Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

If you know me, you know i love cinnamon rolls. And if you trust me, you’ll trust that i love cinnamon rolls. So if you have a bit of a craving- you’re welcome, my friends.

I feel compelled to begin this post by attempting to visualize the number of cinnamon rolls i have eaten throughout my life. It’s a lot. Like a lot a lot. The only way to make you believe this is by explaining a bit of my teenage years. You see, i lived in Saudi Arabia from the ages if 12-18. As a bored teenager living in a new country, and Saudi Arabia at that, really the only thing my friends and i did was something we called “cruising” (aka driving aimlessly around the compound) and eating. Literally all we did for fun. We drove and ate and had food delivered to us, and found willing male friends to drive us to the mall, or even, better yet, drive themselves to the mall and pick us up some food. I mean, we literally drove and ate our way through our teenage years. Anyways, one of our favorite treats was always cinnamon rolls from the small mall restaurant stalls. We’d get the huge rolls and share them (if we were feeling generous) or mostly just devour one each. I always went for the ones loaded with pecans because i’ve always loved desserts full of sugary nuts.

So fast forward to my adult years when i can no longer eat all of the mall junk i want ( still mourning this loss), and i had to find a way to make my own cinnamon rolls that i felt, did justice to my years and years of cinnamon roll consumption but didnt make feel as guilty eating them. That said, i do not want to mislead you. These are by no means a “healthy cinnamon roll” recipe. However, i feel confident that they have much less of the sugary and buttery ingredients of their delicious mall stall counterpart.

There are two really great things about this recipe that i want to share. 1) the dough for this recipe is the same dough i use for pizza. It’s fluffy, easy to make and makes for the bestttttttt crust. So when i make pizza, i always somehow manage to double the dough recipe and have cinnamon rolls at the same time, hmmm… how did that happen? and 2) it’s the easiest cinnamon roll recipe you can imaging. I HATE baking and find it too much of a science, but these are a total no brainer. So fool-proof and easy.

Okay- now on to the good stuff. Are you ready for this incredible recipe?

Give it a try. Leave your feedback and love below! If you make this and share on social media, tag the picture with the hashtag #hungrilyhomemaderecipes.

Prep time: 35 minutes

Total rest time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Bake time: 35 minutes

Total time: 2 hours 25 minutes

Yield: 11-12 medium sized cinnamon rolls

Ingredients:

for the dough
1. 2 tsp instant yeast

2. 1 tbsp granulated sugar

3. 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water

4. 1/4 tsp salt

5. 4 cups all purpose flour

6. 4 tbsp plain yogurt

7. 1/4 cup vegetable oil

for the filling

1. 6 tbsp butter, softened

2. 3/4 cup brown sugar

3. 1 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon

4. 3/4 cup crushed pecans

for the glaze

1. 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2. 5 tbsp milk

3. zest of 1 lemon

4. 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. In a small bowl, mix together the yeast, granulated sugar and 1/2 cup of the lukewarm water until the sugar and yeast have dissolved. cover with a paper towel and set aside in a warm location to allow the yeast to begin working. This should take no more than 5 minutes. Once you see bubbles and foam forming on the surface of the mixture, you’ll know the yeast has been activated and is ready to use.

2. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt and slowly pour the activated yeast mixture overtop. Mix until lightly combined and proceed to add the rest of the wet ingredients. You will add the remaining 3/4 cup of water, the plain yogurt and the vegetable oil. Mix using a stand mixer until the dough is no longer sticky to the touch and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough appears to be too sticky, add 1 tbsp more flour and re-mix. If the mixture is too dry, add 1 tbsp of water and remix. The dough should be springy and soft but not sticky to the touch.

3. Once the dough has come together into a ball, oil the bottom of a bowl and place the dough ball in the bowl to rise for 1 hour. Cover the the top of the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and set in a warm location. I like to put the bowl in my oven (turned off, of course).

4. Prepare the filling for the cinnamon rolls towards the end of the rising process of the dough. To prepare the filling mix together the softened butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until a paste has formed. If you have not had time to soften your butter, you can use a grater, to grate the cold butter in a bowl and the grated butter will resemble softened butter.

5. Once the dough has risen and doubled in size, punch the dough ball down, and on a floured surface roll the ball out into a long rectangular shape that is approximately 24 x 12“ in size and about 1/4“ in thickness.

6. Using your hands, spread the butter and cinnamon sugar filling all over the dough. Once you have fully covered the dough with the cinnamon sugar filling, sprinkle the chopped pecans over top the dough.

7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

8. Begin to roll the dough by starting with the side closest to you. Roll tightly all the way to the top of the dough. You should have a long, round log once you’ve finished rolling.

9. Grease the pan you would like to use, i recommend a round 10’ pan, but you can decide which pan you prefer.

10. Cut the cinnamon rolls into 11-12 separate pieces (i recommend scoring the log before you cut to ensure you are cutting them in even sizes).

11. Lay the cinnamon rolls in the greased pan (do not worry if they are touching). Cover with a damp towel and allow to rise for an additional 15-20 minutes. The rolls should look fluffier and plumper than when you cut them.

12. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until the rolls look golden on the top and the filling is bubbling.

13. While the cinnamon rolls are baking, prepare the glaze by mixing together the powdered sugar, lemon zest, vanilla extract and milk. Whisk until it is smooth and set aside.

14. Remove the cinnamon rolls from the oven when complete and immediately drizzle with the glaze. Serve warm!