apple butter cinnamon rolls.

photo credit

Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls from Lauren:
book: Small and Simple Things

Ingredients for a Half Recipe (about 15 rolls):

1 T yeast

3 T plus 1 tsp. sugar

½ cup butter, soft plus another 1/4 cup for frosting

1 egg

½ cup whole milk, plus another 1/4 cup for frosting

1/4 cup plus another ½ cup water

 1 tsp. salt

4 cups flour

2 cups apple butter, the best quality you can find!

cinnamon

brown sugar

3 cups powdered sugar

1-Stir 1 T yeast and 1 tsp. sugar into ¼ cup of very warm water. Set aside to rise (I try to set mine in the window sill where the sunshine can heat it a bit).

2-Mix together in your kitchen aid using the “whisk” appliance or you can mix by hand in a large bowl: 1 egg, ½ cup water, ½ cup milk, 3 T sugar, 1 tsp. salt, ½ cup soft butter. After mixing those ingredients a minute or two, add the yeast mixture.

3- Add 2 cups of flour and mix. Change the “whisk appliance” on your kitchen aid to the “hook” and add the other two cups of flour. Allow the kitchen aid to knead the dough until the bowl comes clean, about five minutes I think.

4- Test the dough with your finger, and if it feels really sticky, add another ¼ cup of flour.

5- Rub butter all over the outside of your dough ball until it has a nice sheen.

6- Lay a damp dish towel over top of your bowl so the dough doesn’t dry out, and set it in a warm place. I like the window sill or the stove top if the oven is on. Another option is to put the bowl in the microwave for 10 seconds and then turn off the microwave but leave the dough inside (don’t open the door) so it stays warm. Allow dough to rise 1 ½-2 hours for maximum fluffiness!

7- Roll out dough onto counter into large rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Spread a thin layer of butter over dough and then spread apple butter over it, kind of like pizza sauce. I used about a cup in total. Then sprinkle generous amounts of both brown sugar and cinnamon over the apple butter. Roll the long side of the rectangle up and slice the dough into cinnamon rolls. Arrange in a buttered baking pan. 

8- Allow rolls to rise a second time and then preheat oven to 350 and bake rolls for about 20 minutes until golden. 

9- Mix 1/4 cup butter, 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup milk and 1/2 cup apple butter in mixer. Add more powdered sugar or apple butter, according to your taste. You can also add a 1/4 tsp allspice or ground cloves to taste.