If I could have one thing for breakfast every day for the rest of my life it would be cinnamon rolls. Pizza is a close second.

These cinnamon rolls are so good. They take a bit of time, but it is not all hands on.

One of the best things about this recipe is that the rolls freeze perfectly. This is really good if you have overnight guests. And there was wine the night before. And you went to bed way too late. You can serve fabulous hot cinnamon rolls for breakfast without getting up at the crack of dawn to do so.

I had some issues with the quantities of flour in the dough and the cinnamon-sugar in the filling. My husband shook his head when I told him and asked me why on earth I was using an English recipe instead of, say, King Arthur Flour’s? Well, the cinnamon rolls looked so good in the magazine, and there was maple syrup in the icing, and you could freeze them. I was sold.

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients for the dough:

110ml warm water
1/2 oz active dry yeast
1 Tbs sugar
1 Kilo flour (approx 7 cups) Note: I did not need (knead, Ha!) nearly so much. Just over 5 cups gave me a smooth dough.
75g (2 5/8 oz) custard powder (I used Bird’s)
4 oz butter, melted
2 eggs
16 oz milk

Ingredients for filling:

2 1/2 Tbs cinnamon
18 oz (2 1/4 cup) sugar
4 oz melted butter

Note: This is A LOT of filling. I just couldn’t imagine using it all up. I had about 1 cup of cinnamon-sugar left over. I put this in a container to use to make cinnamon toast, etc. Definitely let me know if you use the full quantity in the cinnamon rolls. I’d love to find out how they tasted. Mine were divine with the lesser amount.

Ingredients for Icing:

7 oz cream cheese, softened
3 oz butter, softened
13 oz (2 2/3 cup) confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs milk
4 Tbs maple syrup
3 Tbs lemon juice

Directions:

1. Combine water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside to proof for 20 minutes.

2. In another bowl combine 5 cups of flour, custard powder and 1 tsp salt. Set aside.

3. In bowl of a stand mixer, mix the eggs with the butter and activated yeast mixture and milk. It will look like sludge.

4. Gradually add the flour mixture and knead the mixture with a dough hook for about 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic, adding more flour as necessary.

5. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a cloth and leave it to rise for an hour.

6. After an hour the dough should be almost doubled in size. Punch the mixture down, recover and let rise for another 45 minutes.

7. Divide the dough in half. Place the half on a lightly floured surface and roll into a 10×15 inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.

8. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar for the filling. Spread half of the melted butter over the dough and liberally sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar leaving a 1 inch margin along one long edge.

9. Roll up the dough tightly (this is important). Start from the long edge nearest to you and roll up to the edge without any sugar. Press together along the edge without sugar to seal.

10. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the roll of dough at approximately 1 1/4 inch intervals and place the slices flat down on the paper positioning them roughly 1 inch apart.

11. Repeat steps 7 to 10 for the other half of the dough.

12. Cover all of the cinnamon rolls with a cloth and leave to rest until they have doubled in size, around 20 to 30 minutes.

13. Preheat oven to 350℉/180C/gas 4. Place the cinnamon rolls in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on them and remove as soon as they turn a slightly golden color. You don’t want them to go too brown.

14. Make the icing by mixing all the ingredients until smooth and creamy. Pour over the cinnamon rolls and leave to cool and set a little. They are best eaten warm.

What makes these cinnamon even more fantastic is that you can freeze them for up to two months. Be sure to put them in a covered plastic container where the icing won’t touch the lid since the icing stays soft even after freezing. I tried using a ziploc for some and it was a mess. They didn’t look as pretty, but still were delicious.

To reheat, microwave one roll for 20 seconds, 30-40 seconds for four.

Recipe from Simon Vowles courtesy of BBC Good Food Magazine

Rock and Roll is most definitely defined differently by everyone. These are some of my favorite rock songs.

You know I love concept albums. ‘Go To Hell’ has to be one of the best. It has stood the test of time. I love the story.
Alice Cooper-Wish You Were Here

Roxy Music. Just saying the band’s name makes me happy.
Roxy Music-Love Is The Drug

I cannot listen to this song without putting my hands to my ears. Ouch. Thanks, Quentin.
Stealers Wheel-Stuck In The Middle With You

Cheers!