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Friday, August 18, 2017

Cinnamon Rolls

One of our favorite treats around here are Cinnamon Rolls.  First of All clear your schedule, these take a while. It can be done over two days though. I love the recipe from Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond.  However, I like to change two things about it. First I like to cut the recipe in half if it is just for my family.   Then on her recipe she does a coffee flavored icing and I changed that over to a vanilla frosting.

So here is how I do it!
I start off with milk 2 cups, 1/2 cup of veggie oil, and 1/2 cup of sugar.  Throw all of that into a pan and scald that milk.  After that I go do a chore of some kind.  Fold laundry, work out or whatever.  I'm just letting the stuff sit in the pot and cool off.  If you want you can put it in a heat resistant bowl and throw it in your fridge but I don't like to make extra dishes so I just let it sit.  My pans hold heat pretty well so it can take up to an hour.  Once I can comfortably stick a (clean) finger in it I'll add the yeast.
I put in 2 1/4 tsp of yeast and then I go switch the laundry over or play dolls for a few minutes while it gets all bubbly!

Once it is nice and bubbly I put it in a nice big bowl and slowly Stir in 4 cups of all purpose flour.  I like to mix it till it looks like the picture above.  Then I cover it with a grocery bag to let it rise.  Yeah, I know I said a grocery bag. Most people say a towel but I like the seal I get with a grocery bag.  It doesn't get that hard surface and I think I get a better proof.
when you cover it with a bag make sure you leave a bubble on the top  like this. So you don't have dough stuck to it. Let that rise again for hour till it has doubled in size

Then you want to mix in 1/2 tsp. of Baking Powder, 1/2 tsp. of Baking Soda, 1/2 Tablespoon of Salt, and 1/2 cup of flour More.

If you are doing this over two day this is the point where you put the whole bowl covered in plastic wrap in the fridge check on it before you go to bed and punch down the dough if it is rising.  In the morning continue like nothing happened and like you woke up at 5 am to feed your family or friends cinnamon rolls. (I'll never tell on you!) 

Mix all of that together and then get to rolling!  I like to roll mine really thin that way I get lots and lots of beautiful circles in my rolls.

I like to melt one stick of butter and spread it on that dough.

Then Ree likes to use 2 cups of sugar in her rolls I use just under a cup with mine then I sprinkle cinnamon all over it and spread it around. So it looks like this all over the goodness!!!

Roll that bad boy up nice and tight. and I like to cut them in about 1/2 inch rolls. The next part is important spacing in your pan is key if they are too far apart they will spread out and lose their shape.  Too close and you will have a squished roll...
I like mine just like this close but not too close.  Let those rise for another half and hour or so covered and then put them in the oven 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.  My 19 month old is sitting on my lap right now saying "num num num num!!!"  She loves these.


In the mean time make the frosting.
I like to do 2 cups of powdered sugar, 1 tsp. of vanilla, 1/2 tsp of salt, yep salt.  Then I add in whole milk to make it the right consistency. I usually start with 1/4 of a cup then slowly add more till I get it runny put not too runny..
So that I can drizzle it over the top of a warm roll. I like putting pecans on mine.  My dad likes raisins mixed into the dough.  When I do that I only put 1/2 a cup of raisins in during the last addition of flour. Make them your own then enjoy!!! Recipe  insert is below.


Ellie Mae Davis Gobbles Them UP!!



Monday, August 14, 2017

Rainbow Frosting


I love to pipe frosting.  I think it is fun to make designs and decorations.  It is my favorite part of making a cake. The pretty part.
It also looks great on noses!


Over the last few weeks I have found one of my favorite techniques.  I like to call it my Rainbow or Ombre Frosting technique.  You can use as many colors as you can fit in the piping bag.  I like to use three or four. It works really well with just two as well like the picture above.  Here is a picture of three colors that I did on a Trolls birthday cake.  It was fun because I chose primary colors they did mix a little bit and add orange and green hues into the colors.
Now lets get into how I like to do it. 
 What you will need:
 frosting
large piping tip
piping bag
a large cup


I tried and tried to write out how to do this and I couldn't write it out to make sense so I had my friend make a sweet video how to do it!
I have also seen people put it in baggies and clip the ends off and put them in a piping bag I tried it that way and it kinda worked but if you bags aren't perfectly the same size and put in just right you get one color squirting out an the others don't put out as much frosting. Also this way if you run out you can put the piping bag right back in the cup and refill it.   That is why I do it this way.  If you have any questions or comments please feel free to message me.