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Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting….

Posted by on December 26, 2010
Cinnamon rolls…..I don’t think there is a more delicious treat on the planet!  They take some time to make, but they’re sooooo worth it.  Try making them up until the second rising (right before baking) and put them in the refrigerator until morning.  Then right into the oven to bake.  Top the hot rolls with cream cheese frosting….your people with sprint out of bed when they smell them!  Here we go:
Step #1
In a large mixing bowl add yeast to warm water, sugar, salt, and a small amount of flour, whisk to blend.  Allow these ingredients to get acquainted for about 10 minutes.  (The water should be warm, not hot.  Use water the same temperature you’d give to a baby to drink)
Once the water and yeast ingredients are well acquainted, add the beaten eggs, warm milk, and cooled melted butter.  Whisk to blend.
Step #2
Add the whole wheat flour and some of the all purpose flour.
Beat until smooth, without lumps.  Add additional flour and continue to mix….
Step #3
Dump onto board when it looks like this.  Knead with your hands to bring all the ingredients together for 2-3 minutes.  Use enough extra flour to do so without the dough sticking to your hands.
Once you have a nice ball of dough, generously butter a medium size bowl and plop the dough into it.

Butter the top of the dough with soft butter as well.

Cover with a clean kitchen towel.  It being Christmas time, I thought red appropriate.  Allow to rise for 45-60 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Step #4

 Once doubled, press your fingers into the dough. 

If you leave imprints, it’s ready.
Punch down the dough to release most of the air.
Plop onto floured board….
Roll into a large rectangle.  I had to take the picture from this angle because it was so wide!
Smear the entire piece of dough with butter…generously….In the video, I brush melted butter over the dough.  I find you can get more butter onto the dough by smearing softened butter.  Either way is good.
Now a good sprinkling of cinnamon….
and brown sugar….
Step #5
Roll from the bottom edge up to the top….

Pinch the seam to close.  Pinch the ends closed as well.  Slice into 1″ pieces and into two well buttered 9″ cake pans or a 9″x13″ pan.

Aren’t they pretty?  Now cover with the clean kitchen towel to rise for another 45-60 minutes.  If you want to bake in the morning, you would cover and refrigerate at this point.
They have risen….you can see that they have filled the pan nicely.  Bake in preheated 350′ oven for 25 minutes.  While baking, prepare the frosting….
Step #6
Add the softened butter and cream cheese to a deep small bowl. 
Beat until blended.  Add powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. 
The frosting should be thick and rich….
Step #7
Ah, can you imagine the smell in my house????  Cool for a few minutes and invert onto a plate, then onto a serving plate.
Ice the hot cinnamon rolls.
Enjoy immediately!
Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 package dry yeast, about 2 ½ teaspoons
1 cup warm milk (microwave 30 seconds)
2 beaten eggs
3 tablespoons melted butter, cooled
¼ cup whole wheat flour
4 ½ to 5 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons softened butter
1-2 tablespoons cinnamon
½ cup brown sugar

Cream Cheese Frosting

3 tablespoons softened butter
4 ounces softened cream cheese
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

1) In a large mixing bowl, add warm water, salt, sugar, 2 tablespoons of flour, and dry yeast, whisk to blend. Let stand for 10 minutes.
2) Meanwhile, melt butter in microwave and cool until warm. (no hot ingredients can go into the yeast mixture, it will kill it!) Add to yeast mixture. Add warm milk and beaten eggs as well.
3) Add whole wheat flour and 3 cups of all purpose flour. Beat so there are no lumps. Add 1 ½ cups flour to the bowl. Stir until most ingredients have moistened.
4) Dump onto lightly floured board or counter top. Knead for about 2 minutes or until the dough has come into a soft ball of dough.  Use enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the board.
5) Grease a medium size bowl with butter and place the dough ball into it. Butter the top of the dough with one teaspoon of softened butter. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and place in a draft free, warm space. Allow to rise for 45-60 minutes or until doubled in bulk. Press with fingers and when you leave fingerprints in the dough it’s ready.
6) Punch down the dough to release the air. Plop the dough onto a lightly floured board. Roll into a large rectangle, about 16”x 24”.
7) Smear the two tablespoons of softened butter over the dough, distribute evenly.
8) Generously sprinkle the rectangle with cinnamon. I do not measure the cinnamon, just be sure to have an even coating of cinnamon.
9) Evenly distribute the brown sugar over the rectangle.  If you like, add chopped walnuts or pecans.
10) Starting at the bottom of the rectangle, roll to the top, rolling as tightly as possible. Punch the ends together and the seam down the roll.
11) Generously butter two 9” cake pans. Cut the log of dough into 1” pieces and place into pans. Cover with the kitchen towel and allow to rise again for 45-60 minutes.
12) While the rolls are rising, make the frosting. In a small and deep bowl, beat the softened 3 tablespoons of butter and 4 ounces of cream cheese until blended. Add powdered sugar all at once and 2 tablespoons of milk, and vanilla. Beat on lowest speed. Add the last tablespoon of milk, scrape down the sides. Add a little more milk if necessary. I dare you not to taste!
13) Preheat oven to 350’. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven. Cool for about 5 minutes. Invert onto a plate to get it out of the pan and then onto serving plate so that the cinnamon rolls are right side up. Ice with the frosting. Enjoy!
*do not allow to cool for long in the pans, the butter/sugar mixture will harden and make the rolls stick to the pan.
*If you’d like the rolls in the morning, right after you shape them into cinnamon rolls, cover with plastic wrap and kitchen towels. Refrigerate overnight. Go right from the refrigerator to a 350’ preheated oven. They may take a few minutes longer to bake. Cinnamon Roll Demonstration

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Fruit and Cream Cheese Kringle…..Detailed Instruction…..

Posted by on December 18, 2010
As promised, Kringle!  I’ve been blustering and blustering about it.  Be warned,  you will not be able to stay away from it.  It’s a delicious butter/yeast dough with a cream cheese and fruit filling…..It stays moist for up to three days, if it lasts that long!  This is one of the easiest pastries I’ve ever made.  It is a yeast dough but it isn’t made the typical way yeast is used.  You mix the dough the night before, refrigerate overnight, then shape and bake the next morning.  Shaping takes only 20-30 minutes.  This will be your go to recipe for any holiday going forward.

You MUST try this!  It is so beautiful and you will be so proud to bring it to gatherings with your family and friends.  Here we go….

Step #1:

To begin you blend the butter with the flour and a little salt.  I use the food processor but you can use a hand pastry blender.  Be sure to really incorporate the butter into the flour.  It should look like coarsely ground cornmeal.

Step #2:

Add the liquid.  This is so interesting, you mix cold milk, eggs, and yeast in a measuring cup and beat with a fork to blend.  Then you dump these ingredients into the flour/butter mixture.

Step #3:

Mix so most of the ingredients have moistened  it should look like this.

Step #4:

Empty the bowl onto your counter or board.  Now the fun part.  Knead this mound of dough into a ball.  This should take only a minute or two.  No need to add more flour here unless absolutely necessary.

Step #5:

Are we having fun yet???  I love the feel of a lovely dough such as this on my hands, it’s very therapeutic.  Divide that large ball into two.

Step #5:

Wrap each ball loosely with cling wrap and put into a large zip bag.   You’re done until morning.

Step #6:

The first thing to do in the morning is beat softened cream cheese with sugar.  Get your fruit preserves out as well.

Next, on a lightly floured board or counter, roll out one of the dough balls into a large rectangle.  About 12″ x 18″ or so.

Step #7:

Using half of the cream cheese/sugar mixture, spread evenly over the rectangle of dough, leaving about a one inch boarder.

Step #8

Spread the preserves evenly over the cream cheese.  Ok, can you even imagine how delicious this is going to be???  Cream cheese, fruit preserves, butter dough…..

Step #9:

Start to roll one end of dough towards the center.  Once you get about half way, roll the other side towards the center.  Once both ends are rolled inward, pinch the ends together.  Place on a large parchment lined cookie sheet. 

They should look like this.  I did one raspberry and one apricot.  Into the oven at 350′ for 25 minutes.  While the Kringle is baking, make the icing…

This icing is very simple, just powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk.  This is the consistency you want.  Not too loose but will cling nicely to the warm pastry.

When they’re finished baking, simply slide the paper with the kringle right onto the cooling rack.  Cool for about 10 minutes and they’re ready for drizzle.

Drizzle back and forth with the icing.   Every try drizzling a Kringle with one hand and taking a picture with the other???

I originally found this recipe in a Penzey’s catalog but made some slight changes to the recipe.  Ever since I first made it, it has been my absolute favorite for Christmas morning.  I hope you enjoy it as much as my family!

Kringle

Dough:

4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 package of dry yeast or 2 1/2 teaspoons

Cream cheese filling:

1 8 oz. package softened cream cheese
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons your favorite fruit preserves or filling

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4-6 teaspoons milk

1) Add flour, butter, sugar, and salt to your food processor. Blend until the flour resembles coarse corn meal-or-blend in a large bowl with a pastry blender.
2) Measure out 1 cup of milk in a two cup measuring cup. Add yeast and eggs. Beat with a fork to combine.
3) Add liquid to the dry ingredients. Mix well with a fork until the dry ingredients are moistened.
4) Empty bowl onto counter and knead with your hands to make a soft dough. Divide into two pieces and shape into balls.
5) Wrap in plastic wrap and put into a large zip bag. Refrigerate overnight.
THE NEXT MORNING:
6) Preheat oven to 350’. Line a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Set aside.
7) Roll out one of the dough balls into a 12” x 18” rectangle. Spread half of the cream cheese over the dough, then spread 2 tablespoons of the preserves evenly over the cream cheese.
8) Roll both short ends of the dough towards the center. Pinch the ends together. Place on the prepared cookie sheet and bake for 25 minutes. In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar, vanilla, and 4 teaspoons of milk. Mix well, add more milk if necessary to get the right consistency.
9) Remove from oven and slide the kringles right onto a cooling rack. Cool for 5-10 minutes before drizzling. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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