Yay! Fika time! This time it's cinnamon rolls with vanilla glaze! ;)

This week has been... well... uneventful for me.  2 days in a row, I've been wandering around the apartment in my PJs.. I hate not working, it drives me crazy.  I'm so glad I've found a few expats girlfriends or to be honest, I would have gone from being moody to crazily insane!  Is that why S loves working overseas?  To get away from that moping, moody bitch at home.. Whoops!

Anyhow, in keeping with the favourite past time of the Swedes, I love having fikas.  It's a great way to meet new and old friends between sweet and savoury nibbles and copious amount of tea and coffee.  It also gives me a chance to actually experiment with recipes I find interesting.

This time around, I decided to try my hands on some cinnamon rolls as I bought a couple pack of yeast and as I've never used yeast before, I thought this will be a great time for me to experiment!

Living in Sweden, cinnamon rolls are a part of life here.. I see them and smell them everywhere.. especially late at night coming out from the t-bana, you'll smell freshly baked cinnamon rolls.. It really makes my mouth water!

Voila!!!  

Funnily enough I remembered to take some pictures (half way) while making them!..  Be impressed with my one hand picture taking ;)

Anyhow, here it is, although it's not very sweet.  Depending on how you like your rolls, either add more sugar or less... but I try not to have my stuff too overly sweet:

Ingredients:

Cinnamon Rolls

*  4.5 cups of all purpose flour (plus 1/2 cup extra)

*  2 cups of milk

*  100g of butter (non salted)

*  1/2 cup of sugar

*  1 packet of dry yeast

*  1 tsp of baking powder (heaping)

*  1 tsp of baking soda (barely full)

*  1 tsp of salt

*  50g of melted butter

*  1/2 cup of sugar

*  Loads of cinnamon

Vanilla Glaze

*  1.5 cups of icing sugar, sifted

*  1/2 tsp of salt

*  3 TSP of butter, melted

*  3 TSP of milk

*  1 tsp of vanilla extract

Sprinkling a packet of yeast into the sugar, butter and milk mixture which I've heated on medium heat and moved away (before the boiling stage) to sit in a corner to cool to warm temperature..  Let the yeast work its magic for around 1 minute

Add 4.5 cups of flour and stir mixture together.  Cover up with a clean kitchen cloth and let sit in a relatively warm corner for 1 hour

(L) This is bakpulver which is baking powder, and (R) bikarbonat which is baking soda.  They are not the same thing and you'll need these in your list of ingredients =)

After 1 hour, Voila!!  It's like magic!!  Rise rise rise!!!

Then add 1/2 cup of flour, 1 heaping tsp of baking powder and barely 1 tsp of baking soda

Mix them together!  Then, you'll need to cover the dough and put into the fridge until you need it.  (up to 3 days)

I transferred mine into a mixing bowl, covered it and left it in the fridge till the next day

The next morning...

Sprinkle your kitchen top with lots of flour and then grab half of your dough and shaped it in a rectangle shape with your fingers.  Then use your rolling pin and roll the dough as thinly as you can

Sprinkle generously with melted butter.  Pour it all over the dough and with your fingers, spread the butter so it covers the whole surface

Sprinkle sugar on top all over

Then, sprinkle the cinnamon generously over the spread.  Notice how my dough is in a nice rectangle shape?  Well, I cheated, I cut the excess with a knife and put it back with the rest of the dough mixture ;)

Roll it tightly from top to bottom

Pinch the ends together, so it wouldn't spread open when you cut it!

Then start cutting them.. I cut mine about 2cm wide.  Look how dirty my bench top is!

My 1st batch..  They look soo tiny!  Unfortunately I didn't have any bigger foiled pans and had to use such a small little one =(

My 2nd batch.. With the remainder of dough, do the same as before..  This batch is a lot wider, height wise, thankfully!

Roll them.. Yum!  Definitely a lot fatter =)  Yay!

2nd batch is a lot fatter in appearance..  Cover with kitchen cloth and let sit for about 1/2 hour

Meanwhile, switch on your oven and set it to 175 degrees celsius in temperature...

Put them in the oven for 18 - 20 mins.  You want them nice and brown but not too burnt

Meanwhile, make the vanilla glaze by sifting the icing sugar and salt.  In another bowl, whisk the butter, milk and vanilla essence and stir into sugar until mixture is smooth.  Adjust to the consistency you want...  if it's too thick, add more milk or if it's too runny, add more icing sugar

Voila!!  Out of the oven!  They have risen beaaaaautifooooooolly!  The heavenly smell in the apartment is soooooooooo comforting!  The one at the top right was waaay too packed but unfortunately I've run out of foiled pans =(  Next time I'll have perhaps 5 rolls in each.

Can't resist a closer look..  Oh be still my beating heart!

Drizzle the glaze on top.. generously!  All over the cracks!

Bring them to the fika and enjoy!

Instructions:

1.  In a medium sized saucepan and on medium heat, heat up 2 cups of milk, 100g of butter and the 1/2 cup of sugar until before it boils.  Remove from heat and let sit until it cools down to warm temperature.

2.  Sprinkle a packet of yeast and let sit for 1 minute.

3.  Add 4.5 cups of flour and stir mixture together.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let sit for 1 hour in a relatively warm area.

4.  After 1 hour, your mixture would have risen.  Remove kitchen cloth and add in 1/2 cup of flour, 1 heaping tsp of baking powder and less than 1 tsp of baking soda.  Mix them, cover up and leave in the fridge until you need it.  You could leave it in the fridge for a maximum 3 days.  Make sure you leave it in the fridge for at least an hour before using as it's a lot easier to handle when it's cold

5.  Set oven to 175 degrees Celsius.  Take half the dough mixture and spread onto your kitchen bench.  Knead with your fingers and shape it into a rectangle.  Roll up and down with your rolling pin until dough is quite thin.  Dough should spread width and length wise as you roll

6.  Pour butter generously over the dough and rub butter all over, so every inch is covered.

7.  Sprinkle sugar all over.  Use more if needed.

8.  Sprinkle cinnamon generously all over

9.  Roll dough from farthest from you.  Using your fingers, roll it slowly and tightly towards you.  Pinch end together and flip it so the end is faced down.

10.  Cut roll about 2cm wide.  I got about 37 little rolls. Make sure you use a cutting  board underneath so you don't accidentally cut your bench top!

11.  Rub butter into disposable foiled pans.  Place rolls into pans, careful not to overcrowd as they will expand.. (as I found out!)

12.  Repeat step 5 - 11 with the rest of your dough mixture.

13.  Put into oven for 18 - 20 minutes.  Make sure it's nice and brown but make sure it it not too overly brown.  

14.  Meanwhile, make the vanilla glaze by sifting the icing sugar and salt.  In another bowl, whisk the butter, milk and vanilla essence and stir into the sugar mixture.  Mix until it forms a smooth paste.  Adjust consistency if you need.  If it's too runny, add more sugar or if it's too thick, add more milk.  Leave at room temperature.  Before using, whisk again to get a smooth consistency.

15.  Once rolls are done, remove from oven and straightaway, pour glaze all over the rolls, through cracks and what not.  The rolls will soak it all the moisture and flavour.

16.  Enjoy!!!

They are lovely to eat when still warm, so make sure you warm it up before eating!  I took a box to my friend's place for fika, gave a box away and freeze the 3rd box for when I have my next fika.. Hopefully in a few weeks ;)

Until next time!!

Xx