Our Sunday Morning Tradition {Cinnamon Rolls}

I am not sure when it started.  But somehow, it started, and has continued for who knows how long.  Sunday mornings are known at Cinnamon Roll mornings.  It all started with me buying Pillsbury cans so that my husband could pop them in the oven while I got ready for church.  I'll be honest with you, most of the time it is a can of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls (or the orange ones. . . those are my favorite).  The kids look forward to it. . . I look forward to it.  It's pretty awesome.

Sometimes, I get a little crazy (not really, though) and make a batch of real cinnamon rolls the night before.  One batch can usually make two pie plates full of them, which is great because I can freeze one set for another Sunday.  Either way, I still don't have to get up early in the morning and make a nice breakfast for my family and all my husband has to do is stick them in the oven.  It really is great!

Cinnamon rolls are not really as hard as they look.  Once you get the dough done (or defrosted), it really only takes about 15 minutes and it's completely worth it, because as good as those canned cinnamon rolls are. . . these are way better!

So here are my Cinnamon Roll method:

I usually make my dough from various recipes on Pinterest using my bread maker (don't have one. . . it's pretty worth it. . . especially since I am a lazy bread maker).  There are a ton of really awesome recipes out there and I've tried several, and I think I like them all.  If you don't feel like making your own dough, go pick up some plain old pizza dough from Trader Joe's or some basic bread dough from the freezer section at your local grocery store (like this one).

Roll it out on a floured surface.  If you are finding that it seems to bounce back, let it rest for a few minutes and then come back to it.

I usually melt a stick of butter and spread it over the dough with a pastry brush.  Then in bowl, I mix some brown sugar, white sugar, and cinnamon up (I don't measure. . . sorry).  sprinkle it liberally over the buttered dough.  Then roll it up as tight as possible.  Slice it about every inch and place in a greased pan.  I like to use my Pyrex pie plate for this, but you can use whatever you like.  If you are wanting to freeze it, I recommend a 9x9 square pan lined with foil, so you can easily take out after flash freezing. I wrap it in additional foil and then stick in a freezer bag.

If you are making them the night before, take them out a little early, to give them time to rise a bit before sticking them in the oven.  I usually bake them at 350 for 20-30 minutes until they are golden brown.  

If you want to put on a frosting, I highly recommend a cream cheese frosting like this one.

Then try not to eat them all. . . or not. . . I won't tell.

If you want to make other kinds with out all that work, you can use some crescent roll dough and make mini ones using the same method.

or you can try this, this, this, or this.

Happy Cinnamon Roll Making!