Weekend Baking Session # 14

One of the oldest spices known to mankind is cinnamon. It was the primary motive of world exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries. Cinnamon comes in two varieties namely Ceylon cinnamon and cassia. The cinnamon bark is peeled and rolled one in another into long, slender ‘quills’. These strips of rolled barks are called cinnamon sticks. Cinnamon also comes in powder form.

Cinnamon Stick and Cinnamon Powder

Cinnamon is strongly aromatic, sweet, pleasant, warm and woody. It is used as condiment and flavouring material. Cinnamon adds a lovely fragrance to savoury dishes. Its sweet-spicy flavour enhances the taste of vegetables and fruits. Cinnamon is the most important baking spice. It is used especially in apple pies to mellow the tartness. It is also infused in wine or punch to give a delightful aroma.

For this edition, Weekend Baking Session comes with one of the most popular baking that uses cinnamon.

Cinnamon Rolls

What do we need:

Rolls:
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup warm milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp instant yeast
1/2 tsp salt

Filling:
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup brown sugar (or more if desired)
1/4 cup raisins or nuts (if desired)
1 tbsp cinnamon powder

Topping:
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

How do we do it:

Dissolve yeast in the warm milk and let stand 5 minutes. Combine butter, egg, salt and the yeast mix. Add flour until dough is smooth and soft, but not sticky. Knead well. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Combine butter, brown sugar and cinnamon powder. Beat until smooth.

Roll dough out into a rectangle. Cover generously with the filling. Sprinkle the raisins or nuts if using any.




Starting from the long side, begin rolling the dough down to the bottom edge, swiss roll style. Cut the rolled dough into 1 inch slices and place on a lightly greased pan 1 inch apart in staggered rows. This is to ensure that the rolls cook evenly. Let the rolls rise again in a warm place until nearly double in size, approximately 30 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven at 200° C for 12-15 minutes.

While the rolls are baking, prepare the topping. Combine icing sugar, butter, milk and vanilla extract. Beat well until light and fluffy.




When the rolls are baked, remove from the oven. Drizzle the topping onto the rolls when they are still warm.




Serve the cinnamon rolls warm.