Tried It & Loved It: No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls

On our trip to visit the Hubs' parents last month, one of the mornings my mother-in-law made a version of these rolls.  Her recipe is one that has actually been handed down through the family--it's one of those recipes I've been meaning to get from her.  I just haven't gotten around to it yet.  Kinda' like those muffins from awhile back.

In blog hopping a few weeks ago, I came across this recipe for a quick bread cinnamon roll and I knew I needed to try it.  I big fluffy pink hearts love cinnamon rolls, but I don't make them too often because a) they are a yeast bread and that takes time in the morning--which I don't have when I have a hungry Peanut--OR you have to plan ahead, and I don't do that too often when it comes to breakfast and b) cinnamon rolls have tons of sugar and I try to be somewhat conscious of that.  Not to say we never have sugar, but I do try it watch it somewhat.  Ahem.

Anywho, I thought a No Yeast Cinnamon Roll was a perfect recipe to try.  These were really good, although they are different than their traditional yeast counterpart.  Not bad, just different.  All in all a great option if you have a hankering for cinnamon rolls but you don't have several hours or you simply want them sooner than later.  ;) 

No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls ~ adapted from Abby at Cats and Casseroles

for the filling:
3/4 c. packed dark brown sugar (I used sucanat--next time I will probably cut back on it a little, just because sucanat is MUCH sweeter.  I will also probably grind it up a little finer in the food processor first.)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
4  Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

for the dough:
2 1/2 c. (or more) flour  (I ended up using a nearly a whole additional cup of flour to get a dough consistency--2 1/2 cups soft white wheat and 1 cup all purpose)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
6 Tbsp butter, melted


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spray a round baking pan or 8 x 8 glass dish with cooking spray or butter sides and bottom and set aside.  

For the filling, mix the dark brown sugar/sucanat, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl.  Set aside. 

In a large mixing bowl, sift together dry ingredients and add in buttermilk and melted butter.  Mix until a soft dough is created.  I would start with the 2 1/2 cups flour and add more as necessary--with just the 2 1/2 cups flour, mine was like a pancake batter, so I definitely needed to add additional flour!  Once a soft dough is created, turn dough out onto a floured surface and kneed several times.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let rest for about 30 minutes in the fridge. 

Once dough has chilled/rested, roll out on a floured surface in about a 12x10 rectangle.  Spread melted butter evenly over the dough and sprinkle the filling over the butter.  Roll up dough and seal edges by pinching dough together.  Slice in 2-3 inch slices (I got eight) and place in prepared pan.  Bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes.  Remove rolls from oven when tops of rolls are golden.  Cool for about 10 minutes prior to icing.    

For the icing, please click here for Abby's recipe.  I didn't have the ingredients on hand for hers so I went with a twist on The Pioneer Woman's. 

for the icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 Tbsp hot black coffee
1/4 tsp vanilla

Whisk powdered sugar, coffee, and vanilla together.  Drizzle over warm (not piping hot!) cinnamon rolls and serve immediately.