Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls

I was going to title this "Cinnamon Rolls" but that's not right. These aren't cinnamon rolls, they are the Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls. These have a rep around town and it's one of her, if not most, famous recipes. And not to break tradition, they were delicious. 

The only problem, actually it wasn't a problem, but the icing wasn't really strong flavoured. I followed it word for word but I guess I was just expecting the coffee to play a bigger part in the icing. So next time I would use instant coffee or espresso.

What a glorious cinnamon roll mountain. These were made for my amigo, Saliva, who turns nineteen today. It is a big deal up here in the big North. Nineteen gives you the freedom to openly drink (in a bar, not the streets), smoke (outdoors) and gamble like a mad man. She's pretty reserved, she is actually turning ninety. Saliva enjoys a good glass of wine and three naps a day. We're best friends because opposites attract, clearly. But we do have a common love for the beloved Pioneer Woman! I bought her the cookbook and made her these as well. 

The Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls
Recipe from here, and it gives a great step by step tutorial.

cinnamon rolls
1 quart Whole Milk
1 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup Sugar
2 packages Active Dry Yeast
8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
Plenty Of Melted Butter
2 cups Sugar
Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon
icing
1 bag Powdered Sugar (enough to make it thick but still pourable)
2 teaspoons Maple Flavoring
½ cups Milk
¼ cups Melted Butter
¼ cups Brewed Coffee
⅛ teaspoons Salt

Making the dough: Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. “Scald” the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour. 

After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down). 

Preparing the rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. 

Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it. 

Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans. 

Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 400 degrees (see note below) until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.
Making the frosting: mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Go crazy and don’t skimp on the frosting.