(Michael Smith's on the left, my humble rolls on the right -- not too bad right?) 

Although I’ve never baked cinnamon rolls, let alone knead anything in my life, I felt pretty confident they would turn out. After all I was using a Michael Smith recipe. I trust the man. He not only has mad cooking chops, but a reassuring way that comes across even on paper.


All to say I put my faith in his recipe and he did not disappoint. These cinnamon rolls were awesome. Although the next time I make these babies, and trust me there definitely will be a next time, I’ll bake them for much shorter time and not over knead the dough. Too much kneading creates stretchy gluten that makes bread tough which I found out the hard(!) way, no pun intended. I also used regular yeast but seeing the recipe reprinted in The Best of Chef at Home, he definitely calls for instant yeast.

Despite all that they were surprisingly easy. Plus baking these made my house smell amazing -- brown sugar and cinnamon… mmmm.... The only thing I found tricky was timing them for breakfast. Ideally, I want my just-out-of-the-oven cinnamon roll with my morning coffee. Can you think of a better way to start your day? But with all the rising time involved, you’d have to start baking them at 4am for them to be ready for breakfast.


One way to get around this, as many of you suggested, is to wrap the rolls in cling wrap after they’ve risen for the second time, freeze them overnight and pop them into the oven the next day. Either way, this was a fun recipe that I encourage you to try. Everyone who’s submitted their submission so far has loved them. Be sure to read the helpful comments on the original November Cooking Club Challenge post.


(Here's how they looked before I popped them in the oven)

Here's how the Cooking Club Challenge works:

• Make the chosen monthly recipe: Michael Smith's Cinnamon Rolls
  
• Feel free to follow it to a "T" or add your own creative flair.
• Email me (blogATfoodtvDOTca) a picture (in .jpg format) and a short descriptive paragraph of no more than 50 words before November 30, 2009, for your chance to win prizes. If you have a flickr account, you can post your results to the Foodtv.ca flickr group.
• Do check out past Cooking Club Challenge results.
  
  

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 or 2 tbsp vanilla
• 1 tsp salt
• 5 cups flour
• 1 pkg (1/4 oz) instant yeast
• 4 eggs

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp cinnamon

• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1/4 cream
• 1 cup powdered sugar

1.  In a small pot gently warm the milk along with 1 stick of butter, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, the vanilla and the salt. Don't bring to a simmer, warm just enough to melt the butter. Meanwhile measure half the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer along with the yeast. Add the warm melted milk butter mixture to the flour, beat with a paddle attachment until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth before proceeding. Switch to a dough hook and add the remaining flour. Knead until a soft dough forms that is no longer sticky to the touch, about five minutes. Rest the dough in a warm place, covered in a lightly oiled bowl until it doubles in size, about one to two hours.
2. Knock the dough down and let rest for a few minutes. Meanwhile thoroughly mix together the room temperature butter with 1 cup of brown sugar and the cinnamon. Flour your work surface, the dough, your hands and a rolling pin. Roll out the dough into a long rectangle shape, about 18x12-inches. Evenly spread the cinnamon butter over the top of the dough leaving an inch or two uncovered along one long edge. This will help a seal form. Roll tightly into a long cigar shape from the covered long edge to the uncovered long edge. Brush the outside of the log with oil or melted butter.
3. Slice the dough log into 12 or 16 sections. Turn each on its side and position evenly in an appropriately sized lightly oiled baking pan. Rest, uncovered, until the dough doubles in size again and the rolls swell into each other.
4. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 350?. When the dough is ready, bake for 40 to 45 minutes.
5. When the cinnamon rolls have cooled enough to handle stir together the glaze ingredients and drizzle all over them. Serve immediately!

1. Mix all ingredients together.

1. Stir together the glaze ingredients and drizzle all over the cinnamon rolls after they have cooled.

• Past Cooking Club Challenges
• Read Elana’s review of Michael Smith’s latest cookbook, The Best of Chef at Home
• Michael Smith on Foodnetwork.ca