Our Flat Baking Basket fits perfectly into our Rectangle Window Box for pretty gifting. I baked 6 “Homemade” Cinnamon Rolls (from frozen bread dough) in the Flat Baking Basket, then packaged in our Rectangle Window Box for our Christmas deliveries.
There is nothing quite like homemade cinnamon rolls. My mom is famous for her homemade cinnamon rolls – she makes the dough from scratch and tops them with cream cheese icing (recipe here). For those of us that don’t have the patience (or time) to make homemade dough like my Mom, I have a great shortcut for you : frozen bread dough. Frozen bread dough and I go back a long time. At our first “supper club” back in 2006 (?) I made “homemade” bread from frozen bread dough. The guys (including my future husband, who I hadn’t started dating yet…) went crazy. They said they had never tasted anything so amazing – it was soft, moist, light, chewy… they went on and on. Mike still talks about that bread to this day – maybe that was what attracted him to me! Sadly, I don’t think I’ve ever made it for him since that night – oops! Guess I’ll have to put that on our list. His birthday is coming up!
The point to that story (sorry…) is that I believe the appeal of “homemade” bread is not the fact that it is made “at home,” but that it is fresh baked. I use that very same frozen bread dough to make cinnamon rolls that taste, look and smell just like homemade dough – but the hard part is already done for me! All I have to do is thaw the dough, roll it out, butter, cinnamon and sugar, rise & bake. It really takes no time at all – it just has to be done the night before to allow for the rolls to rise. So, whether you want to call them “Homemade” or “Fresh Baked” Cinnamon Rolls – they will definitely be a “Keeper” recipe, I’m sure!
“Homemade” Cinnamon Rolls from frozen bread dough
makes 24 large rolls
3 loaves of frozen bread dough, thawed (it comes 3 to a bag)
8 tablespoons of butter, softened
1 1/2 cup of brown sugar
4 tablespoons of cinnamon
butter icing glaze (recipe below)
Thaw three loaves of frozen bread dough in the refrigerator or on the counter (there are directions for thawing on the bag). Allow the thawed dough to rise for 1-2 hours in a warm area covered with a damp cloth. Roll the dough out into a rectangle onto a floured surface. Spread softened butter on the rolled out dough. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon over the dough. Roll up the dough into a log. Slice into 2-inch thick rolls. Place into a buttered pan, or one lined with parchment paper. Cover with a warm damp towel and allow to rise 1-2 hours in a warm area. If you are preparing the night before and baking in the morning, keep them in the refrigerator and let them rise about 1 hour before baking. When the rolls have doubled in size, bake them at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes until they begin to brown. Top with Butter Icing Glaze.
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Butter Icing Glaze for Cinnamon Rolls
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of milk
powdered sugar
Melt butter with milk in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add powdered sugar until the glaze is the right consistency – it should pour, but not be runny. The heat from the cinnamon rolls will help the glaze to melt over them easily.
Rhodes frozen bread dough can be found everywhere. There are 3 loaves in each package.
I made a large batch and used all three loaves. This is what they’ll look like when they’ve risen.
I rolled them out 1 at a time. Spread the softened butter.
Now the brown sugar.
And the cinnamon. Then roll up the dough into one long roll.
Your roll can be longer or shorter – it doesn’t really matter.
I made different sized batches in different pans. I plan to bake them and put them in the freezer for various occasions. This one has 6 large rolls.
I like how the rolls bake in muffin pans – they are very pretty and more individual.
This is what the rolls look like when they have risen overnight – doubled in size.
Essentials Used: