The Elusive Cinnamon Roll

I love cinnamon rolls. I prefer homemade vs. the canned version. And who doesn’t? They are bigger, softer and just plain yummy. Before I was married, and living with my grandparents, my Grandma was watching some daytime talk show – as she did everyday – and on it was Sandra Lee from Semi-Homemade Cooking. (Side note, once Justin started hanging around Granny’s he found he really liked Sandra Lee and her boozy self.)

That day she was demonstrating easy breakfast items. One of them was cinnamon rolls using Rhodes frozen bread dough. So I tried it and they were exactly what I was looking for. Big, soft and really yummy. So I added the recipe to my collection and would make them occasionally.

But there was a problem. Every version I made after that initial bake was the worst than the last. They progressively got worse and I wasn’t doing anything different! So I started experimenting thinking maybe I was doing something different. So I let the dough sit out overnight. Next time I would let the uncooked rolls rise for hours (over proofed. womp womp). I made my own dough. I added more butter. I didn’t use as much butter. I just couldn’t figure it out. (Speaking of BUTTER! Give these brown butter brioche rolls a try.)

And while I always have hope *this* batch will be it, they never are. Thankfully, Justin and Jules love to sample my “experiments” – because that’s what they’ve turned into. Experiments.

Now, Rhodes has sweet dough. So I tried that. And while I did get close, the middle rolls collapsed. I can make bread, croissants, rolls. Anything bread related but cinnamon rolls. I’ve even tried Pioneer Woman‘s and Alton Brown‘s but they have too many ingredients. There’s something to be said about semi-homemade. That Sandra Lee is onto something.

Here’s the video of Sandra Lee making her semi-homemade cinnamon rolls. Give them a try and see if you have better success than I’ve had. Recipe here.

 

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