Monday, December 21, 2009

Christmas Breakfast: Day 3


I love breakfast, so I'm still going strong in this crazy quest to post 6 different breakfasts in 6 days to help you prepare for Christmas morning. I would hope so because if I were worn already, that would be pretty sad :-)

Up today we have cinnamon rolls. Before you get scared, let me tell you that these cinnamon rolls do not contain yeast but instead get their rise from a significant amount of baking powder. With this recipe you can have cinnamon rolls on your table and in your bellies in about an hour from start to finish. I promise!

I saw this recipe in Sweet Cakes by Fine Cooking. A short while later I saw that Coleen made a version, which Ingrid then made. I haven't verified, but I'm pretty sure it's the same recipe. This recipe is simple and made in the food processor. And the secret ingredient is cottage cheese! Wha? It's a cross between a biscuit and a cinnamon roll. It's denser than a traditional yeast dough, but the cottage cheese provides a flakiness and buttermilk makes them tender. Don't be turned off by the cottage cheese- it's taste is not apparent in the final product.

I really liked these rolls but I have to say that I didn't love the allspice and cloves in the filling. On the first day it was fine, but as they sat (the next day), the spices became a bit overwhelming. I would definitely make these again, but next time I would use all cinnamon. I also thought the glaze was a bit too thin. If you're not afraid of yeast then I would give the pumpkin streusel rolls a try as they were delicious!

Fastest Ever Cinnamon Rolls
from Sweet Cakes
For the Dough:
  • ¾ cup cottage cheese (4% milk fat)
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease the sides and bottom of a 9" or 10" springform pan (I used a casserole dish) with cooking spray.
In a food processor, combine the cottage cheese, buttermilk, sugar, melted butter and vanilla. Process until smooth, about 10 seconds. Add the flour, salt, baking powder & baking soda and pulse in short bursts just until the dough clumps together, but don't over-process. The dough will be soft and moist.
Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead it with floured hands four or five times until smooth. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12 x 15-inch rectangle.
For the Filling:
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Brush the dough with the melted butter, leaving a half inch border around the edges. In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice and cloves. Sprinkle the mixture over the buttered area of the dough and pat gently into the surface. Sprinkle the nuts over the sugar mixture (if using).
Starting with the long side, roll up the dough, jelly roll style. Pinch the seam to seal and leave the ends open.
With a serrated knife, cut the roll into twelve equal pieces. Set the rolls in the prepared pan, cut side up. The rolls should fill the pan and touch slightly, but don't worry if there are small gaps.
Bake at 400 for 20 to 28 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch. Set the pan on a wire rack for five minutes. Run a spatula around the inside edge of the pan and remove the springform ring. Transfer the rolls to a serving plate.
For the Glaze:
  • 2/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons of cold milk* (see note)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar and 2 Tbsp. milk and vanilla to make a smooth glaze. It should have a thick but pourable consistency, so add up to 1 more tablespoon of milk if necessary.
Drizzle the glaze over the rolls. Let stand 15 minutes and serve.
NOTE: This glaze was too thin for my liking and I added quite a bit more sugar to thicken it up. Start off with a couple teaspoons (not tablespoons) then add more as necessary. It's okay if it's a little on the thicker side because once it hits the hot rolls, it will melt and glaze them nicely.

And this is my Nativity scene. I love that it's all white and so simple. I got it from Target last year after Christmas. They have the set of three (Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus) this year, but I haven't seen the animals or the manger at any of the stores.

See ya tomorrow for more breakfast yummies! 3 more days to go!

30 comments:

Katie said...

Oh yum they look fab! Never seen cinnamon rolls made without yeast before and with cottage cheese. What a delicious and indulgant breakfast

Anonymous said...

Cinnamon scrolls for breakfast? Yes please!

Future Grown-Up said...

What time should we all be over for breakfast? :)

These look amazing!

♥peachkins♥ said...

cinnamon rolls with glaze!!! WOOOOW!!! This is heaven for breakfast!

Heather S-G said...

Even though I'm friends with yeast now, these are definitely a keeper! Cinnamon rolls are on my Christmas morning menu :)

cookies and cups said...

Those look great and the no yeast part sounds great. Warm cinnamon rolls in an hour? I'm in!

Smitten Sugar said...

Monica wow, all these breakfast look amazing! I wish I could make them all up christmas morning! I bet your husband is loving this!

symphonious sweets said...

It's like I am waking up and having breakfast with you! I can almost smell those cinnamon rolls they look so delicious!

Foodiewife said...

So, here I sit on my first day of vacation-- wide awake (early) and really hungry for cinnamon. Evil, you are! I intend to make my first yeast cinnamon rolls-- but now I'm doing a mental inventory. I have cottage cheese, check. Cinnamon...of course! Should I? Girl, you are rockin'! Can I stay at your B&B when I come to visit you?
xoxo

Brandy L said...

If people were to walk past my desk right now they'd see me drooling over these cinnimon rolls! YUMMY!

Lissaloo said...

Cinnamon rolls hot from the oven, there is nothing better :)
Your pumpkin streusel rolls are in my pile of recipes I am dying to make.
I love you Nativity set, it is so pretty :)

Debbie said...

Monica they look absolutely delicious...I especially like the fact that there is no yeast involved!!!

Janet said...

Oh, boy! I bet your kitchen (whole house) smelled amazing this morning! Perfect way to be lured from under the covers, for sure!

Your nativity scene is lovely... and, Elegant - just like you!

tamilyn said...

Yummy! I usually cheat and use frozen bread dough, but these would be great when I want some now and don't want the kind from a can!

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Oh, Monica your rolls look DELISH! Your photos are making me want to make another batch of those bad boys.

Btw, I did note that I hadn't added in those other spices. I'm innocent this time.
~ingrid

Julie said...

Cottage cheese in the dough? Very interesting girl. They look delish!

Lissaloo said...

I just got a pkg in the mail!!!! I am so excited, it's wrapped so pretty too! Thank you so much Monica you really made my week :)

Adele said...

I am loving all the breakfast posts... I am so excited to try these rolls... I love FAST cinnamon rolls!! Thanks

oneordinaryday said...

These are a perfect Christmas morning snack. They would taste so nice with my peppermint mocha coffee.

Unknown said...

these look amazing! i'll definitely have to try this recipe

Julie @ Willow Bird Baking said...

Mmmm they look so fluffy and delicious!!

Kerstin said...

Ready in an hour and no yeast? They sound too good to be true :) Seriously though, they look SO good!

Mara Campbell said...

Oh yes, those look sooooooooooo good!!! Thanks for the easy recipe!!

Unknown said...

These look amazingly scrumptious and easy. Will have to make them out of the hubble's view because if he knew cottage cheese was a factor he would not touch them. ;-)

Karen said...

Made these this morning -- deeeeelightful! Thanks so much for the recipe!

Sophie said...

I'm still here savoring the posts :). I just wanted to say that I think the cottage cheese is an AWESOME IDEA! I'm gonna try it. Oh yeah, and using baking powder and baking soda sounds awesome too, I never want to wait around for the rolls to rise!

Mrs. P said...

these look delicious! my family LOVES cinnamon rolls. looks easy enough to make.. i'll try next year! :)

Samantha Kate said...

I'm very afraid of yeast... i don't know why. So i'm defiantly going to tryout these guys :) Oh, and i love cottage cheese too. Perfect.

Anonymous said...

Made these yesterday and they were a hit with the family. They were quick to make and very comparable to my yeast risen buns. My Mom didn't even know I didn't use yeast; when I told here I used cottage cheese she couldn't believe it. My husband almost ate the whole pan by himself. The kids loved them and shared them with there friends. I'm going to be making more today. I used 2% cottage cheese and it turned out great.

Unknown said...

What can be used in place of the cottage cheese?

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