Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

One of the women on my team had a birthday last week that I didn't know about.  Since we didn't get to do anything day of, I'm making homemade cinnamon rolls to bring in for breakfast to belatedly honor the occassion.  The dough recipe is the same one my mom has been making for years and it's delicious.  How I fill them is more or less the same as my mom as well, it's just that neither of us are very precise so our measurements probably don't match up.

The dough:

1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
1/2 lukewarm milk (scalded then cooled)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter or butter flavored shortening
1 tsp salt
1 egg
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl.  Stir in milk, sugar, shortening or butter, salt, egg and 2 cups of the flour.  Beat until smooth.  Mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.  Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up.  Cover and let rise in warm place until at least double its original size, about 1.5 hours.  (Dough is ready if an indentation remains when touched.)

Punch dough down.  Cut in half.  On lightly floured surface, roll out first half into 15" x 9" rectangle (this is a guideline, mine usually looks like a weird oval and they always taste just as good).

The Filling:

Approx. 3/8 cup white sugar
Approx 1/8 cup cinnamon (bottom line, you're looking for about a 3:1 sugar to cinnamon ration here)
1/2 stick melted butter (just zap it in the microwave)
Based on preference either:  2/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts or 1 cup raisins (if you decide to work with raisins, rehydrate them first by boiling some water in a tea kettle and pouring that water over the raisins, just enough to cover them, and allowing them to steep for about 10 minutes).

Once the dough is rolled out, liberally brush your butter over the dough.  Sprinkle a thin layer of cinnamon/sugar mixture over the dough surface.  Sprinkle with raisins or nuts.  Roll, beginning on a 15" side, until you have a long tube.  Cut into 1 1/2 inch slices.  Place slightly apart in greased 9x9x2 pan.  Let rise until the rolls have doubled in size, about 40 minutes.  Bake at 375 degrees until golden, about 25 to 30 minutes.

While cinnamon rolls are baking, make the glaze.  Combine 1 cup confectioner's sugar with 2 Tablespoons on milk and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla.  Glaze the cinnamon rolls as soon as they come out of the oven, while still warm.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

Let me start by saying, while tremendously delicious, this cake is not what I'd characterize as "good for you." But it's so good. I made this for brunch on Inauguration Day (thought it deserved something special) and everyone raved about it! Credit goes to Ina Garten for the recipe.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.

Serves: 1 loaf
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook time: 50 mins
WW Points: Far too many!