Breadmaker Cinnamon Rolls

There are a lot of things that people in America have that we don’t have (and sadly have never had!) in New Zealand. Cheaper prices are definitely one of those things, but I guess being at the bottom of the world, it isn’t as easy to produce cheap products and the shipping to get stuff over here definitely isn’t cheap! Don’t get me wrong, I do love New Zealand and there are so many advantages to having been born and raised here, but sadly we do miss out on some things simply because the market is too small to sustain them. As my parents and sister have all recently been to the USA, their stories of wonderful food, cheap clothes and vast arrays of make up are certainly making me jealous, but there is one particular chain that I remember from visits as a child that I always wished we had in New Zealand.

Cinnabon! I remember getting off a plane at LAX when I was 13 and not feeling too crash hot (I’ve always had travel sickness… :() but still not being able to resist the lure of the cinnamon-y goodness of Cinnabon. It really was a revelation for a 13 year old, especially because I’d never had a cinnamon roll with CHOCOLATE! Whaaaaat? It was heaven, pure heaven and I was sad to learn from my sister that the chain is dying out in America even! Every once in a while I get a hankering for sweet bread smothered in butter and cinnamon and as we don’t have Cinnabon in New Zealand, I have to sadly make my own. However, I do have a pretty awesome fail-safe recipe from my mother for cinnamon rolls, designed to be used in a breadmaker. I won’t say that these are a Cinnabon copycat or anything because they are certainly are different and they don’t have a cream cheese glaze, just a simple icing sugar and milk glaze, but they are pretty damn good if I do say so myself! As this is a chocolate baking blog and I do have an obsession with chocolate, I did add chocolate to the recipe. Not necessary, but totally worth it. You don’t have to have a breadmaker to make them but it does make them easier to make, I will include instructions on how to do this recipe without a breadmaker below though so anyone can enjoy them! Happy baking!

Cinnamon Rolls with Chocolate

This recipe will make 9-10 cinnamon rolls, depending on how thick you cut them.

Ingredients

2 1/2 tspn yeast (7g)

3 1/4 cups flour

2 Tbspn sugar

1/2 tspn salt

1 egg

2 Tbspn margarine

1 cup water (250mL)

Filling

3 Tbspn margarine

2 Tbspn cinnamon

4 Tbspn brown sugar

1/2 cup chocolate bits

Glaze

1/2 cup icing sugar

1/2 tspn vanilla essence

4 Tbspn milk

Directions

1. Put the first 7 ingredients in your bread maker in the order they are listed.
2. Select the “Dough” or “Sweet Dough” cycle or equivalent (depending on type of breadmaker) wait for the breadmaker to work its magic! (Below the rest of these instructions are breadmaker-less instructions.)
3. When the breadmaker is nearly finished, grease a rectangular 40cm x 30cm baking dish very well, preferably with butter.
4. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to a 45cm x 22cm rectangle. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar in a separate bowl. Then spread the margarine on top, leaving a 1cm gap around the edges. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the margarine, making sure it is evenly spread. Sprinkle the chocolate bits over the top of this.
5. Roll up into a big log lengthways, starting at the side furthest from you. Pinch the edges of the dough to seal together. Slice into 5cm rolls and place them in the baking dish, leaving at least a 1cm gap on all sides.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm place for an hour, or until doubled in size.
7. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
8. Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
9. Make the glaze whilst you wait, combine the icing sugar, vanilla essence and milk (the last 3 ingredients) in a small bowl until the mixture is thin enough to drizzle over the top of the rolls. Add more milk if necessary.
10. Leave to cool for at least 5-10 minutes on a wire rack before smothering with the glaze.

No Breadmaker Instructions

1. Combine the yeast, water and sugar in a measuring jug or small bowl and leave to proof (bubble up) for around 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt and make a well in the centre. Crack the egg into the centre and add the water/yeast/sugar mixture once proofed. Soften the margarine and add this to the mixture as well.
3. Mix all together with either a wooden spoon or your hands (I always go with hands!) until the mixture comes together into a dough.
4. On a floured surface, knead the dough until it becomes elasticated and smooth.
5. Transfer to a clean bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for an hour or until doubled in size. Then follow the rest of the instructions above, after the breadmaker part!