Apple Cinnamon Rolls

While I was at my parents house last weekend I grabbed some apples off of their tree and was set on a mission to make something delicious with them. I debated over all of the possibilities; turnovers, cinnamon rolls, pie, muffins, bread, strudel and finally decided that apple cinnamon rolls sounded quite good. Although diced apple could easily be snuck into any cinnamon roll recipe I figured that I might as well try a new recipe while I was at it.


This dough came together quickly and nicely and turned into a dough that was smooth and perfect to work with. The vanilla glaze adds just enough sweetness to the rolls that a heavy cream cheese frosting is just not needed. I opted for the making and baking the rolls in the same day but there are instructions on spanning it out over two days. These rolls were a hit with my family and also with my co-workers. I will definitely be making these again in the near future.


Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, pg 144-145

Ingredients
4 1/4 to 5 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup milk
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose four
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter
1 cup finely chopped, peeled apple
half and half or light cream
1 recipe vanilla glaze (below)

Directions
1 - In a large mixing bowl combine 2 1/4 cups of the flour and the yeast. In a saucepan heat and stir milk, 1/3 cup of butter, granulated sugar, and salt just until warm (120-130 degrees F) and butter almost melts; add to flour mixture along with eggs. Beat with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl. Beat on high speed 3 minutes. Stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
2 - Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic (3-5 minutes total). Shape dough into a ball. Place in a greased bowl; turn once. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 hour).
3 - Punch down down. Turn out onto lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease two 9 x 1 1/2 inch round baking pans or 2 baking sheets ; set aside. For filling, stir together brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour, and cinnamon; cut in 1/3 cup butter until the mixture resembles course crumbs.
4 - Roll each half of dough into a 12x8 inch rectangle. Sprinkle filling and apple over dough rectangles. Roll up each rectangle starting from a long side. Seal seams. Slice each roll into 12 pieces. Place cut sides down in prepared pans or baking sheets.
5 - To bake the rolls right away; cover the dough loosely and let it rise in a warm place until nearly double, about 30 minutes. To bake the rolls later; cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap and chill for 2 to 24 hours. When ready to bake the rolls uncover and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
6 - Break any surface bubbles with a greased toothpick. Brush dough with half-and-half. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until light brown (if necessary, cover rolls with foil the last 5 to 10 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning). Remove from oven. Brush again with half-and-half. Cool for 1 minute. Carefully invert rolls onto a wire rack. Cool slightly. Invert once again onto a serving platter. Drizzle with Vanilla Glaze (recipe below).


Vanilla Glaze
In a small bowl stir together 1 1/4 cups sifted powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon light-colored corn syrup, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Add enough half and half or light cream (1-2 tablespoons) to reach drizzling consistency.