Cinnamon Rolls and a memory of my Maw Maw

This week's theme at IHCC is breakfast in bed. I thought this such an appropriate theme with Mother's Day weekend right around the corner. There is nothing like waking up, smelling something wonderful coming from your kitchen and focusing your sleepy eyes on a delicious tray of food being served to you in bed. Thinks silently: "Pamper me, pamper me!" Why I would not even have to paint my face or "do" my hair. (note to self: put sticky notes on fridge as hints for my special guys.)

I chose Mark Bittman's Basic cinnamon Rolls recipe for my treat in bed. Okay, I prepared it, but I did lay across my bed and watched a few minutes of Lifetime television as I bit into the warm, iced, sugary cinnamony(not a word according to spell check, but is now an adjective in my home.) goodness that melted in my mouth. The cinnamon roll was warm, gooey and heavenly. I hardly noticed what was happening on the lifetime movie, no hero hunk, or sexy villain, not even someone professing love and desire could grab my attention.The cinnamon roll had my full attention! I was in the cinnamon roll zone!



Have you ever smelled something, or ate something that took them back in time, or perhaps brought back to your memory a special moment in your life? As I fought the urge to peek into the oven, and the smells wafted throughout my home it happened to me.

My Maw Maw, grandmother, baked cinnamon rolls. I remember Saturday mornings waking up, turning on cartoons and waiting for Maw Maw to finish breakfast. It was a special Saturday when Maw Maw would bake cinnamon rolls. She made them perfectly and mine today did not compare. What a sweet remembrance I experienced today in my kitchen. Doing something I love doing and remembering my Maw Maw, someone I love and my "mom" who played a huge part in raising me.

So yes, a very appropriate recipe for breakfast in bed, and for Mother's day. A recipe that brought back a special memory of my Maw Maw.


This is not a health conscious recipe. Perhaps some of the fat and calories could be tweaked if one used fat free cream cheese, and maybe just used less icing. Hey, it's Mother's Day soon, every mom deserves a treat.



***For the icing I used Honey nut cream cheese and I also buttered my cake pan. No way was I going to risk stickage. This is a basic recipe. Gosh, the possibilities could be endless..YUM. I was a patient,hungry and lurking grasshopper and let the dough rise for three hours.


Mark Bittman's Basic Cinnamon rolls:

Ingredients

For the dough:
2 1/2 cups All purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup sugar.
2 Tb. butter
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Cream Cheese Icing

8 tbs (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup (2 oz) cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
2-4 tbs cream (optional)

Directions

In food processor with steel blade, combine:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup sugar.
Pulse for 5 seconds. Then add:
2 Tb. butter
1 egg
and ****1/2 cup milk, drizzling in slowly*****
Process until dough ball forms, then knead dough until smooth and elastic. Place in a buttered bowl, let rise until doubled (at least 2 hours).
After rising, roll out dough into 1/2 inch-thick rectangle. Brush liberally with melted butter, spread with a mixture of 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon. Roll it up, seal the edges, and cut into 1- to 1-1/2- inch slices. Place individually in muffin tin or nestled together in round cake pan (Nadia notes: nestled snugly tastes better; they get too crispy in muffin tins), and let rise about 1 hour longer. Brush with additional butter and sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar, bake in 400-degree oven for about 20-25 minutes.

Cream Cheese Icing

8 tbs (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup (2 oz) cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
2-4 tbs cream (optional)

Mix all the ingredients except for the cream together in a medium bowl until fluffy. If it's too thick for your tastes, add some of the cream. Try not to eat it all before getting it onto the cinnamon buns.

makes 8 huge rolls