Fresh from the oven cinnamon rolls are something special. Very little is as satisfying in the morning – especially when you’ve made them yourself rather than reverting to the cans. (Incidentally, I hate those things! The cans, not the prefab cinnamon rolls.)
Start with your favorite biscuit dough. I use a basic baking powder biscuit recipe that I’ll share at the end of the post.
Roll the dough out as though you were making biscuits, only thinner.
Spread softened butter over the dough. You could also use margarine. I don’t happen to buy margarine; I figure something natural (churned cream) has to be better than a bunch of chemicals formulated to taste like the natural item. Anyway.
Next, mix about 1/3 cup sugar (granulated or raw/turbinado) with about 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon. Or you could use the pre-mixed stuff from the spice aisle.
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the buttered dough.
Roll the dough up, starting from the long side.
Cut the dough into discs.
Place in a pan, cut sides up (and down…).
Bake at 425° for 12-15 minutes.
You can make a glaze to go on top if you want, but I never do. These are good enough that they don’t need one!
Baking Powder Biscuits
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup shortening
1 tbsp baking powder
3/4 cup milk
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut in shortening until dough resembles peas in size and shape. Mix in milk until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
You can use this dough for a variety of things: drop biscuits, cut biscuits, cinnamon rolls, and pot pie topping just to name a few.
Enjoy!
–Wendy