like. Nothing to do but dump that batch and start over. The second try yielded a frothing, clumping mass just like on the internet so I was ready to go.

I wish I'd started making my rolls a tad bit earlier because, with rising time, I was up until past midnight putting these rolls together. When I lamented on how little my rolls were rising, it hit me that in our San Diego June gloom weather my house stays very cool, especially at night. When I checked the front hall thermostat the reading was at a somewhat chilly 66 degrees - certainly not optimum levels for dough to magically expand. I decided to use a trick suggested from one of the folks on the internet - turn the oven to 200, let it heat, then turn it off, open the oven door and let the buns sit inside the now warmed interior. This did the trick and I had a lovely batch of risen rolls, ready to be cooked in the morning.

In another bout of bad timing, I cooked my Cinnabons just in time for Martin to leave for a golf lesson. Curses! He was the one I'd imagined eating a hot roll straight out of the oven and dripping with yummy warm icing. This left me with no other choice than to wake up Brian and make him come down and eat one for me. Sometimes trying to roust that boy out of a deep sleep can be a completely futile experience but the word of fresh cinnamon rolls was enough to get him up and downstairs posthaste. As first taster, he gave a hearty thumbs up and I could be happy.

Martin gave them the most glowing review ever - in the form of a story about his past. "These rolls remind me of high school!" was the way he began letting me know what he thought of my efforts. This led to a story about his freshman year in college when a lady would come to the school at 5 am every morning, set up working in a little trailer and produce the "world's best cinnamon buns". She would only make so many every day so kids would literally run to her trailer, in hopes of being one of the lucky few. (Sounds like my hubby was among the fleet-footed successful ones on a regular basis.) By his sophomore year, the lady was no longer on campus so a replacement was put in her place. She, however, would serve up some kind of store-bought, wretched substitute that pleased no one. Then came junior year and the trailer was completely gone, along with ladies baking or buying morning sweet rolls.

So, in eating Cinnabon's at the mall, Martin is actually trying to recreate the taste of those marvelous cinnamon rolls from his high school era. The rolls I have now unwittingly managed to duplicate!

Cinnabon Clones

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

2 eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup margarine, melted

4 1/2 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup white sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, softened

Topping:

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.

2. If using a Kitchenaid - Dissolve the milk and sugar then add the yeast. Let that get foamy on the top, then add the salt, eggs, and oil. Using the Kitchenaid, mix in with the flour a little at a time, using the paddle. Switch to the bread hook to continue kneading. When it is mixed well enough, finish kneading by hand. A good trick to keep it from sticking or becoming too dry is to use butter flavored cooking spray instead of flour. After it was ready, I let it rise and continued with the rest of the recipe as usual.

3. After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.

4. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture.

5. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

6. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

7. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.