Help with tough rolls please

[JoeyNipps]

Hi, I have been baking bread for some time now and have just tried to make cinnamon rolls. I used the same white bread recipe I always do for my bread. I let it rise twice, then rolled it out into a rectangle and spread melted butter on it, then topped that with a brown sugar/cinnamon mixture. I rolled it up, cut it and placed the individual rolls into a greased baking pan. I let them rise again and then baked them (~360 in a convection oven for 10 minutes). I found these cinnamon rolls to be very tasty - but they were VERY tough . What might I have done to cause this (my bread using the same recipe is not tough at all)? Any suggestions will be very much appreciated.

 

[Juliev]

sometimes if you over-knead dough, it will give an ending result of being tough... only other thing I can think of is maybe your oven temperature is off a bit, but you said you have used this recipe before.

 

[mudbug]

Joey, I'm not an expert, but I believe "breakfast" breads are usually lighter and sweeter, calling for perhaps an egg to lighten your dough. We have a lot of serious breadmakers on this board, so one should come along soon and help with some more pertinent advice.

BTW, bienvenu to the club! Can't help thinking of a mafia guy when I see your screen name.....

 

[JoeyNipps]

Joey, I'm not an expert, but I believe "breakfast" breads are usually lighter and sweeter, calling for perhaps an egg to lighten your dough.

I agree. I already use an egg in my standard white bread recipe.

We have a lot of serious breadmakers on this board, so one should come along soon and help with some more pertinent advice.

I do hope so. I have tried this twice now (just to make sure) and both times the result is the same - very tough.

BTW, bienvenu to the club! Can't help thinking of a mafia guy when I see your screen name.....

Hah! It is funny you should say that. My screen name is the name I used once in a long running roleplay game I was engaged in. The character was (while not truly mafia) very much a "mafia" type mentality .

 

[Psiguyy]

Cinnamon rolls that I know of, aren't made with white bread dough. You need to find a Sweet Bread dough. Not only is it sweeter, but it's softer.

 

[pst1can]

Joey...here is a recipe that I have scouted up in the last 2 weeks...I still have not had an opportunity to try it yet but looks very similar to a recipe that my Mom used to make....
Lisa's Cinnamon Buns

Are you ready for the best cinnamon bun recipe ever? Well, it belongs to my sister Lisa, and she is happy to share it with all of you.

Ingredients - Yeast Dough:

4½ cups all purpose flour
1 pkg. dry active yeast
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs
2 tbsp. warm water
1 cup milk
7 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
½ cup butter
cinnamon
cranberries
Dough Method:

Dissolve 2 tsp. of sugar into 2 tbsp. of warm water. Stir in yeast and allow to stand for 5 minutes, or until yeast bubbles. Scald milk and add in 1/2 cup of unsalted butter. Remove from heat, allowing it to cool. Beat eggs and add 1 tsp. salt and 7 tbsp. sugar, and beat until light yellow in colour. Add cooled milk and butter mixture plus the yeast mixtures to the beaten eggs. Stir. Gradually add in flour (in half-cup increments) and knead for five minutes. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Ingredients - Pan Coating:

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup candied almonds
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar (optional)
Coating Method:

Melt butter and honey and pour this mixture into baking pan making sure to cover the entire pan. Sprinkle crushed candies almonds and brown sugar (optional) on top.

Ingredients - Pan Coating:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar (optional)
6 tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup candied almonds
1/2 cup cranberries
Method:

Remove dough from fridge and roll out into a rectangle (*the longer you make the dough, the more cinnamon buns you will yield).

Melt another ½ cup butter, and pour onto dough.

Liberally sprinkle on brown sugar, cinnamon, almonds, and cranberries.

Cut into two separate parcels so you can make small cinnamon buns as well.

Roll parcels up lengthwise, then slice into pieces around ½ " thick.

Place the dough into the pan with the butter and honey mixture, cover with a kitchen cloth and allow to rise for 30 minutes in a warm place. Bake at 325º for about 20 minutes.

Remove from oven, place aluminum foil-lined cookie sheet on top, then flip over.

Use a spatula to clean up any sweet sauce that was left in the pan, and pour it onto your cinnamon buns.

Serve and enjoy!

If you get a chance to try it before me, let me know what you think of it.

 

[Audeo]

Welcome, Joey! Here is the dough I use every time now for cinnamon rolls. It creates a light-textured bread and is slightly sweet to compliment the filling. The less flour you have to work in during kneading, the better and softer this dough will be in the end.


Cinnamon Roll Dough


2 tablespoons yeast (I use Saf-Instant)
1 cup warm water (115-degrees F.)
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 cup milk
1 cup butter
2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs slightly beaten
6 cups all-purpose flour

In a small bowl, combine yeast, warm water and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Stir and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix milk, remaining sugar, butter, salt and eggs. Stir well. Add yeast mixture to bowl and 3 cups of the flour; beat until smooth. Add additional flour until dough is stiff. Knead dough on well-floured board for 10 minutes. Place dough in bowl and cover. Set in a warm place until double in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down dough and let it rest for 5 minutes. Roll dough on a floured surface to a 15-by-20-inch rectangle. (Don't use too much flour or the dough will get stiff.)

Add filling to top of dough to within 1/2 inch of all sides, then roll up and cut evenly into rolls. Place into a well-buttered 9x12-inch baking pan and allow to rise until doubled. Brush tops gently with butter, then bake in a preheated 3500-degree (F) oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until golden.

I like just cinnamon in my rolls, so my filling is:

1 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter

Good luck to you! What could possibly taste or smell better in the morning than fresh baked cinnamon rolls!!!!

 

[Ardor]

Did you let the bread rise exposed to air? Prolonged exposure to dry air will take a lot of moisture out of the bread. Especially since you let it rise thrice.

Let your bread rise in an oiled bowl. And cover it with an oiled plastic wrap. Put it in a deep baking tray, and cover it with another oiled item (I use another baking tray) so it does not lose moisture.

Finally, because of the butter, and sugar in your filling, in addition to the smaller size of cinnammon rolls, try to keep an eye on it. It usually gets done earlier, before the hollow tapping sound comes up.

 

[Gretchen]

As everyone else says, a sweet roll dough. More butter, sugar, lighter dough.

 

[Half Baked]

i made the sweet dough for years and tried it once with bread dough and it was a bust. Never again.

Those recipes sound great btw...copied and pasted. Thanks!