#EdenCooks - Cinnamon Rolls - Monday, Nov 19, 8pm EST

Contributor: travelnurse travelnurse
I'm in a large urban area so I can get pretty much everything. I am from North Dakota so I actually know some of the tricks but I don't cook and bake like I used to when I was up north. I also work way too much.
11/19/2012
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova
Is everybody with me so far?
Yep.
11/19/2012
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
Depends on what it is and whether I feel the need to make it right now.
Totally fair.

Maybe at the end of the meeting I'll take a quick poll of what kinds of things everybody keeps in their cupboards, and practice making recipes up that don't force you to leave the house.
11/19/2012
Contributor: PropertyOfPotter PropertyOfPotter
I am!

I almost never have everything I need on hand. I'm almost always unprepared when a baking/cooking moment strikes!
11/19/2012
Contributor: Jordan B Jordan B
I just made it in from work How's everyone doing?
11/19/2012
Contributor: travelnurse travelnurse
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova
Whoops! Well that's the most careless I've been with images of myself yet! Dag nabbit, teapot! At least I was wearing a stocking cap...
Cannot tell anything, it is Ok.
11/19/2012
Contributor: Melan!e Melan!e
Quote:
Originally posted by PropertyOfPotter
I am!

I almost never have everything I need on hand. I'm almost always unprepared when a baking/cooking moment strikes!
Me too. But we live right next to a few grocery and specialty food stores so it's not such a big deal to go out and get something we need.
11/19/2012
Contributor: travelnurse travelnurse
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova

Because potatoes boiling is the longest part of getting the dough started, fill a pot with water and let them start to get soft.



While your potatoes are boiling, fill a heavy-bottomed pot with the sugar, milk, and butter. Using ... more
I like the caramel like flavoring myself.
11/19/2012
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova
Totally fair.

Maybe at the end of the meeting I'll take a quick poll of what kinds of things everybody keeps in their cupboards, and practice making recipes up that don't force you to leave the house.
I have a ton of baking staples.
11/19/2012
Contributor: PropertyOfPotter PropertyOfPotter
Quote:
Originally posted by Melan!e
Me too. But we live right next to a few grocery and specialty food stores so it's not such a big deal to go out and get something we need.
Same here!
11/19/2012
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by Jordan B
I just made it in from work How's everyone doing?
Welcome!
11/19/2012
Contributor: travelnurse travelnurse
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
I have a ton of baking staples.
So do I, I actually end up throwing stuff because it went bad before I used it.
11/19/2012
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
I usually have a lot of things on hand... but I typically have to go pick up mix-ins like almonds or pecans or other things that would get stale on me if I just kept them in the pantry and forgot about them.




Once you add your yeast to your milk and have mixed it in, you have all the components of your dough. Add the milk/butter/sugar/yeas t and the potato and the egg to the flour.

Mix everything in with your hands until it is smooth and elastic.

I don't have a potato masher so I had to pull out a few stray bigger potato chunks.



11/19/2012
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Quote:
Originally posted by travelnurse
So do I, I actually end up throwing stuff because it went bad before I used it.
Ours gets used and replaced every week. We do a ton of scratch cooking and baking.
11/19/2012
Contributor: Antipova Antipova

When your dough is nicely silky, rinse out your bowl, dry it, and add a bit of oil so that the dough can rise without sticking to anything. Return the dough to the bowl, cover it up with a damp cloth or saran wrap, and let it rise until it doubles.

This took about an hour in my November-temperatured house.



Because I'm poor and I keep my house pretty cold, I sometimes use an electric heating pad so my dough is rising at more like "room temperature," but I had to leave the house during this first rise so I just let it go its own slow pace.

11/19/2012
Contributor: Antipova Antipova


Prepare a bowl with your cinnamon and sugar, and mix them together.

Once your dough has risen, punch it down and smooth it out.


11/19/2012
Contributor: Antipova Antipova


Melt the butter a little bit. You can either plan to spread the butter on your dough rectangle and then combine the sugar and cinnamon then---or you can mix the butter and sugar and cinnamon all at once, and just apply the "muck."

Butter a 9x13" pan.


11/19/2012
Contributor: Jordan B Jordan B
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova


Prepare a bowl with your cinnamon and sugar, and mix them together.

Once your dough has risen, punch it down and smooth it out.


What do you mean by punch it down? Rolling it?
11/19/2012
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by Jordan B
What do you mean by punch it down? Rolling it?
Well, once it has risen, just make a fist and literally punch it, straight downward, two or three times so that you release some of the gas that was trapped while the dough was rising. (Yeast generates CO2. If you don't release some, once you bake your dough, it will be all insubstantial and not as good as it would be.)
11/19/2012
Contributor: Antipova Antipova

Roll your dough into a nice rectangle. Measure it up with your pan---they should be about the same size.



Now apply your butter and cinnamon sugar, or your "muck."




11/19/2012
Contributor: Jordan B Jordan B
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova
Well, once it has risen, just make a fist and literally punch it, straight downward, two or three times so that you release some of the gas that was trapped while the dough was rising. (Yeast generates CO2. If you don't release some, once you ... more
Ah ok I understand, but wouldn't rolling it out do the same thing?
11/19/2012
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova
Well, once it has risen, just make a fist and literally punch it, straight downward, two or three times so that you release some of the gas that was trapped while the dough was rising. (Yeast generates CO2. If you don't release some, once you ... more
I read somewhere once that if you have trouble getting a dough to rise properly, you can gently press it down instead of punching, so you would retain some of the air. It became a habit.
11/19/2012
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by Jordan B
Ah ok I understand, but wouldn't rolling it out do the same thing?
Yes I guess so, and you are definitely going to roll it soon anyway---it might feel uneven while you were doing it, though. To be honest, I have never tried not punching it down. So give it a shot in the name of Science, and report your findings!
11/19/2012
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
I read somewhere once that if you have trouble getting a dough to rise properly, you can gently press it down instead of punching, so you would retain some of the air. It became a habit.
That makes sense. Ever since I realized I could set things to rise on an electric heating pad, though, everything's always risen! (Even that ever-so-finnicky rye!)
11/19/2012
Contributor: Jordan B Jordan B
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova
Yes I guess so, and you are definitely going to roll it soon anyway---it might feel uneven while you were doing it, though. To be honest, I have never tried not punching it down. So give it a shot in the name of Science, and report your findings!
All right sounds good. Thanks for the info
11/19/2012
Contributor: Antipova Antipova


Roll your dough into as tight a cylinder as possible (the long way). Cut it into twelve pieces.



Put them all (cut side up for the end pieces) in the pan.



Cover them with your same cloth or saran wrap, and let them rise until doubled again.

Now is a good time to start letting your oven preheat to 350F, because this rise will also take about an hour.


11/19/2012
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova
That makes sense. Ever since I realized I could set things to rise on an electric heating pad, though, everything's always risen! (Even that ever-so-finnicky rye!)
When we do bread, we turn the oven on as soon as the second rise starts, and just set the loaves near the stove for the second rise. Works pretty well, since we don't have a heating pad.
11/19/2012
Contributor: PropertyOfPotter PropertyOfPotter
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
When we do bread, we turn the oven on as soon as the second rise starts, and just set the loaves near the stove for the second rise. Works pretty well, since we don't have a heating pad.
That's a good idea!
11/19/2012
Contributor: travelnurse travelnurse
well tonight it is in the 50's here in Florida and I refuse to turn on the heat (poor too). I wish I had a heating pad but baking sounds good.
11/19/2012
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
When we do bread, we turn the oven on as soon as the second rise starts, and just set the loaves near the stove for the second rise. Works pretty well, since we don't have a heating pad.
I used to do this too, but apparently my oven-to-stovetop vent was a little too intense because sometimes the back side of my dough would bake while it was supposed to be rising But if that works with your oven, awesome!

I know in old wood stoves there was always a "rising shelf" up above... makes me wish I had one.
11/19/2012