Good Things Come to Those Who Wait (for the yeast to rise)

Well, it’s a new year and one of my resolutions is to work less (!) which means that I will have plenty of time to blog about yummy food! My goal is to blog at least once a week… so check back to make sure I am doing just that!

The origins of this entry date back to my childhood Christmas memories. Every year on Christmas morning, my dad would wake up early to cook us cinnamon rolls for breakfast. This was in addition to the mountains of candy Santa always seemed to leave for us – ha! A few years ago, my dad actually agreed to let me make the cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning. I had found a good recipe and adapted it so that the cinnamon rolls were filled to the brim with sugary-goodness! They must have tasted okay because I have had the privilege of baking the cinnamon rolls each year since then!

The only difficult part about baking these cinnamon rolls is the wait time for the dough to rise… but the results are completely worth the wait!

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Preparing the Dough
½ Tablespoon yeast
Dash of sugar
2 ½ C. warm water (110 degrees)
6 C. flour (about)
¼ C. brown sugar
½ Tablespoon salt
Olive oil

1. Using olive oil, oil a large bowl and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a mixer, combine yeast, dash of sugar, and warm water. Dissolve yeast in water. Let it stand for about 5 minutes (or until smelly).
3. Add 2 cups of the flour and mix well. Stir in the sugar and salt; mix. Then gradually add the remaining flour, one cup at a time, until dough begins to pull away from the bowl.
4. Transfer dough to a floured baking surface and knead for about 5 minutes.
5. Put the dough in the oiled bowl; turn dough to coat. Cover bowl with a damp cloth. Let dough rise 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until doubled.

Preparing the Cinnamon Rolls
½ C. butter, melted
Brown sugar (1 cup, or to taste)
Cinnamon (1 Tbsp, or to taste)
Raisins (optional – ½ cup or to taste)

1. Secure saran wrap (for easy clean-up) to cover a large work surface. Flour the saran well. Roll out the dough.
2. Brush the dough generously with the melted butter.
3. Sprinkle brown sugar generously on the entire surface of the dough. Next, sprinkle the cinnamon on the dough. Pat the surface of the dough well, to ensure that the sugar and cinnamon stick well.
4. Begin rolling the dough into one long log.


Baking the Cinnamon Rolls
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Butter a 9x13 cake pan. Line with parchment paper and butter the parchment paper as well.
3. Slice the log of cinnamon roll dough into 1 ½ inch rolls. Place each cinnamon roll in the prepared baking pan so that the spiral is facing up.
4. Let the prepared cinnamon rolls rise in the pan for 30 minutes.
5. Bake at 375 for 35 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.