Homemade Cinnamon Rolls... yummmmm....

There's nothing better than the smell of cinnamon rolls baking away on Saturday morning.  Wait... there is one thing that's better, the smell of homemade cinnamon rolls!  If you have a bit of extra time on your hands, it's so worth it to make these delicous treats from scratch rather than buying the pre-made packages.

They aren't difficult to make, but there is quite a bit of 'wait time' involved, so plan on baking something else in the meantime!  I think the waiting makes the final product even more rewarding!  Our mouths were literally watering as the rolls sat on the cooling rack!  These were perfectly gooey and delicious but to try something different, next time I think I'll skip the orange zest in the icing and add chopped pecans to the filling for a bit of a crunch!  Can't wait! 

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls with

Zesty Orange Icing

Ingredients

1 cup warm low fat milk
1/3 cup sugar, divided
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 package dry yeast
3 1/2 cups flour, plus more for kneading
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 tsp salt
non-stick cooking spray
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tablspoons cinnamon

Icing:
3 tbsp butter, room temperature
2 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp orange zest

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine milk, 1 tbsp sugar, 3 tbsp butter, and yeast.  Let stand 5 minutes

2. Add egg, remaining sugar, and 1 cup of flour.  Combine and let stand for 10 minutes.

3. Add remaining flour and salt, stirring until a dough forms.

4. Lightly flour a working surface and turn dough out.  Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.  Add bit of additional flour to dough if it is sticky. 

5. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place the mound of dough in the bowl.  Cover and let rise in a warm area for 30 minutes.  Check by pressing 2 fingers into dough, if indentation remains, dough is risen enough.  Punch the down down , cover and let rise for 30 more minutes.  Punch down again, cover and let rise for an additional 5 minutes.

6. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a large rectangle (about 18 x 12 inches).

7. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon.  Brush the dough with melted butter and spread with brown sugar mixture. 

8. Roll up dough tightly beginning on the long side.  Cut dough into 1 inch slices.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and arrange rolls into baking dishes coated with cooking spray so that they just fit.  Cover and let stand for 30 minutes. 

9. Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.  Cool in dishes on a wire rack then turn out rolls and cool for 5 more minutes. 

10.  Meanwhile, prepare icing by combining softened butter, cream and vanilla extract.  Gradually add powdered sugar until blended.  Stir in orange zest. 

11. Spread rolls with icing and serve immediately.  Should be warm, but not hot.