RECIPE: No-Knead (to worry) Cinnamon Rolls

Yes, you read it correctly…even if you are an amateur baker, there’s no knead to worry 😛

Haha, I just had to.

But seriously, there isn’t any kneading required, so all my fellow lazy bakers can heave a sigh of relief. These cinnamon rolls are divine and a cinch to make! I’ve always wanted to make cinnamon rolls, and finally got down to making them. I’m so glad I did.

Rather than making normal sized cinnamon rolls, I decided to make mini cinnamon rolls instead. After all, who can resist bite-sized treats?

I won’t keep you waiting, since you’ll probably just scroll down to the bottom of the post for the recipe anyway. Oh please, wipe than grin off your face, you know you weren’t going to read this post properly. You were probably just planning to skim through the photos and scroll down to check out the recipe. I’m guilty of doing that sometimes. You’re forgiven 🙂

Just a note, I halved the recipe and made 16 mini rolls, so what you see is less than what you’ll get if you follow the exact recipe!

No-Knead (to worry) Cinnamon Rolls Recipe (Adapted from The Pioneer Woman)

Ingredients:
(makes 12 ~ 15 normal sized rolls)

for dough:
250ml (1 cup) milk 
50g (1/4 cup) sugar (I used brown sugar)
62.5ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil 
1 teaspoon Instant yeast (or 1.5 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast)
250g (2 cups) + 30g (1/4 cup) plain flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder 
1/4 teaspoon (scant) baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

for filling:
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
50g (1/4 cup) sugar (I used brown sugar)
50g (1/4 cup) unsalted butter (melted)


Method:

• Mix milk, sugar and vegetable oil in a pan. Scald (heat until just before boiling) the mixture. Leave to cool for 45mins ~ 1 hour.
• Place 250g (2 cups) plain flour and Instant yeast in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the above mixture. Stir with a spatula until the mixture comes together to form a thick batter. (If using Active Dry Yeast, sprinkle the yeast into the mixture and let it sit for a minute before adding it to the plain flour.) Cover and let the batter sit for at least 1 hour.
• Add in the remaining 30g (1/4 cup) flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir until the mixture comes together. Either go ahead to make the rolls or cover and leave to chill in fridge over night or until needed. If left to chill, check the dough and punch it down by folding with a spatula if the dough rises almost to the rim of the mixing bowl. (Note: dough will be more firm and easier to work with if left to chill in fridge).
• When ready to make the rolls, mix ground cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.
• Dust the work surface freely with flour. Dust the top and bottom of dough with flour. Roll out the dough into a rectangular shape. Then roll out as thin as possible. Dust the dough and work surface with flour when necessary.
• Brush the rolled out dough with melted butter. Sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar mixture evenly over the surface.
• Start from the opposite end of the dough, roll the dough neatly in a line towards you. Roll as tightly as possible. Dust fingers with flour if the dough feels sticky. Pinch the seams to seal.
• Cut into 1 inch thick slices and arrange on baking pan lined with parchment paper (or greased with butter). Place the rolls close together so that they are almost touching.
• Cover and leave to rise for 30mins (1 hour if dough was left to chill over night) or until the rolls double in size. (Note: the rolls can be left to chill in the fridge over night and bake them the next morning. If rolls have doubled in size, bake them right away. Otherwise leave to sit on counter until double in size before baking.)
• Bake in preheated oven at 180degC for 20mins until golden brown.

To give you a visual idea:
Right after slicing the cinnamon rolls and lining them in a baking tray, they’ll look like this…

After you leave them to rise, they’ll look like this…

And after you bake them, they’ll look like this!!

Good things come to those who wait eh? Check out the fluffy rolls of happiness. I was so pleased with the outcome. But I’m not kidding about the waiting though. You have to be around the whole day to make these. Or at least for a few hours. Because you have to do the first step, and wait for an hour, do the second step and wait for another hour… Of course you should be productive and do something else while waiting (Like how I used my time meaningfully, by jumping onto my comfy couch and watching a movie)

The swirls are guaranteed to be nice, so no worries there! If I can do it, so can you! 😀

I know I look like a hot sticky mess here, but I was just so pleased with how they turned out I have to post a photo of myself with the rolls to prove that I made these babies. And to make sure that I’ll remember this moment forever. Hahaha. I’m easily satisfied.

I didn’t make a glaze for these cinnamon rolls, but please go ahead if you want the full experience! I personally don’t like icing or glaze of any sort (Cupcakes are wasted on me, I usually scrape off the icing heh) but you may want to drizzle some over for added sweetness.

I used brown sugar since I feel that it adds a more robust flavour to the rolls, and brings out the cinnamon scent better. But it’s up to you.

To heat them up, just toast them in a small oven for about 2-3 minutes and you’re good to go. The smell of the cinnamon is the best thing ever. Cinnamon always reminds me of christmas and cosy family outings. I love love love the smell of cinnamon.

Imagine the smell of cinnamon coming from the warm toasty oven, and the feel of the soft warm and delightfully fluffy bread on your fingertips. Could anything be more comforting? Well, maybe add in a steaming hot cup of cocoa and we’re good to go. Turn on the air-conditioning and enjoy this moment, forget the sweltering heat in Singapore and just let your imagination take you away to a cold winter wonderland.

Now that’s how you take a mental holiday.

Happy baking!