Wednesday Baking-Overnight Cinnamon Twists
(Note: This recipe will be unnecessarily picture-heavy, since I'm dearly in love with my new camera lens. If you read me on dial-up, you might want to stop reading and come back tomorrow.)
This is a recipe I've been making since I was a teenager. It's from an old Fleischmann's Yeast cookbook that my mom got before I was born (it's now on, um, permanent loan to me, I think). There's no date on it, but judging by this picture of the then-current family of Fleischmann products,
it's been around for a while.
But, it has some really good recipes in it, one of which I'll share with you today.
The most delightful thing about this recipe is that everything except the baking can be done the day/night before, which means that you can enjoy fresh, cinnamony goodness for breakfast without having to get up at 4:30.
So, while you might be willing to get up at the crack of dawn to make this for breakfast...
...you don't have to! Here's how to avoid baking before the sun comes up.
Mix the dry ingredients.
Mix the milk, water, and butter together, and heat to 120-130 degrees Fahrenheit. Obviously, I took this picture before I did any heating.
Add to the dry ingredients, and beat for 2 minutes. The dough will be more like batter at this point.
Add eggs and beat for 2 more minutes. Add enough additional flour to make a manageable dough, and turn out onto a floured surface. Knead 5-10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Cover with a wet tea towel, and let rest 20 minutes. It won't rise a lot in 20 minutes, but the gluten will relax a bit, which will make it much easier to roll the dough out.
Meanwhile, mix up the cinnamon and sugar, and melt some butter (a couple of tablespoons should be enough.). If you don't do dairy, you can sub whatever oil you prefer to use.
Divide the rested dough in half, and roll each half into a 12 inch square. Brush the entire square with melted butter. You don't want it to be swimming in butter, but be generous enough for the cinnamon/sugar to stick.
Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the sugar mixture down the center third of the dough.
Then fold one third of the dough over the center third.
Sprinkle 3 more tablespoons of the sugar mixture over the remaining buttered third of the dough.
Fold the two thirds of the dough over the sugared third. If you try to fold the sugared third over, you'll just make a big mess.
Repeat with the other square, and then cut each buttered and sugared half of the dough into 1 inch strips. I find that a pizza cutter is the best tool to use for this. I actually don't ever use my pizza cutter for its intended purpose but I do love to have one around for baking.
Holding each end of a strip, twist the ends in opposite directions,
and place in a greased pan.
If you have two 9x9 pans, use those (incidentally, does anyone actually own 9x9 pans? I've never seen one in my lifetime!). Since no 9x9 pans reside in my cupboards, I use an 8x8 pan and a 9x13 pan. That's not quite equivalent to two 9x9 pans, but it works just fine.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap, or, if you have lids for your pans, you can use those instead. My aunt currently has my lidded pan, so I had to use plastic wrap today.
Refrigerate anywhere from 2 to 24 hours. The dough will rise the in the fridge for a couple of hours, but after that the chill will slow the yeast growth down to a crawl, and very little rising will occur after that.
When you're ready to bake your twists, turn your oven on to 350, remove the twists from the fridge, uncover them, and let them sit at room temperature while the oven heats up (10-20 minutes).
Bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of your pan. An 8x8 pan won't need to bake quite as long as a 9x13 pan, obviously.
Cool in the pan on a wire rack before eating.
If you're not satisfied with the level of sugar in this recipe, you can drizzle confectioner's icing over top. Mixing this up takes all of about 60 seconds.
You just combine powdered sugar, a bit of milk and a bit of vanilla. Easy peasy. And then you drizzle it over the top of the warm twists like so.
Could we just pause for a moment and admire this loveliness of this picture, which was, of course, taken with my new lens??
I'm a happy girl.
If you're done gazing at the picture, read on for the actual recipe.
Overnight Cinnamon Twists
Dough
5-6 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 pkg. (4 ½ teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 cup milk
⅔ cup water
¼ cup butter, cut into smallish chunks (this makes it easier to melt)
2 eggs
¾ cup raisins (I don't include these)
Filling
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Icing (optional)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
¼ teaspoon vanilla
1) In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 2 cups flour, and the sugar, salt, and yeast.
2) Combine milk, water, and butter, and heat in microwave or in a saucepan until very warm (120-130 degrees F).
3) Gradually add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, and beat two minutes at medium speed. Add eggs, and beat at high speed 2 minutes. Stir in raisins if using, and enough additional flour to make a soft but kneadable dough.
4) Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, 5-10 minutes. Place dough back in bowl, cover with a wet tea towel, and let rest 20 minutes.
5) While the dough is resting, combine ¾ sugar and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, and melt several tablespoons of butter.
6) After 20 minutes, divide dough in half. Roll out each half into a 12 inch square. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle center third of each square with 3 tablespoons of the sugar mixture. Fold one third over center third. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of the sugar mixture. Fold remaining third over the two layers. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into strips about 1 inch wide. Take hold of each end of strip and twist tightly in opposite directions. Arrange in two greased 9-inch square pans (or an 8x8 pan and a 9x13 pan like I do!). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 to 24 hours.
7) When ready to bake, heat oven to 350, and remove pans from fridge. Uncover dough and let stand at room temperature 10-20 minutes. Bake 20-30 minutes, or until browned. A 9x13 pan will take closer to 30 minutes, and an 8x8 or 9x9 pan will take closer to 20-25 minutes.
8 ) Cool in pan on wire rack before eating. If desired, combine icing ingredients, and drizzle over top of the twists.
Kristen these look so yummy! I think I will try these this weekend! Oh and the pics look fabulous!! 🙂
Those look great! Thanks for sharing the recipe:).
I own TWO 9x9 pans, and it was the 8x8 ones I didn't know existed (but now I have two of those as well). I've never seen this method of cinnamon twists, and I'll have to try it soon. During the school year, I do get up at 4:30, but it's not to bake! I can't wait to share these with my family. I know they'll love them.
my kids are going to love these. My son does not like chocolate, or cake frosting, so I'm always on the lookout for recipes that he might like. Thanks so much for sharing!
And yes, the photos are fabulous.
Wow, Those look great and I love that they are made the night before. I'd probably have to cut the recipe in half so that my husband and I don't go into sugar overload 🙂
I totally admired every single picture as I am currently hating my stupid point and shoot with the almost non-existent zoom. I need a new camera. Seriously. Need.
I can't wait to try this recipe. I'm not a morning person so I tend to bake cookies or bread in the wee hours- now I can bake cinnamon rolls, which my husband and I both love!
Great photos, and I also love the Fleishman's photo. My favorite recipe of all time I've been baking since I was 12 - it's the best pumpkin bread I've ever had and it came from a 60s homemade cookbook, the kind women's clubs used to put together. Kind of like we're all doing these days by sharing recipes on blogs!
Love the pictures! These look soooooooo yummy, thanks!
These look wonderful! Thank you.
(I feel I must point out, however, that a person avoiding dairy would not only choose a different oil for the filling; she would probably also avoid the recipe, since it contains milk... 😉 )
The luscious pictures just SOLD me on this recipe (plus that I'm lazy by nature and loved that I didn't have to get up early for something good...lol!)
I stop in and read your post often, and am always delighted by what I find. 🙂 Thanks for your wonderful blog.
BTW--my daughter's a vegan, so she simply subs soymilk for the dairy in most recipes...
This looks great! Thanks for sharing :).
This looks so GOOD! My husband is away at camp this week, and he loves cinnamon rolls! I will definitely have to surprise him and make them for him the morning he gets back! Thanks!
I love cinnamon rolls and will definately be giving these a try. The photos are great too - enjoy playing with your new lens!
Finally I can make morning cinnamon rolls. We have always had to make afternoon/evening cinnamon rolls so these will be great! Our morning rolls tended to pop out of a can and the flavor is just not there, so thanks. I also ordered an old Fleischmanns recipe book on Amazon...I hope it is the same one you have!
Hey, Kristen,
Are you going to tell us what kind of new lens allows you to take such fabulous, tempting photos? Or do we have to wait for the Monday Q & A? 😉
Kristen, I just love step by step picks!! And I love all your recipes, been waiting for this one too :-))) Thank you!!!!!
Please can I be your food tester?
Elizabeth, yes, I should have pointed out that non-dairy people would want to sub soy milk or water for the milk. Bread can easily be made with water instead of milk. It just affects the texture a bit, as milk makes for a softer end product.
Jonathan, it's an L Series 24-70 mm. 🙂 It's expensive, but I saved and saved for it.
Tania, I'm sorry, but I have four eager cinnamon twist recipe testers here already! lol
Oh, I could almost taste these...will be baking them ASAP! Thanks!
@Kristen
Keep up the good work, and I loved it when you mentioned nondairy milk could be substituted there. Thank you for thinking of it. And of course vegan margarine could be substituted, maybe it's not as heavenly but it is what it is. I'm not sure if I'll have time to try this recipe soon (we are moving, yay) but if I do, I'll try it with the above changes and egg replacer too and let you know how it goes. 🙂
Your crazy vegan fan in Seattle.
The gold touch pan comes in a 9x9. I have it( and the 8x8) and love them both!!
oh and I should point out that since this has an overnight rise, you could probably cut the yeast down a touch too. I always cut down yeast for an overnight rise, the flavor is just superior. I think I'm going to try a half recipe of these.
OT but why the zoom? I'm finding myself preferring just a few primes. My main 35mm setup is a 35mm, 50mm and then a long zoom I leave at home most of the time. Zooms are nice but just don't open wide enough for me without costing a fortune.
I am so making these when we get our new stove next week. =D
I have the 50mm 1.4 prime lens, and I've been shooting almost exclusively with it since Christmas, when is when I got it.
Eventually, I'll probably end up getting some more primes, but I like the flexibility the zoom offers. I don't have enough money to buy a boatload of prime lenses right now.
Your needs are probably a lot different than mine since you shoot mostly landscapes and I shoot mostly people. I don't need anything particularly wide.
Plus, since I'm shooting children so often, and since they move so fast and so frequently, the zoom comes in handy.
Anyhoo...down the road when I am a better photographer and I have more money (ha!), I'll expand my prime lens collection.
These are the best cinnamon rolls EVER! I have been looking for a recipe that tastes like Cinnabon rolls (the airport chain stores) for a long time. I put buttercream frosting on these and they were perfect! I mistakenly used white bread flour instead of regular flour and I don't know if that made any difference. I have never made one of your recipes that my family didn't love.
These were super good and easy. Made them last night and baked them today to test before making them for a big group. Thank you for posting! What a super idea to let them rise overnight in the fridge. I've always been afraid of yeast but this summer have made bread and now these so feel very brave. 🙂
Oh, but these rolls were tasty!! DH and I enjoyed, ahem, 4 at breakfast, then I ate another with a drop in visitor at noon, then DH and I enjoyed the last two the next am.
I originally halved the recipe, thinking that double pans-full would be too many--silly me. :p
This recipe is wonderful! I've made them twice now with great success and WHAT a family pleaser. Dangerous to the diet! They taste just like my mom's homemade cinnamon rolls. Thanks for sharing!
I made these this afternoon and they are a real hit! Rather than allowing to rise overnight in the fridge I allowed it to rise for 45 minutes or so on the counter before cooking.
I'll be making this again! Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
Do you really think. if you think about it all, that including so many useless pictures is of value to a reader? Do you think that we do not know what pads of butter in milk look like?
Put the camera down and think before taking a picture... PLEASE!
Less is more.
Jojo-I do try to think about what would make things simpler for my readers. I really do. Thus far, the majority of my readers have said that the multiple pictures make things like yeast baking far less scary to them.
Also, if you read the post, you'd notice that at the beginning, I said this post would be unnecessarily picture heavy, as I posted it on the day I got my brand new camera lens. 😉 I do usually post a lot of pictures with my baking recipes, but this was unusually many!
Lastly, if the pictures annoy you, you can feel free to scroll down to the bottom of the post where the recipe is sitting, without any pictures.
Kristen, I think the pictures are beautiful as does every other person that has posted on here except for Jojo. The point you made to her that she can just scroll to the bottom to see the written recipe without pictures should of already been obvious to her but maybe she didn't 'think' about that before she wrote to you. Keep of the great work!
Wow, I LOVE all of the pictures. That way I know that I am doing it right when my steps match up to yours. Like you said, if you don't want to see all of the pictures, scroll down to the recipe! If you ever follow any of The Pioneer Woman's recipes, she takes pictures of every step!
Kristen, I made this recipe last year for Christmas morning and my family LOVED them. We gave 1/4 of the batch to our elderly neighbor and he said they were the best he has ever had. We have company this Christmas and I don't think I will have time to make them Christmas eve, have you ever made them and then froze them? I would probably leave them in the fridge first overnight to rise a bit more and then freeze them. What are your thoughts? Thank-you and I love your site, keep up the great work :-).
I haven't tried freezing these unbaked before. I know freezing them in their baked state would be fine, though.
You could always experiment, but I'd be a little bit hesitant to do that for company!
love these! easy and beautiful- will add a bit more cinnamon on next batch but perfect as is! kids gobbled these up in 2 days- reheat in microwave for 2nd day
I have been freezing this recipe! I get a pan out from the freezer the night before I want to bake them. In the morning they have defrosted and risen... Bake as directed. We'll be having some Christmas morning!
Hey! My name is Kristen too, i made these and they were DELICIOUS!!!
These look fantastic 🙂 my boyfriends adores my baking so i know he'll LOVE these,thanks for the recipe 😀
Does it make a huge difference if these are made without a stand mixer?
I dont have on and was wondering what would have to be changed for a hand mixer.
You can mix up the dough by hand, but you'll want to knead it longer.
Thanks. I'm going try this right now.
Looks yummy!
Do you think it wuld work with spelt flour or kamut flour? My husband can`t have wheat...
Thanks!
Sadly, no. Baking with non-wheat flours is a whole different science, and they can't be substituted cup for cup. Check out America's Test Kitchen's gluten-free cookbook or try http://www.glutenfreegirl.com for help in baking without wheat.
Awesome recipe. Thanks for sharing! I cannot remember how I found your site.
What I can say is from the first time I made these to most recent time. Excellent! Never have come out bad! I have made for my family, friends, kids sports teams. I have made the regular glaze and also made a maple glaze. Everyone loves these. The directions and pictures were so very helpful. I am a learn as you go baker with no training but inspiration from my children and husband who like to eat and are great critics. This is a much requested recipe. Especially from my sons hockey team.
Yay! So very pleased to hear your twists are turning out so well.
Just wanted to let you know that I used to have that same book, and have somehow lost it..today when I was looking something similar, I was so very happy to see you had posted this! It will make a nice breakfast sweet for Christmas morning - Thanks, and happy holidays = Valerie
Yayyyyyyyy soooooo goooooooooood