Cinnamon rolls came to South America from other places, and there's really no proper name for cinnamon rolls in Spanish, but they are still widely available and enjoyed. So many people have tasted a cinnabon roll in the Miami airport - it's really an example of the globalization of food. Cinnamon desserts are very popular in South America, so it's no surprise that cinnamon rolls have caught on big there. This recipe calls for mashed potatoes in the dough, which makes the cinnamon rolls very tender. They also freeze really well. Simply thaw them overnight and reheat gently in the microwave.
Prep Time: 6 hours
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours, 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 medium white potato
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 2 teaspoons dry instant yeast
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter plus 1/4 cup melted butter plus 2 tablespoons more for glaze
- 1 cup milk
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 5 - 6 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup light brown sugar plus 1/2 cup more for glaze
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup
- 1/4 cup cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla or 1 tablespoon rum
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup butter for icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch salt
- 3-4 tablespoons of milk
Preparation:
- Boil peeled potatoes until soft. Mash potatoes thoroughly or run cooked potatoes through a food mill. You should have about 1 packed cup of mashed potatoes. (You can freeze any leftovers in a ziplock bag for the next batch).
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm (not hot) water.
- Place 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) in a heat-proof bowl. Bring milk to a boil, and pour over butter to melt it. Let cool until it is just warm.
- Add cooled mashed potatoes to yeast. Add sugar, eggs, salt, and one cup of flour. Start to mix on low speed with the dough hook attachment.
- Add milk and butter mixture slowly, and gradually add the remaining flour, one cup at a time.
- Knead dough for 5 to 10 minutes, until smooth and stretchy. Dough will be sticky, but not wet.
- Place dough in lightly greased bowl and allow to rise until double in size (about 1 1/2 to 2 hours). Dough can rise in the refrigerator as well, for 4 to 6 hours or overnight. It will rise more slowly, but will be easier to handle when chilled, and the flavor will be more developed.
- Turn dough onto well floured surface. With floured rolling pin, roll dough out into a large thin rectangle, about 3/8 inch thick. If the dough shrinks back to a smaller size, let it rest for 5 minutes and then continue to roll. You can separate the dough into two pieces and roll them out separately if you don't have a lot of counter space.
- Melt 1/4 cup butter. Brush dough with melted butter, but leave a inch wide border all around the edge free of butter.
- Mix 1 cup light brown sugar with 2 tablespoons of cinnamon. Sprinkle mixture generously over buttered rectangle of dough. (Use half of cinnamon sugar mixture if you are working with half of the dough).
- Starting with a long side of the rectangle, roll the dough up into a long spiral. Slice spiral into pieces about 1 1/2 inches wide. Dental floss or string work well for neat slices. Place slices of dough, cut side up, close to one another in a buttered pan with edges, such as a 12 by 18 jelly roll pan. Preheat oven to 425. Let rolls rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size.
- While the rolls are rising, make the glaze. Place 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons butter and corn syrup in a pot and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat and whisk in cream, vanilla or rum, and salt.
- When rolls have risen, bake them for 12 to 15 minutes, until they feel slightly firm. Remove from oven and brush or drizzle the glaze over the rolls.
- Return rolls to the oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes more, until light golden brown.
- While rolls are cooling, make icing. Melt butter and whisk in powdered sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Add milk until icing has a just runny consistency. Drizzle over cinnamon rolls while still warm.
Makes about 15 large (4 inch diameter) cinnamon rolls, or 24 smaller (2 inch) rolls.
