Nothing in this world can describe how amazing a home smells when baking cinnamon rolls. If you have never felt this sweet sensation I have the recipe just for you. Not only are this cinnamon rolls soft,spongy and sweet they also have an fresh kick of lime zest which adds an extra kick of freshness to the recipe!
This is now my second time making cinnamon rolls and I guess I'm not too shabby! The last time I made them , they tasted good but I noticed that they were a bit tough on the outside; which i did not want. I guess it was because I baked them for too long. However this time I nailed this recipe and got the spongiest cinnamon rolls ever! Okay enough chit chat, let the cooking do the talking!
INGREDIENTS
(CINNAMON ROLLS)
2 3/4 cups of all purpose flour
1/4 cup of brown/white sugar
2-3 tbs. of unsalted butter (melted)
1 egg (at room temperature)
1/4 cup of milk
1/2 cup hot water
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
Raisins
Lime zest
( FILLING)
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 tbs ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla essence
PROCEDURE
We will begin by proofing the yeast. (Proofing the yeast is a test to make sure that your yeast is active. This is done by adding yeast to a mixture of a little sugar and a warm liquid such as water or milk. The yeast is active if a foam is formed after 5 -10 min)
Combine hot water and milk in a bowl. Check the temperature to make sure the liquid is not too hot. If it is too hot it will kill the yeast. Stir in your yeast and leave to sit for 5-10 minutes or until the foam appears. Add in your melted butter which again should not be too hot together with one egg. Whisk everything together evenly. Grate the zest of a lime and stir into the mixture
Sift 2/34 cups all purpose flour, salt and 1/4 cup sugar into a bowl. Gradually add your wet ingredients to your flour mixture and knead until it reaches the right consistency. You may add more flour if it is too sticky, however; if you use the exact measurements given above the consistency should be just right. Transfer you dough to a large bowl oiled on the sides to prevent it from sticking when rising. Lightly oil the top of the dough to keep the dough soft and moist. Cover with a cloth or cling film and set aside in a warm area to rise for at least for an hour.
After an hour or so the dough should have risen to about double it's original size. Remove your dough from the bowl and dust your clean surface to get ready for rolling. Roll the dough to as mush of a rectangular shape as you can. Cut out the ends to ensure you have a rectangular shape. ( This helps the cinnamon rolls to be even is shape and size!) Coat the surface with 1/4 cup of soft butter to form the base for the filling)
CINNAMON ROLL FILLING
Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon powder, vanilla essence in a bowl until everything has evenly been incorporated.
Spread this filling over your butter base on your dough until the dough is fully coated. Add your raisins on top as well. If your'e not a huge fan of raisins you can skip this part)
Tightly roll the dough to form one large long roll. Using a knife make slight markings on the roll to act as your guide for cutting even pieces. Using a string, slide the string underneath the roll and tie a knot through the markings and pull until the dough is cut as shown below. Alternatively you can cut through the markings with a sharp knife although using a knife may not give you as clean of a cut as using a piece of string.
Place the rolls in a baking tray lined with parchment paper or greased with butter. Cover and leave to rise for about an hour.
After the dough has risen, pre-heat he oven to 180 degrees celsius / 365 degrees fahrenheit and bake in the middle rack for 15- 20 min or until the top is golden brown.
Remove from the oven , garnish with some lemon zest and serve them warm with whatever floats your boat!
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