Oh man, these were good. I consider cinnamon rolls to be somewhat of a special treat - both homemade or from a bakery. They're pretty decadent, and aren't something I have often, though I have to admit every time I get a whiff of Cinnabon at the airport or mall, I'm always seriously tempted. (I mean really, do they put an additive in them that releases a magical scent or something? I'm going to go with yes.)
Anyway. I never really get them from a bakery, and I never make them because frankly they always seem like a total pain - having to make the dough, wait for the dough to rise, construct the rolls, then bake them. It's sort of a time commitment.
Well, not this version! These are super quick to throw together, and since they don't include yeast, you don't have to wait for the dough to rise. Of course, I can't decide if this is an awesome thing or a scary thing - because on one hand, YAY, cinnamon rolls are super fast and easy to make now, but on the other hand, OH NO, they're so easy to make I'll probably make them way more often than I should...
I think I'm leaning towards this being awesome though, because oh my god they're good! And, what's even more awesome? They smelled just like Cinnabon while baking.
Quick No-Yeast Cinnamon Rolls
*In advance, melt 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter - you will use it throughout the recipe
Cinnamon-Sugar Filling
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp. table salt
Dough
- 2 1/2 cups flour (I used 1 1/4 cups all purpose + 1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour)
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp. baking border
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. table salt
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk (or 1/4 cup sour cream whisked with a little less than 1 cup milk)
Glaze
- 2-3 Tbsp. cream cheese, softened
- 2 Tbsp. buttermilk (or 1/2 Tbsp. sour cream + 1 1/2 Tbsp. milk), room temperature
- 3-4 Tbsp. confectioners' sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pour 1 Tbsp. of melted butter into a 9 inch nonstick cake pan; brush to coat.
Combine the Cinnamon-Sugar filling ingredients in a small bowl, and add 2 Tbsp. of the melted butter. Stir with a fork until the mixture is crumbly, and set aside for later.
Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk (or milk & sour cream combo) and 2 Tbsp. of melted butter. Add the liquid to the flour mixture and stir with a spoon until liquid is just combined, about 30 seconds.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until just smooth - this happened pretty quickly, about 1 minute.
Roll the dough into approximately a 12 by 9 inch rectangle. Brush the dough with 1 Tbsp. melted butter, and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border of dough on all sides. Press the filling into the dough. Starting on the long side, start rolling the dough tightly, to form a compact log. Pinch the seam to seal.
Roll the log seam-side down, and cut into 8 even pieces. Turn pieces onto their sides so the the spiral pattern is facing up. Slightly flatten each piece of dough with palm to seal the open edges and keep the filling in place.
Place one roll into the center of the prepared cake pan, then place the remaining seven rolls around the perimeter. Brush with the remaining 2 Tbsp. melted butter. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Cool the buns in the pan for 5 minutes, then use a knife to loosen the buns from the pan, and place on a plate. Cool the buns for another 5 minutes while you make the icing.
For the icing, whisk the cream cheese and buttermilk (or sour cream & milk mixture) in a small bowl until smooth. *I used the small bowl that the melted butter was in - I figured one less bowl to wash. Add the confectioners' sugar & whisk until smooth glaze forms. Drizzle glaze evenly over the buns, and enjoy!
*Recipe adapted from Young Married Chic
