On the twelfth day of cinnamon rolls, my true love
gave to me. . . .
Twelve Festive Fancies . . .
Here's the big finish--classic, ooey-gooey cinnamon rolls
with the flavors of cranberry and orange.
Happy Holidays!
On the eleventh day of cinnamon rolls, my true love
gave to me. . . .
Eleven Swirling Swedish . . .
Kanelbullar. Swedish cinnamon rolls with a hint of cardamom in the filling.
When you bake the rolls in cupcake papers, they create their own topknot. The final flourish is a sprinkling of Swedish pearl sugar.
On the tenth day of cinnamon rolls, my true love
gave to me. . . .
Ten Top Cinnamon Roll Bakeries
In no particular order. . .
1. Greens and Ackermans Bakery in Brooklyn, NY. Using a dough recipe from long ago in Hungary, this bakery makes cinnamon rugelach and the cinnamon rolls in loaf form--babka.
2. Flour Bakery in Boston, MA. Here you'll find the ultimate sticky bun.
3. Graeter's in Cincinnati. OH. They do deconstructed cinnamon rolls
known as "crowns."
4. Cinnaholic in Berkley, CA. Decadent and vegan? Yes!
5. Wheatfields in Lawrence, KS. Their giant cinnamon roll is
made from dough rolled out to 26 inches. That's a lot of cinnamon roll.
6. Machine Shed restaurants in Iowa. Slabs of cinnamon roll come to the table with a steak knife and a warm lava of icing.
7. Virginia Bakery via Busken Bakery, Cincinnati, OH. Did I mention that Cincinnati is a great bakery town? Oh-so-rich schnecken, from the late great Virginia Bakery, is now made by Busken during the holidays. "Schtock up on Schnecken," they advertise.
8. Grand Central Baking Company in Portland and Seattle, WA. Although I'm partial to their "hand pies" and "jammers," their cinnamon rolls are wonders to behold--and eat. Portland and Seattle are also great bakery towns.
9. Cinnabon. When you're stressed from lost luggage, pat-downs, poor food, missed flights, weather delays--the list goes on--Cinnabon is there at the airport with
warm, spicy cinnamon rolls that instantly comfort.
10. Johnson's Corner Truckstop in Johnson's Corner, CO. Big as a plate, ooey-gooey, all delicious.
But the best cinnamon rolls? Homemade in your kitchen, still warm.
Nine Tasty Tidbits
To make great cinnamon rolls, you need a few key ingredients:
1. Choose your favorite cinnamon--light and citrusy Indonesian (Korintje),
medium China Cassia, or bold Saigon or Vietnamese.
2. Try grated Mexican chocolate.
3. Change up the flavor with rose, black pepper, and cinnamon.
4. Add a little coffee.
5. Drizzle on some honey.
6. Spice them up with pumpkin.
7. Add cranberry and orange.
8. Apples in a skillet (Tarte Tatin Cinnamon Rolls).
9. And lots of ooey-gooey.
On the eighth day of cinnamon rolls, my true love
gave to me. . . .
Eight Cooking Classes
I've had so much fun this year rolling right along with
people who really get into cinnamon rolls
at cooking classes.
Here you see cinnamon roll filling, portioned out for a hands-on class.
And here you see the excellent job people did with rolling their cinnamon rugelach.
Many thanks to A Thyme for Everything, KitchenArt,
Cook's Warehouse and more for a very fun year!
On the seventh day of cinnamon rolls, my true love
gave to me. . . .
Seven Swirls of Schnecken
Schnecken is basically a loaf of cinnamon rolls, baked in a pan sauce of butter and sugar, then inverted onto a serving platter to slice and enjoy.
Six Gluten-Free
Here you see the gluten-free rolls right before baking.
These rolls require a different shaping method (on an oiled flexible cutting board)
as the dough is more soft and batter-like.
In this photo, I'm using a dough scraper to roll the dough over onto itself
and the cinnamon filling.
Easy and delicious for all the gluten-free people in your life!
On the fifth day of cinnamon rolls, my true love
gave to me. . . .
Five Gold Rings
(Cinnamon Honeybuns)
On the fourth day of cinnamon rolls, my true love gave to me. . .
Four Falling Pears
Okay, this is a bit of a stretch, but fresh pears layered on top of
a cinnamon roll filling--or used in place of apples to make
Pear Tarte Tatin Cinnamon Rolls--can be fabulous.
On the third day of cinnamon rolls, my true love gave to me . . . .
Three French Gems
(a buttery, flaky, croissant-like cinnamon roll)
They start with a sweet yeast dough, then get a butter and flour layer.
You fold the dough over the filling, then turn and roll the butter layers in several times to achieve a "laminated" or Danish pastry, like a croissant dough.
After you cut the individual rolls, you use the handle of a wooden spoon to squish them so the filling comes out the sides. Brush with egg wash.
For an authentic European finish, sprinkle pearl sugar (or coarsely chopped sugar cubes) on top of each roll.
C'est si bon! Croissant meets cinnamon roll!
On the second day of cinnamon rolls, my true love gave to me. . . .
Two Carrot Loves
(the Carrot Cake Cinnamon Roll)
And a Roll with Some Ooey-Gooey.
from I Love Cinnamon Rolls!
