Sugar, my guilty pleasure.
Baking has to pretty close to the top of my favourite-things-to-do list. The whole process is so enjoyable for me. It's all about creating something so sweetly satisfying that makes your house smell like a home. However, as unfortunate as it is, eating the baking is even closer to the top of my favourite-things-to-do list. Yes, I love to eat the final result and this is why I don't do a whole lot of baking. It's far too dangerous for me to have muffins, cookies, or loaves lurking in the pantry at night time. I just know I will give in to temptation.
And this is why I need a bit of a push, an excuse, any excuse to do some baking. Visitors are coming? Great I will make some slice. Someone's birthday? Cake it is. Chocolate was on special? Cookies, I'll see you soon.
So when it was requested to me this week that I do a blog on cinnamon scrolls, I jumped at the opportunity. Not only did I have a whole day off from study, but my flat mate's new camera equipment arrived this week. Excuses were flying at me from every angle. Why not spend a day researching cinnamon scrolls (seeing as I had never made them before), making and trialing recipes, and taking photos of the final result. The perfect Friday afternoon!
So here we have it, my final result. Sweet Cinnamon Scrolls glazed with icing. I chose to go with a recipe that is simple because as I have discovered, a lot of recipes for sweet scrolls are quite complicated. And honestly, the simpler the better. Not everyone has time to spend hours baking. Even for me this was an odd occasion. So please do give them a go, don't be scared of making the dough, it's easy I promise!
Baking has to pretty close to the top of my favourite-things-to-do list. The whole process is so enjoyable for me. It's all about creating something so sweetly satisfying that makes your house smell like a home. However, as unfortunate as it is, eating the baking is even closer to the top of my favourite-things-to-do list. Yes, I love to eat the final result and this is why I don't do a whole lot of baking. It's far too dangerous for me to have muffins, cookies, or loaves lurking in the pantry at night time. I just know I will give in to temptation.
And this is why I need a bit of a push, an excuse, any excuse to do some baking. Visitors are coming? Great I will make some slice. Someone's birthday? Cake it is. Chocolate was on special? Cookies, I'll see you soon.
So when it was requested to me this week that I do a blog on cinnamon scrolls, I jumped at the opportunity. Not only did I have a whole day off from study, but my flat mate's new camera equipment arrived this week. Excuses were flying at me from every angle. Why not spend a day researching cinnamon scrolls (seeing as I had never made them before), making and trialing recipes, and taking photos of the final result. The perfect Friday afternoon!
So here we have it, my final result. Sweet Cinnamon Scrolls glazed with icing. I chose to go with a recipe that is simple because as I have discovered, a lot of recipes for sweet scrolls are quite complicated. And honestly, the simpler the better. Not everyone has time to spend hours baking. Even for me this was an odd occasion. So please do give them a go, don't be scared of making the dough, it's easy I promise!
There is only one problem... these beauties taunt me at night time. They are dangerously awesome so make sure you have guests coming over when you make them - they are best eaten on the day!
Ingredients
Dough:
2 1/2 cups flour
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp dry activated yeast
1/2 cup water
1/4 milk
50 grams butter
1 egg
Filling
60 grams butter melted
2 Tbsp cinnamon
2 heaped Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
Basic Icing
50 grams butter
1-2 cups icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
boiling water as needed
How to
1. Preheat your oven to 100°C. Grease a pie dish with butter and set aside.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and yeast and then set aside.
3. In a sauce pan heat butter, water, and milk over a medium heat until hot (do not boil). Once hot, pour into the flour mixture, add the egg and mix to make a soft dough. The dough should not be sticky but rather soft and elastic. If it is sticky, add a Tbsp of flour at a time till it comes right.
Once you have a soft ball of dough kneed it on a floured surface for 5 minutes and then let it rest for 10 minutes.
4. Roll the dough out to a large rectangle ready to coat with the filling.
5. In a bowl mix the sugars and cinnamon together. Cover the dough in the melted butter and then sprinkle the sugar mixture on the top.
6. Starting from one end, tightly roll the dough into one long scroll. With a serrated knife, cut the dough into about 10 or 11 different pieces.
7. Place the scrolls in your prepared dish and cover with tin foil. Place them in your preheated oven and then turn the oven off! This will help your scrolls rise in the perfect environment. Now leave them there for 1 1/2 hours.
8. Once, risen bake scrolls uncovered for 20-25 minutes until nicely browned.
Icing
For the scrolls I recommend two different types of icing. Just use the basic icing recipe ingredients and then add these yummy extras. You choose! I know this recipe for icing is vague but every time I make icing I do it differently. It really depends how much icing you want and what kind of texture you want.
Brown Sugar Icing
Cream the butter and add 2 Tbsp brown sugar. Whisk until smooth. Add 1-2 cups of icing sugar and vanilla essence then whisk all together. Too thick? Add tsp of boiling water at a time to thin it out. Too runny? Add 1/2 cup icing sugar at a time to thicken it up.
Coffee Icing
To make this icing instead of adding the brown sugar like above, add a shot of coffee! Dissolve as much coffee as you want (I use 1-2 tsp grounded coffee) in a small (less than 1/4 cup!) amount of boiling water. Coffee icing on cinnamon scrolls is amazing!
Once the icing is made literally drizzle it over the warm sweet buns and you are done. Don't they look beautiful?
I hope you enjoy these as much as my house hold has enjoyed the numerous times I have made them recently. Happy baking everyone, try not to turn into your own personal version of a cinnamon scroll!
-Sophea
