A stand mixer was something I always knew I wanted. I would say, "In the future, when I have a bigger kitchen to store it." I knew it was a great tool to have in the kitchen, but it wasn't like I was feeling inconvenienced because I didn't have one.
Little did I know!
Last October, my husband and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary. Yea! And one of his gifts to me was to finally get me a stand mixer.
My life changed that day.
I'm not kidding.
When I say I wasn't feeling inconvenienced or anything it's because I didn't KNOW how amazing these things are! It's like having a handy helper in the kitchen. I'm in love. I've used it almost every single day since I've gotten it. Everything from making these amazing cinnamon rolls to shredding chicken to making a cheese ball.
One of the first things I made was my first-ever cinnamon rolls. Wow... why didn't I get a stand mixer years ago? These were awesome!
Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients:
Dough:
1 cup of warm whole milk (110ºF)
2 eggs at room temperature (put them in a bowl of room temperature water to speed up that process)
1/3 cup of margarine (melted)
4 1/2 cups of bread flour (or more)
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons of dry yeast
Filling:
1 cup of brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon
1/3 cup of unsalted butter, softened
Frosting:
1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
3 oz of cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup of butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 small pinch of salt
drops of water
Directions:
Using your stand mixer, pour in the warm milk and add dry yeast and 4 teaspoons of sugar (taken from the 1/2 cup of sugar you will use later). Whisk quickly to mix and cover with a kitchen towel for about 10 minutes.
Once it is bubbly and puffed up, attach the hook attachment and mix on low speed. Add melted margarine, eggs and remaining sugar. Now start adding the flour and salt, one cup at a time. You may end up using more than 5 cups of flour. Let the mixer work the dough on the slow speed for about 10 minutes. Do this until the dough does not stick to the bottom of the bowl. Or you can check it by getting a small piece of the dough and squeezing it between your finger and thumb. If it doesn't stick, the the dough is ready.
Place plastic wrap over the top of the dough (touching the dough) to cover it. Let it rise for about 1 hour or until it doubles in size. Keep it in a warm place. I put it in near the dryer.
Sprinkle some flour over a clean surface and put the dough over it. You'll need to stretch the dough using a rolling pin. Shape it to about 16x21 inches in a rectangle. Now spread the 1/3 cup of softened butter all over the dough.
Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle this over the dough. The butter should hold the mixture in place.
Now roll the dough VERY TIGHTLY, the long way. Then cut the dough into 12 pieces. Cut in half first, then half of that then half of that...and so on.
Lightly grease a 9x13 metal pan and place the rolls inside. Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes or until they double in size. Keep in a warm place.
Bake rolls at 350º for about 15 minutes until golden brown.
While baking, make the frosting:
In your stand mixer, add the cream cheese and butter and whip with the whipping attachment until they are evenly combined. Add the vanilla and then the powdered sugar. You will need to add a few drops of water to help it combine.
Spread the frosting over the rolls once they come out of the oven, while they are still warm.
