Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Christmas morning is a magical time and one thing that makes it even more magical, in my opinion, is warm cinnamon rolls.  But they can be very work intensive and often take a long time to rise, making them a less than perfect choice for such a busy morning. 

So here's my recipe for Overnight Cinnamon Rolls.  They are exactly what they sound like - cinnamon rolls you make the night before you want them.  Perfect.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
Serves 12

1 C milk (I use skim because it's what I keep on hand)
1/3 C butter
2 1/4 tsp yeast (or one packet)
1/2 C granulated sugar
4 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3 eggs
3/4 C brown sugar
1 T ground cinnamon
1/2 C raisins, optional

Glaze:
1 tsp light corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 C confectioner's sugar
2 T half and half or cream or milk

Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it begins to bubble, then remove from heat and add the butter to the milk.  Stir that around until the butter melts; let it cool until lukewarm.

Pour the tepid milk into a large mixing bowl and add the yeast to dissolve (allow it to sit for a few minutes, just so it gets nice and soft).  Add the sugar, 3 C of flour, salt and eggs; stir very well to combine.  Add the remaining flour, 1/2 C at a time, stirring well after each addition.  When the dough pulls together, dump it out onto a well floured table or counter and knead until it's smooth and supple, about 8 minutes.

Lightly oil or use non-stick cooking spray on a large mixing bowl.  Plop the dough into the bowl and turn it over to coat the dough with spray or oil.  Cover with a clean, damp dishcloth (wash your hands after you knead the dough and dry them on a clean cloth - use that cloth to cover the dough) and let the dough rise in a warm place until it doubles in volume, about an hour or so.  We keep our house quite cool, so I turn the oven on to 200 degrees, turn it off once it reaches the temp and set the dough on the back of the stove to rise.

Dump the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface and punch it down a few times.  Roll the dough into an approximately 10 X 14 rectangle.  Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and raisins (if you're using them.  Mom, you'll be happy to know I don't use them in this.) in a small bowl and spread that mix over the rolled out dough.  If you like nuts in your cinnamon rolls, this is where you'd add them, too.  Any kind of coarse chopped nuts would work here, so use whatever you like or have on hand.

Roll the dough up into a log, sealing the edge.  If the dough doesn't want to stick to itself, brush a bit of cold water onto the edge with your fingers, then press the dough together.  Cut the log into 12 even pieces, then lay the pieces down in a well greased 9 X 13.  Cover and let rise in the fridge overnight.  If you have a full fridge and a very cold spot in the house, feel free to use that.  Our entryway is not insulated and gets quite cold, so if my fridge is overly full (like at Christmas time) I just leave the pan of rolls out there overnight.

In the morning, set the rolls out on the counter or table (someplace reasonably warm) for 30 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and bake the rolls for 25 - 30 minutes.  While they're baking, mix the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl, stirring well.  Adjust the thickness of the glaze by adding more sugar to make it thicker or more milk to thin it out.  I like mine pretty thick, so I usually add a bit more powdered sugar or a smidge less milk. 

Let the rolls sit for 10 minutes when they come out of the oven, then pour the glaze over, letting it seep down into the cracks and folds of the dough.  These are amazing warm and really good at room temp, so serve them whenever you feel like it. 

I love the simplicity of this recipe and make these fairly often as a birthday breakfast or holiday treat.