Cinnamon Rolls

Makes: 15 rolls

Time: 3 to 5 hours, largely unattended

The smell of these rolls in the oven will lure even the latest sleepers out of bed—although you would have to get up pretty early to have them ready in time for breakfast. Fortunately, they can rise in the fridge the night before and then sit for an hour at room temp before you bake them in the morning. Or bake them the night before and then reheat them. Serve as is or consider a drizzle of Vanilla Glaze.

1. Put the flour, yeast, salt, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and the cold butter in a food processor. Pulse the machine a few times until the butter is evenly distributed but not completely incorporated. Add the eggs and pulse a few more times.

2. With the machine running, slowly add the milk through the feed tube. Process for about 30 seconds, adding more milk if necessary, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture forms a ball and is sticky to the touch. If the mixture becomes too sticky, add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, and process for 5 to 10 seconds after each addition.

3. Grease a large bowl with softened butter. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead it 5 or 6 times. Shape the dough into a smooth ball. Put the dough in the prepared bowl, turn it over once to coat all over with butter, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until the dough doubles in size, 1 to 2 hours.

4. Punch the dough down to deflate it and then form it into a ball. Put the ball on a lightly floured surface, sprinkle with a little flour, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest about 20 minutes.

5. Thoroughly grease the bottom and sides of a 13 × 9-inch baking pan. Combine the cinnamon and remaining ¾ cup sugar in a small bowl. On a lightly floured surface, roll or press the dough into a rectangle about the size of the baking pan, spread the softened butter all over its surface, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the top. Roll the dough lengthwise into a log and pinch the seam closed, then gently cut it into 15 slices. Arrange each slice, cut side up, in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest until the dough has doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.

6. Heat the oven to 350°F. Uncover the pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown. Let the cinnamon rolls cool for a few minutes, then invert them onto another pan or platter. Smear them all over with glaze if you like and serve.

PECAN STICKY ROLLS After greasing the pan with butter, stir together ¾ cup packed brown sugar and ½ cup cream in a bowl to combine. Spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle ½ to ¾ cup chopped pecans on top. Put the rolls in the pan and let rise and bake as directed. Spoon any extra caramel from the baking dish over the rolls before serving.

CHOCOLATE-CINNAMON ROLLS In Step 5, sprinkle ½ to ¾ cup chopped chocolate over the dough along with the cinnamon sugar.

HOT CROSS BUNS A traditional Easter staple, hence the symbolic cross drawn in glaze over the top. In Step 1, add 1 teaspoon each cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg to the food processor along with the flour and increase the sugar to ⅓ cup. You may need to add a splash more milk. In Step 3, knead ½ cup dried currants into the dough until fully incorporated, 3 or 4 minutes. After the dough rises in Step 3, divide it in half and roll each piece into a 12-inch log. Cut each log crosswise into 8 pieces, roll each into a ball, and put them on a buttered baking sheet spaced about 1½ inches apart. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until the dough doubles in size, 1 to 2 hours. Bake at 400°F until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a rack, and, if you like, decorate the top with vanilla glaze (in the shape of a cross or anything else).

Forming Cinnamon Rolls

STEP 1
Shape the dough into a rectangle, spread with butter, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

STEP 2
Roll it up the long way.

STEP 3
Slice it into swirls.