I made these cinnamon rolls to win someone over.  I know it’s not ethical, but sometimes, bribery is necessary. I’m not asking for huge favors or anything illegal, just for people to be nice. So I bribe people with pastries. It usually works…

These perfectly golden swirls of deliciousness were made to boost team moral at work. We’ve been overworked, stressed and spending way too much time with each other, so I bribed. I could have brought in a box of donuts or bagels, but let’s be honest… knowing that someone has taken the time to make something for you makes it that much more special. And knowing that they weren’t from some cardboard canister makes them even better. I have to say… the bribe was successful. And I was able to use my colleagues as guinea pigs without them knowing.

I knew I wanted to make cinnamon rolls but I wanted to make a little bit more sophisticated rolls than the frosting smeared cinnabun type. I wanted to make refined cinnamon rolls, the type you would find in a Parisian pastry shop, so based off of recent trials I decided to make my standard sweet yeast dough, a light cinnamon sugar filling and a honey glaze. I am hooked on the honey glaze after the pain aux raisin second attempt success.

These were delicious. They were exactly what I were hoping they would be. I’m going to declare this a yet another victory… for my baking, and for team moral. And another for yeastspotting.

Recipe

Yeast dough

3 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 packet instant yeast

1/2 cup milk (100°F)

1/2 cup water (100°F)

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

zest of 1 lemon

1/3 cup of raisins

Cream for pre-baking

Honey for glaze

Directions

• Make the dough by mixing the flour, sugar and salt together in a large bowl
• mix the water and milk together and add the yeast
• When the yeast has started to foam, add the mixture to the dry ingredients and mix.
• Add in the butter and vanilla and continue to mix.
• knead the dough a few times on the counter then place the dough in a clean, buttered bowl and let rise for at least an hour.
• mix the sugar, cinnamon and lemon zest together in a small bowl and set aside
• After the dough has risen, dump it out onto a well floured surface. Roll the dough out into about a 18 x 12 inch rectangle.
• spread the soft butter over the dough, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture and the raisins.
• Starting with one of the longer sides, roll the dough into a log. 
• Using a serrated knife cut off the scraggly ends. Then cut the remaining log into 12 rolls. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and let proof until they have doubled in size. You can either bake the rolls now, or place in the refrigerator over night (like I did). 
• To bake, preheat the oven to 375°F, and brush the top of the rolls with cream.
• Bake for about 20 minutes until they are a deep golden color, you may want to rotate the sheet halfway through baking so the rolls cook evenly. 
• Heat about 1/3 cup of honey in the microwave for 20 seconds until very liquid.
• spread the honey over the rolls and let sit for a few minutes before eating and sharing.