Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze

I've always thought it would be fun to host the holidays.  We've alternated going to my parents or my husband's family for years, and I've always thought it would be great to have everyone come to us.  That way we could plan our menu, serve what we want to serve and just put our spin on the holiday celebration.  

Of course, when I had these thoughts I did not think we would take the holiday hosting plunge three weeks after having our first baby.  But we did!  And it was a ton of work for my husband who did most of the planning, preparing and cooking. But I managed to contribute cinnamon rolls for breakfast Christmas morning.  I've always thought cinnamon rolls (or some equivalent "special" breakfast food) should start a holiday.  And this year cinnamon rolls popped into my head as the perfect start to the day.

Making them was an experience.  I drifted into the kitchen, made part of the dough before going back out to pick up a freshly awakened baby.  A short time later I came back in wearing the baby, and finished the dough.  The dough rose for a bit longer then the 2 hours called for in the recipe, although it seemed no worse for wear.  And after cutting the rolls, I put them into the fridge overnight for their last rise before baking the next day.  

I used this recipe from Bon Appetit, and I was really pleased with the results.  The glaze made plenty - I am a frosting lover and these were perfectly iced in my book.  The rolls were best the first day fresh from the oven, but oven heated leftovers disappeared the next two days as well.  I did not get the rolls photographed... I will have to work on that important step in my next recipe, but I will say it felt good to be back in the kitchen.  My motivation which abandoned me during pregnancy seems to be back, so hopefully my baby-juggling/cooking skills will continue to develop and I will be posting more regularly soon.  

Happy New Year everyone!

Easy Cinnamon Bread

M. has been a big fan of watching the (now concluded) World Cup soccer games. This is okay with me (who pretty much detests most sports), as long as I have something to do. Today, he watched Italy beat France in a penalty kick shootout, and I browsed through the King Arthur's Baking Companion cookbook. I stumbled across the recipe for Easy Cinnamon Bread, and was instantly motivated to abandon the couch to start baking. I've made this bread once before, and it is positively the height of cinnamon deliciousness. And, it would fulfill this week's breakfast quest. See, since I'm having a lazy summer I've been sleeping in a bit later. And, the typical breakfast that I start my working days with at 7:00 am just isn't appealing at the much later hours of 9:30 am or 10:00 am. As a result, I've been experimenting with lighter fare that I can eat later in the morning and still be hungry for lunch. I think this bread will fit the bill perfectly for this upcoming week.


Easy Cinnamon Bread
King Arthur's Baking Companion
1 loaf, 16 slices

This bread is a cross between a typical baking powder-leavened quick bread and a yeast bread. The result: a loaf that tastes like cinnamon coffeecake, wondeful served plain and incredible toasted.

3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsps instant yeast
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup (6 oz) cinnamon chips
Cinnamon-sugar, for topping

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, yeast, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, butter and egg. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, beating until smooth. Cover and let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour, then stir in the baking powder and cinnamon chips.

Preheat oven to 350 deg. Spoon the batter into greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon sugar.

Bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the bread from the oven, let it rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then tranfer it from the pan to a rack to cool completely. Don't slice the bread while it's hot; it will slice much better when it's completely cool.

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