Tuesday, August 10, 2010

$100,000 Cinnamon Rolls

My husband has been bugging me for weeks to make these $100,000 cinnamon rolls to take to work. I made them several months ago and his coworkers loved them. I have sent several baked goods with him to work, but the cinnamon rolls have been the biggest hit. I even entered them in a silent auction for a charity fundraiser and they sold for $150.

Like I said in my earlier post, I am not a creative cook, so I did not come up with this recipe myself. It is a Southern Living recipe from several years ago. Each year SL holds a recipe contest, and this recipe won the grand prize. I decided that any recipe worth $100,000 must be good. They are the bomb!! They are the best cinnamon rolls I have ever had!! Often when I cook I will alter recipes to make them a little more healthy, but not this one. You just have to embrace the fat and sugar and enjoy the gooey goodness!! Since they are made from scratch and are little time consuming I am not tempted to cook them very often. They are not hard to make at all though.



Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls


Adapted from Southern Living Magazine

Filling:
3/4 cup melted butter
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Glaze:
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Rolls:
2 (1/4-ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees)
1 teaspoon sugar
5-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons grated orange rind
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Non-stick cooking spray



1. For the filling: Stir together all ingredients until blended.

2. For the glaze: Stir together the sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a light boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in cream and vanilla.

3. For the rolls: Stir together the yeast, 1/2 cup warm water, and 1 teaspoon sugar in a glass measuring cup; let stand 5 minutes.

4. Combine the yeast mixture and 1/2 cup flour in the bowl of an electric mixer; mix until combined on medium speed using the paddle attachment. Gradually add the mashes sweet potatoes, the next 7 ingredients, and remaining flour until combined. Switch to dough hook and knead for about 4-5 minutes or until elastic and smooth.

5. Place dough in a large bowl that has been coated with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, for 1 to 1 -1/2 hours or until double in bulk.

6. Punch dough down. Turn dough onto a well floured surface and roll into a 10 x 18-inch rectangle. Spread the filling evenly over surface leaving a 1-inch border. Roll up jellyroll style starting with one long side. Cut into 12 slices and arrange in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan that has been lightly greased. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts for 30 minutes.

7. Bake rolls at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle about 1/2 cup of the glaze over the tops, starting at edge of pan and drizzling in a circular pattern; let soak in. Repeat with remaining glaze.

8. Bake rolls for 7-10 minutes more or until lightly browned and a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

9. Remove rolls from oven and invert onto an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Invert again, glaze side up onto a serving platter. Let cool for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.

To make the mashed sweet potatoes, I microwaved them, then scooped out the centers.

After mixing the yeast mixture with 1/2 cup of flour, mix in the rest of the ingredients with the paddle attachment.

Mix just until combined. The dough will be sticky. At this point, use the dough hook.

Knead for about 4-5 minutes. The dough will be smooth and elastic.

The dough should double in size. At this point, it can be turned out onto a floured surface and rolled into a rectangle.

Spread with the filling, then roll up starting at one long edge.

I cut the dough into 16 rolls and divided them up between 2 pans. Let them rice for about 30 minutes, or they can rise overnight in the fridge.

After they have baked for about 10 minutes, drizzle with the glaze, then bake for another 7-10 minutes or until light golden brown.

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