90 Minute Cinnamon Rolls

I'm still recovering from last week. I feel like I have overdosed not only on turkey but also on family. Unfortunately, only one of those remains a week after Thanksgiving and I'll let you take a guess as to which one. I'm exhausted, frustrated, and overwhelmed. There's one word to describe how I feel and that's suffocated. I was excited about the upcoming holidays and now I'm not. I was excited about buying and putting up our tree but a few calls quickly killed that. So now I sit here feeling like a grinch and wondering if there's anywhere I can disappear to without being found.

So what's a girl to do when she's feeling down and hoping to get re-infected with the holiday spirit? Bake! Baking is an escape for me. Everything is tuned out and I'm able to focus on something that I know will bring satisfaction. I wanted to make cinnamon rolls, but since I can't escape in my baking for too long, I wanted to make a recipe that wouldn't take up too much time. I found this recipe and it really does take 90 minutes to put together. It may even take you less time if you don't have a husband interrupting you every 20.36 minutes. I typically like my rolls to be on the soft and chewy side, but these rolls are more on the dense side. They were still good though and topped with a cream cheese icing they were heavenly.
90-Minute Cinnamo Rolls
Source: All Recipes (here)

For the rolls:
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 egg

For the filling:
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened

Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in butter; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well. Add water, egg and the milk mixture; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.

Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, softened butter.

Roll out dough into a 12x9 inch rectangle. Spread dough with sugar mixture. Roll up dough and pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 equal size rolls and place cut side up in 12 lightly greased muffin cups. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until browned. Remove from muffin cups to cool. Serve warm.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Source: Ezra Pound Cake, Adapted from Molly Wizenberg

4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a large bowl with a hand mixer, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla. Spread glaze on rolls.