Whee, Riku is back with more delicious foodstuffs. Today, it's CINNAMON ROLLS, HECK YES.
FIRST THINGS FIRST.
Make sure your kitchen is clean
Meh. They could have made more of a mess.
Select mad beats.
Now, make sure you are wearing proper attire. For something like this, Riku recommends pajamas. And Fairy Princess slippers.
What? You don't have any? Fairy princess slippers are cool. Like bowties and fezzes. GET SOME.
Apron is good. There's a lot of flour dust flying around.
And FOR GOD'S SAKE TIE YOUR HAIR BACK. It is never good to find hair in your dough.
And now you wash your hands, because no one likes germs in their food.
ON TO THE COOKING.
INGREDIENTS:
DOUGH
1 (1/4 ounce) package dry yeast
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
4-3/4 cups flour
FILLING
1-1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 3/4 tablespoons cinnamon
1- 1/2 Tbs. cocoa powder (optional)
1/3 cup butter, softened
ICING
8 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS.
Okay, first you need to heat your milk. This is very important, because if you don't, then the yeast won't rise properly. Riku recommends putting it in something that holds 2 cups, rather than just 1, because she once found her milk splattered all over the inside of the microwave.
Once it's heated, check the temperature. It should be about 125F/ 57C
Pour it into the mixer bowl you'll use, and add the yeast.
If you have a jar of yeast rather than individual packets, then use 1/2 tsp. That's about 1/4 oz.
Dissolve the yeast in the milk. there might still be a few little bumps that refuse to dissolve, but that's okay.
Add the Sugar, Butter, Salt, Eggs and Flour into the mixer.
If your butter doesn't have markings on the wrapper, then it will just be about 2/3 of a stick.
Riku always kind of folds it together a bit prior to actual mixing in order to prevent the flour from poofing everywhere. You should also use the hook attachment. This applies to most dough.
The dough is done mixing when it all kind of clings to the hook, and the sides of the bowl are pretty much clean.
Now, get a nice clean spot on your counter, as well as your hands all floured up, and dump the dough onto it. it should come off the hook really easily once you start it.
Knead it a bit, until it looks almost completely smooth and it's not really sticky anymore.
To knead dough, you don't just squish it and slap it about like Playdoh. You dig the heel of your hands into it, and press down and forward. Then you fold it in half and do it again.
Now, you shape it into a ball, and put it in a greased bowl, and cover it with greased plastic wrap.
There is a trick to doing this. You pull the plastic wrap over one side of the bowl, without cutting it off, then you lift the box with the roll of plastic. Spray the underside of it, then cut the plastic and fold the rest of it down over the bowl.
Put the bowl in a warm, non drafty place, such as a microwave. Let the dough rest and rise for about an hour.
During this hour you may choose one of many activities, such as looking at the beautiful scenery around your house. Or, if you're unlucky like Riku, you are required to clean your house during this time.
When you come back to it, it should be about double its previous volume.
Now, you mix up the filling.
Just dump the ingredients into a bowl and mix with a fork. It may be a little lumpy, but that's alright.
[img]http://a.imageshack.us/img715/9979/filling1.jpg[img]
If you decide that you don't want this much filling, then just reduce the amount to about half.
Roll out your dough on the floury counter, and flatten the stuff our until it's about 20x16 inches/ 50x40 cm.
Now is the time to preheat. For softer rolls, go for 375F/190C, for ones with more of a crust, opt to 400F/205C.
Now you spread another 1/3 cup of butter over the dough. it doesn't have to be perfect, just relatively even. Spread the filling about.
Now, from the top edge (long side), roll down to the edge nearest you. Don't worry if it doesn't start out very pretty. The start of the roll is always the hardest part.
Once it's all rolled up, make sure that the seam is pinched shut. After that, use a chopping knife to cut the rolls in about 1 inch/ 2.5 cm slices. set them in a 13x9 pan (or whatever the European equivalent is) in a 3x4 row. Put the rest into smaller pans, such as small loaf pans, or maybe a round cake pan.
Put back in the microwave (which if you're lucky like me will be just over your lovely warm oven, to aid in the rising). Let them sit for another half hour to rise again. This will make them even more fluffy.
Then you bake them for about 10 minutes in a dark pan, and about 15-20 in a light pan.
While they're getting baked out of their cinnamon-filled minds, mix your icing ingredients together. Use a hand mixer and beat the icing until it's all fluffeh.
Remember mixer safety, and always take the beaters out BEFORE you stick your tongue in them.
Once the cinnamon rolls are out (WEAR YOUR OVEN MITTS, OR ELSE RIKU WILL HAVE TO BEAT YOU UPSIDE THE HEAD WITH A HOT OVEN RACK TO DEMONSTRATE HOW HER OVEN MITTS PROTECTED HER HANDS WHILE SHE WAS ASSAULTING YOU), feed them some of the delicious icing, because they're so baked that they've got the munchies. At this point, so will you, but you have to wait until they cool.
Then you enjoy.
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