No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls

It was Mrblocko's birthday a few weekends ago. I told him I would make him cinnamon rolls for breakfast as a special treat. He thought I meant I would snap open a can of the Pillsbury variety. Boy was he surprised when he saw me rolling out the dough and the giant mess I made of the kitchen.

I've mentioned before that I am scared of rolling pins and yeast. Cinnamon rolls usually require both. Then I found the recipe for cinnamon rolls from Big Red Kitchen. No yeast! What a great way to get my feet wet in the world of cinnamon roll making.

I followed the recipe using the filling stated in the recipe. Some of the ingredients say they are optional, but I assumed that meant you could use them all if you wanted to. For the filling I used 2 cups of brown sugar, not packed, and a scant cup of each of the following, pecans, caramel chips and cinnamon chips. Do not do this as it is an insane amount of filling.

The filling amounts may have been off for me because I didn't roll the dough out long enough. I have no idea as the recipe doesn't give any direction as to what the final dimensions the dough should be once it is rolled. I just rolled the dough out as best I could. When I went to roll the dough up into a log, there was so much filling that it fell out everywhere.

I don't think the filling is supposed to be on top of the rolls like it is in this photo below. Seriously, there was so much filling that I could not get the log rolled tight enough for it to stay in when sliced. I had to get Mrblocko to help me transfer the cut rolls into the baking pans, and cram in all the filling that fell out. You can even see some of the huge mess the filling made on the counter in the rolling and cutting process.
Below is what they looked like after the rolls had baked in the oven for nearly an hour. Keep in mind the original recipe said it would take less than 20 minutes for them to bake. Breakfast was reeeeally late that morning. Even though it was Mrblocko's birthday that morning, he was a good sport about it.
Since we were absolutely famished by the time the rolls were cooked all the way through. I did what any normal tummy growling mommy would do and plated them immediately. Don't do that. Let them cool for a while or they will fall apart and look like this:

The cinnamon rolls were infinitely better the next day. Once they had cooled they actually kept their shape and looked like a cinnamon roll on the plate instead of a pile of brown muck. 30 seconds in the microwave got the filling ooey and gooey, and the dough soft enough to eat with a fork.

If you attempt this recipe, whatever you do don't eat two rolls in one sitting. Mrblocko and I both did and, the rolls are so rich, we felt a little sick to our tummies afterwards. Did I mention the original recipe called for icing as well? These rolls are sweet enough as is. Besides, I think icing would mask the flavors from the carmel and cinnamon chips. These are good flavors, don't cover 'em up!

The rolls ,while they were good, I don't think I'll make them again. The dough part of the roll just wasn't as tasty as the yeasted kind. This recipe did give me a bit of practice for the "real thing." Maybe by the time Mrblocko's birthday rolls around next year I'll have worked up the courage to try a more traditional cinnamon roll.

No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls from Big Red Kitchen
4 cups unbleached AP flour
4 T. white sugar
2 1/2 T. baking powder
1 1/2 t. Kosher salt
1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

In a large bowl mix together all the dry ingredients then cut in butter and mix until the dough is crumbly. Add buttermilk and mix until a nice dough forms. Place dough on a floured surface, knead a little, and roll into a big, big rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.


Toppers:
1/2 cup butter very soft
2 cups brown sugar- yes!
2 T. cinnamon- I just sprinkle
1 cup cinnamon chips, optional
1 cup caramel chips, optional
1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Spread the dough with the butter and then sprinkle with remaining topper ingredients. Roll dough length-wise away from you and slice into 14 evenly sized buns. Place 7 buns each in two greased 8" cake pans. Bake for 16-18 min in a 350 oven. Top with icing of your choice. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon to make them look even prettier. The middle bun may still be a little under done but someone has to take one for the team.