This recipe can be made a day ahead and put in the refrigerator. On a Friday or Saturday evening you can prepare and refrigerate the dough all ready to be baked in the pan. Then the next morning you can bake the cinnamon rolls fresh and hot from the oven. You may even surprise your family, guests, or yourself with your onolicious creation. I am always amazed when a recipe turns out. Sometimes it is amazing what mistakes turn out to be successful recipes.
I use a Hot Roll Mix to cut out a few steps so I can have more time to spend with my family, but still get that fresh baked taste. I had a few oops while developing this recipe and will share them with you. On my first try in mixing the ingredients, I forgot the egg and had this dry, crumbly ball of dough. I knew something was wrong, so I had to start over. I did not read the recipe and thought I knew it all. Another lesson I learned.
Then I let the dough rise in the pan a bit too long and the rolls were hanging over the sides of the pan. It was a dough boy moment out of control. I am always learning something in the kitchen. Some days in Hawaii are warmer than others so the results of a recipe that calls for rising dough can vary.
Ingredients Needed:
- Hot Roll Mix (I used Pillsbury for this recipe)
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cups chopped pecans
- 1 ¾ cups light brown sugar
- 1 ½ sticks of margarine or butter
- ½ cup dark raisins
- ½ cup light raisins
- 13 X 9 inch baking pan, aluminum or glass
- 1 cup flour for rolling the dough in
Assemble all ingredients before starting. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the contents of the Hot Roll box and yeast packet. Mix well.
Add 1 cup hot water to the above dry mix. The water must be around 125 degrees…very hot to the touch. Mix well. I used my hands to mix the dough. Mix until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and form the dough into a ball shape.
Place the dough on a lightly floured pan or surface. I dip my hands in flour while shaping the ball of dough so it will not stick to my hands.
Knead the ball of dough for 5 minutes. To knead: fold dough over towards you and press down and away with the heels of your hands. Rotate the dough a quarter at a time and use some flour to make it easier to handle the dough.
Make a ball with the dough again and set aside in a bowl for 10 minutes to let the dough rest. Cover the bowl with a towel.
Topping:
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 4 Tablespoons honey
- 5 Tablespoons margarine or butter
- 1 ½ cups chopped pecans
Take the 13 X 9 inch pan and pour the 5 Tablespoons of melted butter in the pan. I let the margarine sit at room temperature a while, then heat 15 seconds in the microwave oven to melt. Add the honey to the margarine in the pan. Sprinkle the chopped pecans, then the brown sugar over the margarine/honey mixture. Set this pan aside on the counter.
Place the ball of dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin. If you do not have a rolling pin you can cover an empty paper towel roll with aluminum foil. You must stuff paper towels or a cloth towel in the center of the roll so it won’t crush while you roll out the dough. I roll it into a rectangular shape.
Filling:
Now add the filling to the rolled dough. First spread the melted margarine with a spatula or your clean hands over the whole top surface of the rolled dough. Sprinkle the cinnamon and swirl together. Sprinkle the raisins.
Roll up the dough into a log shape. Use a very sharp knife and cut the dough in half, then quarters. Now cut the quarters into 3 pieces. You should have a dozen rolls.
Place the rolls on top of the pecan mixture in the bake pan. They should all fit nicely. Put the pan of rolls in a warm place 80-85 degrees, for about 15-20 minutes so the rolls can rise. You do not need to cover the top of the rolls for this step.
When the rolls rise to the top of the pan, or until they are doubled. Now it is time to place them in the hot oven. Bake the rolls at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until the rolls are golden brown.
Remove the rolls from the oven and use a spatula to loosen the sides of the rolls from the pan. Place a large enough dish over the bake pan with the hot cinnamon rolls. Use one hand on the plate and the other under the bake pan. Flip the pan over so the rolls are now upside down on the dish. If anything sticks, use the spatula to release it. Congratulations.
I hope you enjoy this recipe and please remember to share with a friend or neighbor and keep on spreading that Aloha Spirit where ever you live. Thank you for visiting this site and leave a comment and rating if you want.
