Cinnamon Rolls

This is a quick and delicious recipe. No need for yeast or rising!

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

CourseAnytime, bread, Breakfast, Brunch, Snack

CuisineAmerican, north american, scandinavian

Keywordcinnamon buns, cinnamon rolls

Servings15 rolls

2 cups all-purpose flour for a more complex taste, you can swap out 1/2 cup for whole wheat
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
cinnamon optional
8 tbsp cold, salted butter, in chunks if unsalted, add 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup whole milk plus a bit more if needed
butter, to grease pan

Mix all of the dry ingredients. Cut in the butter until mixture appears to be all large crumbs. Add milk and stir to combine into one lump of dough, not too wet, not too dry. Knead into a round oval.

On a floured surface, using a lightly-floured rolling pin, roll out the dough into a large rectangle of about 7x14 inches, about 1/4 inch thick. Brush entire surface generously with melted butter. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar mixture over the butter evenly. Add butter and/or cinnamon/sugar mixture until the whole rectangle is covered and you almost can't see the dough. Depending on how large you were able to roll it out, you may not use the whole cinnamon mixture. But do not skimp on butter! Most of the mixture should not look dry once spread onto the dough. If too much is dry, add more melted butter.
Gently roll the edge of one of the longer sides of the rectangle towards the other long side, keeping it rather tight. When rolled completely, pinch the dough together gently so that you have a full log.
Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 1" thick slices. Grease a baking pan. Place the slices on their sides so that you see the spiral, spaced out a bit to allow spread (see photo).

You can bake immediately in a preheated, 350 degree oven, but we like to let the flour absorb, sometimes even over night in the fridge.
If rolls were in the fridge, allow to come to room temperature before baking. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, until the edges are browning slightly, turning the pan halfway through.

In a small bowl, using a fork, mix the extract(s) of choice into powdered sugar with milk or water (milk will yield a creamer frosting, water more of a glazed icing). It should be watery enough to drizzle over the rolls, yet thick enough to hold some shape when you do so. Adjust ingredients to desired taste and consistency.
When rolls have cooled a few minutes (if you are able to fend off anyone within' the vicinity that has been smelling it cook!), drizzle with icing and enjoy.
Ten bucks says they will all disappear before the pan has time to fully cool. Yum. Yum. Yum.