Cinnamon Rolls

I had quite a bit of leftover frosting from my Green Velvet Whoopie Pies and needed a way to get rid of it.  My husband suggested cinnamon rolls.  I happened to have some bread dough in the refridgerator that would work perfectly.  It was meant to be. 

They turned out perfectly: a late spring snow, a cold Saturday morning, yeasty, cinnamon-y bread smells, warm rolls covered in icing.  What a wonderful morning.

To make the cinnamon rolls - just the recipe for the easy yeast bread.  Pull off about 1-1/2 pounds of the dough (about the size of a canteloupe). Sprinkle it with just enough flour to make it not sticky and pull it into a ball.  Then, on a flour dusted surface, roll out into a large rectangle until it is about 1/8" thick.  Spread evenly with this mixture:

6 T. soft butter

1/8 C. white sugar
1/4 C. brown sugar
1-1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
pinch black pepper
mix all of these together to make a sugary-spicey-butter paste

Roll it all up and then cut it into about 8 even pieces.  And arrange the pieces (swirl side up) in a 9-inch round cake pan (use a spring-form pan if you have one).

At this point you can let them rise for 40-minutes to an hour on the counter then bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes (until evenly golden brown). 

Or, if you prefer to not wake up early just to make breakfast, you can do like I did and make these the night before: Loosely cover with plastic wrap and refridgerate.

Then next morning, let rise for an hour.  (Or - put the pan on a cooling rack with a pan of hot water underneath and it will cut the rising time in half.)  Bake for 30-40 minutes at 375.

Cover with icing while still warm.