Cinnamon Rolls and Cream Cheese Frosting

When I took Foods class at my high school this past year, my group made cinnamon rolls, and they're one of the only things my group made that actually turned out good. The recipe was pretty complex, mostly because yeast breads are just-plain complicated. But it was definitely a recipe I'd keep on making--when I get the time, that is.

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

• 4 to 4-1/3 cups all-purpose flour (A range is given because, on a humid or rainy day, you might need more flour than usual.)
• 1 package active dry yeast (We used Quik-Rise, which has a rising time of about half the given amount.)
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs

For the topping (used in step four):

• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. I actually recommend doing this a tad differently. I'd rather proof my yeast first, which adds an extra step, but it guarantees the activation of your yeast, and if your yeast isn't going to activate, or you kill it, you'll know before it's too late, and you won't have to start your dough all over. To proof, mix the yeast with the milk. Warm the milk a little; it should feel barely warm to the touch, or lukewarm (which is 75-80°F). Add a pinch of your sugar. Let them sit together for a minute, and after a short while, it will start forming a foam. This means your yeast is activated, and ready to use. You don't have to do this, so if you don't want to, proceed to here-->  In a large mixing bowl, combine two cups of the flour and the yeast; set aside. In a medium saucepan, heat and stir milk, the 1/3 cup sugar, the 1/3 cup butter, and salt just till warm (105-115°F) and butter almost melts. Add milk mixture to dry mixture along with eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl. Beat on high speed three minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
2. Turn dough onto floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough (smooth and elastic), knead for 3-5 minutes. Shape dough into a ball. Place it in a lightly-greased bowl; turn it a few times to grease the dough. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free location until doubled. To test your dough to see if it has doubled, insert two clean fingers into the top of the dough. If indentations remain when you remove your fingers, dough is ready to punched down (see next step).
3. Make a fist and punch the dough down in the center. This deflates the dough and releases excess carbon dioxide (carbon dioxide in the gas that yeast gives off when it grows, which is why your dough rises). Turn your dough onto a lightly-floured surface. Divide in half. Cover your dough and let it rest for about ten minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease two 9 x 1-1/2 inch round pans.
4. Roll each dough half into a 12 x 8 inch rectangle. Brush melted butter over dough. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over dough. Jelly-roll your dough, starting on long side. Seal the seam by pinching along the length of the roll. Slice each roll into 12 slices (each slice about an inch and a half thick). Place cinnamon roll slices in the prepared pans. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free location till nearly doubled in size.
5. Bake your cinnamon rolls at 370°F for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, prepare frosting (see below).

Cream Cheese Frosting

When we made cinnamon rolls in class, most of the other groups were using the powdered sugar icing that accompanied the cinnamon roll recipe our teacher gave us. I thought to myself, 'How boring. Why not be different?' So I asked my teacher if I could make cream cheese frosting instead, and she was happy to let me. However, when I mentioned this change to my group, one person protested. "Cream cheese is gross!" he said. I just shook my head and assured him that cream cheese and cream cheese frosting do not taste alike. I told him to trust me, and he finally agreed to be okay with our modification. After I made the icing, I got a spoon and let him taste it, and I'm pretty sure he fell in love, because he tried to double-dip with the spoon. So here it is, the frosting that's been changing people's minds since...well, since I don't know when.

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened (this can be done very easily by heating it in the microwave for about twenty seconds at a time--in a microwave-safe bowl, of course)
• 1/4 cup butter, softened (soften it along with the cream cheese, if you want, but I recommend adding it after the cream cheese is half-way soft, or it will just melt)
• 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, beat ingredients together until well-blended; it'll be smooth and creamy.

After cinnamon rolls have cooled just a little, spread frosting over them, and for goodness sake, enjoy them!! ♥