One of my favorite breakfast foods is cinnamon rolls, and until a week ago, I had no idea they originated from Sweden. They seem like such an “All-American” meal, but nope they came from Sweden and you can learn about their history here. I thought this would be a perfect addition to our menu of the London Olympic Games. Cinnamon Rolls are one of those recipes that are a lot harder to make than you would think. I’ve spent a very long time trying to perfect this recipe, and I’ve burned many batches, but I think I’ve finally got it right. And oh my, the beer pairing with this dish is absolutely unbelievable! I can’t wait for you to read on, and I hope you enjoy this journey through Sweden.
Like I said, cinnamon rolls aren’t the easiest things in the world to make, but I hope I’ve provided you with a recipe that’s somewhat doable. If I can do it, any of you can do it! We start with your standard cinnamon roll dough: a combination of flour, yeast, sugar, milk, butter, etc, and then we fill it with a gooey goodness of cinnamon, sugar, brown sugar, and a TON of butter. Cinnamon rolls are supposed to be high in fat, so if you come across a cinnamon roll recipe that’s “low-cal,” then quickly look away. It’s ok to indulge every once in a while! We spruce things up a bit and drizzle an orange glaze over top. In the end, you get a gooey mess! But you get a DELICIOUS gooey mess!
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I really don’t think I could have found a better beer to pair this dish with than Rogue’s VOODOO Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale. I mean any ale with doughnut, maple, and bacon in it’s name is something that I need to try. It goes so perfectly with this dish. You get the smokey, savory aromas from the bacon, but the sweetness from the maple, and it compliments these cinnamon rolls so well. Now I know what you all are thinking…beer with bacon? Really? Don’t knock it ’til you try it. It’s also in a pink bottle! What’s not to love about a beer that comes out of a pink bottle!
Have fun and enjoy the gooey deliciousness!
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Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 package yeast
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups butter, melted
- 1/2 cup cinnamon
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Start by heating the milk, butter, vegetable oil, and sugar to a simmer in a large saucepan. Do not allow to over boil as to not burn the milk. Set aside to cool for a minute then add the yeast. When the yeast has dissolved, start whisking in the flour very slowly as to not make a mess, but whisk until the mixture has reached a dough-like consistency. Set aside to rise until the dough has doubled in volume – about 45 min to an hour. Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
- Remove from the fridge and punch down the dough, and preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- On a floured cutting board (large if you have it), roll the dough out with a floured rolling pin to about 1/4 of an inch thick. The thinner the dough, the easier it will be to roll up. You don’t want it too thin though so it easily falls apart though. Take the melted butter and drizzle on top of the rolled out dough. Take a brush and cover every square inch of the dough. The more butter the better. I’d say to use about a cup or so for the first layer. Now sprinkle the cinnamon, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Use all of it, and more if you’d like! Drizzle more of the butter on top of the sugar and cinnamon.
- Now start rolling up your dough with the end furthest from you and rolling towards you. If you need to, brush some butter as you roll just in case it doesn’t want to stick, but it should. In the end you will have a log of dough. In your baking pan, drizzle the rest of the melted butter, this will help the cinnamons to not stick to the bottom of the pan. With a very sharp knife, start cutting 3/4 inch slices out of the dough. Place in the baking pan. Cover and set aside for about 30 – 45 minutes.
- Bake in the oven for 12 – 15 minutes or until slightly brown.
- Meanwhile, start preparing your glaze. In another bowl, combine the zest, orange juice, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and butter. Whisk together until it reaches beautiful smooth, orange goodness. It should only take a minute or so, then set aside. Remove the cinnamon rolls from the oven and drizzle the glaze on top. Serve immediately with orange slices!
