My mom has a recipe called "Overnight Cinnamon Rolls". The dough is made, and shaped one day, then the rolls are refrigerated in their ready for the oven pan, and in the morning can be removed from the refrigerator and baked after rising. This was our traditional Christmas breakfast. As soon as we'd get up, Mom would take the cinnamon rolls out of the fridge and let them rise while we opened presents. We could then enjoy hot cinnamon rolls with our Christmas orange that was always stuffed into the toe of each stocking.
One Christmas, we "accidentally" woke up at 2:30 am, perhaps transfiguring the big hand and the little hand on the clock. We enjoyed the treasures and tokens of our stocking and unwrapped all of the gifts under the tree before our parents realized what time it was. All of us kids stayed down in the family room under the glow of the tree lights and "napped" with what were our newly unwrapped Christmas sleeping bags.
I've experimented with Mom's recipe, and then- disposed of it. The concept works with any recipe I've tried. It does take awhile for the refrigerated rolls to even reach room temperature, and then they rise for 30+ minutes, depending on the warmth and humidity in your kitchen. However, if you have time, and don't want to spend the few extra minutes of preparing your recipe in the morning, it may be a nice one to try. I just get up ten minutes earlier and make them the day I want them. Nothing beats them fresh- out of the oven.
Cinnamon Rolls
Begin by making Jane's Rolls as outlined here, with one change. I use 1/3+ cup of sugar in the yeast mixture.
After the first rising cycle, roll dough into a 20x14 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 3T soft butter and a mixture of:
1 1/2 cups brown sugar mixed with
3 Tablespoons cinnamon.
Roll dough up tightly the long way. Cut into 12 equal rolls. Place on a greased jelly roll pan.
(If you are trying the refrigerated method, put them in the refrigerator now.)
Let rise until double.
Bake at 335 degrees for 15-18 minutes.
Cool somewhat.
Frost, glaze, or dust with powdered sugar.
These rolls are simple. However, I'm sure your family, friends and neighbors think you should practice and share a time or two before Christmas.
This is my cinnamon roll recipe- and I make it a little different. I use an entire cube of melted butter and don't measure the brown sugar- but rather grab handfulls and sprinkle. I then just sprinkle the cinnamon on- again- no measuring is necessary. I am very generous. Are they a healthy low-fat breakfast? - Of course not- but they are wonderful. To make them even more fatening- I recently made the dough going one and a half times on the recipe- but then used two hole cubes of butter. It just seemed easier than cutting one in half... ;) those were terrific rolls- there was serious caramel on the bottom.
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