A cinnamon roll (also cinnamon bun, cinnamon swirl and cinnamon snail) is a sweet pastry served commonly in Northern Europe and North America. It consists of a rolled sheet of yeast dough onto which a cinnamon and sugar  mixture and raisins are  sprinkled over a thin coat of butter. The dough is then rolled, cut into individual portions, and baked. Cinnamon rolls are frequently topped with icing (often confectioner`s sugar based) or a thin milk based glaze of some sort, or nib sugar.

My first ever memory of these sweet and sticky buns was in Chicago airport at least ten years ago…When I landed completely exhausted after a grueling journey, and yearned for a hot cuppa, all I could see was the fresh and warm scent of Cinnamon from Cinnabon!! I could not bring myself to have  wam cinnamon roll early in the morning, so I let it pass. Somehow cinnamon was never a spice for me from the very beginning! Cardamom yes….Cinnamon no thank you.  It really took multiple years of Halloween and Christmas to even get used to cinnamon as a spice! This recipe was inspired by Ina Garten`s sticky buns as my very own Aipi`s version!

INGREDIENTS:

3 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour.

3/4 Tsp Active Dry Yeast.

1/4 Cup of Butter( 4 Tbsp) about 60 gms softened at room temperature.

1/3 Cup + 1/3 Cup  of Brown Sugar.

1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon or Cinnamon Powder.

1/2 Tsp Salt.

1 1/4 Cup Warm Milk.

1/4 Cup Pecans/ Almonds/ Mixed Nuts.

Handful of Raisins.

Handful of Sweetened Coconut Flakes.

FOR THE SWEET GLAZE:

1 Cup Icing Sugar.

1 Tsp Vanilla Essence.

1 Tsp  Butter.

4 Tbsp Warm Milk.

PREPARATION:

• Measure out the all purpose flour and add salt. Set aside.
• In the stand mixer cream the sugar and butter well until its light and creamy about 2-3 minutes. There is nothing better than tasting this mixture off your whisk and enjoying the creaminess of the butter and the crunchy sweetness of the sugar , all rolled in one and I had to hold myself really there or I would have lost the proportions permanently!
• Add the yeast to the milk and allow it to sit for a couple minutes.
• Add in the flour and the milk mixture to the mixing bowl and combine until its a smooth dough.
• Take it out and put on the lightly floured surface and knead well with the hands. (I am guessing the whole process could be incorporated with your hands and some good kneading but thats something we have to keep for another day!)
• Oil the entire surface of the dough and pop it back on to the bowl and cover with a wet kitchen towel. Allow 45 minutes to one hour for the dough to rise and double in volume.
• Pull out the dough and gently punch it to remove the extra air. Knead for another couple seconds and spread on to a floured work surface.
• Use a nice rolling pin and roll it in to a large rectangle.

• Use the softened butter and spread a thin layer all over the surface of the rectangle. This allows the sugar and nuts etc to stick on to the surface of the dough.
• Now combine the brown sugar with the powdered cinnamon and spread it generously on the rectangular dough to fill it out as a thin layer covering the surface of the dough completely except the sides.
• Add pecans, raisins and finally the coconut flakes.

• Roll the dough tightly in to a log. Seal the edges with the butter and gingerly cut 1 inch pieces of the log and set on to a greased baking tray, 1 inch apart allowing some space between the swirls
• I also added some to a greased muffin pan.
• Cover both the trays with a wet kitchen towel and allow to sit for 45 minutes for the dough to rise again.

• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 F and pop in the trays to bake for about 20 – 25 minutes until they are golden in color.
• While the swirls are baking and your kitchen is filled with the aroma of cinnamon and sugar, prepare the easy sugar glaze.
• Whisk together icing sugar, butter, vanilla essence and milk until it reaches a thin pouring consistency.
• When the cinnamon rolls are fresh out of the oven set them up to cool for a few minutes else the glaze would melt away in the heat.
• Spoon out the glaze as you want it to be… I dont like a lot, but my daughter loves to pour it on top until it drips all over the sides!
• Enjoy warm Cinnamon Swirls with your favourite cuppa!
• Makes around 16-18 Cinnamon Rolls.