Giant Cinnamon Twists

I have been craving cinnamon rolls for a long time and, since I have never made them myself, I wanted to take on the challenge! There are so many different cinnamon roll recipes and I know many people will say they have "the best" one. What really caught my eye with this recipe was how beautiful the rolls look. I love presentation when it comes to my bread products and if I have something sweet and sinful I want it to look as tempting and delicious as possible!

These turned out so great. I was extremely careful abuot the amount of flour I used and I thought it was perfect in texture. My dad said that they were chewy and substantial without being too dense. Since we come from a family of bakers I always regard comments like this with great satisfaction.

This recipe will definitely be a repeat in our household. The original recipe and picture are courtesy of a new favorite blog site of mine, Simply So Good, and can be found at this site here: http://simplysogood.blogspot.com/2011/05/giant-cinnamon-twists.html

Please note that this is HALF of the original recipe. I had no occasion for 30+ rolls and I don't have a mixer that could have handled the full recipe anyways. Although now that all of the rolls that I did make are gone I am wishing I had made more... :-)

Giant Cinnamon Twists

Adapted from Simply So Good

2 eggs

1/3 cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
6 Tbsp butter
2 cups milk
1 Tbsp + 1 ½ tsp yeast
5 - 6 cups flour

Filling:

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Clear Glaze (I did NOT half this portion of the recipe):

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup

Sugar Glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk

In the large bowl of a mixer, beat eggs. While the mixer is running add in the sugar and salt. In a medium size sauce pan melt butter. Add the milk and heat until the milk is lightly warmed about 110 degrees. (If you don’t have a thermometer, just test it with your finger. The milk should feel warm but NOT hot.) Remove from the heat and pour into the egg mixture. Mix until combined. Sprinkle yeast over milk mixture and let stand for about 2 minutes to soften the yeast. Whisk into the milk mixture. Add 3 cups of flour and beat until dough is smooth. Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough is smooth and slightly sticky or until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl while mixing. Place the dough in a very large bowl that has been lightly oiled. Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise until doubled in size. About 45-60 minutes.

Punch down the dough or pull it away from the sides so that the dough deflates. Roll dough into a 24 x 13-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Spread the lower half of the dough with butter and sprinkle with the sugar cinnamon mixture. Fold down the upper half of the dough over the cinnamon sugar. Cut into 1- 1 1/2-inch strips. Twist each strip of dough then tie in a knot. Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise for 45-60 minutes. (The roll should feel fluffy like a marshmallow when you touch it.) Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with clear glaze. When the rolls have cooled drizzle with sugar glaze using a fork.

To make the clear glaze: Add the sugar, water and corn syrup into a small saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil. Remove from the heat and cool.

To make the sugar glaze: In a small mixing bowl combine confectioners' sugar and milk. Beat until smooth and has no signs of lumps.

Yield: about 18 rolls

*NOTE: The rolls need to cool down so that you can put the sugar glaze on them without making a big mess, but everyone knows that cinnamon rolls are better warm. Stick a roll in the microwave for 20 seconds when you are ready to eat it. They get nice and gooey again and are SOOOO good!