Apparently, the Herren's Restaurant was known for its fabulous cinnamon rolls. Cool - sounds like a nice way to brand a dining establishment. We actually have the recipe, and you can check it out over on the history page. Favorite quote? "You may substitute your favorite yeast dough recipe or buy frozen dough from your supermarket." So, as I began making this I was a bit skeptical: sounds like a basic cinnamon roll, nothing special, but we'll see.

So I threw on my apron and got to work.

And I got all my ingredients together.

As I started making the dough, my grandmother advised me to pour a little sugar in with the softening yeast to help it grow. Now, most people probably instantly follow the advice of their grandmother in the kitchen. She's been doing this for years and she actually has her own cinnamon roll recipe that could rival an major confectionery conglomerate, but whenever my grandmother tells us to add sugar to things, we often just laugh and joke about her never-satisfied sweet tooth. Seriously, this woman puts Splenda on spaghetti. But I added the sugar and, as all of you dough-makers and biologists out there reading this know, it worked like magic because yeast needs food.

After mixing the ingredients together, I then had to let it rest for a little bit before kneading. Now, I still don't understand the necessity of kneading and I have simply no idea what "smooth dough" is, but I just had my mom check it. This is me kneading.

Following the kneading process you allow the dough to rise for a while, usually an hour or so, a perfect amount of time for me to watch the latest episode of Rizolli & Isles and catch up on some reading. You also have to butter the pans and cover them in cinnamon & sugar, but you can do that during commercial breaks...wait, I mean page turns. So I took care of that and then got the dough ready to roll out, cover in butter, cinnamon and sugar and prepare for baking.

This part gets a little difficult/complicated, or at least I found it so. After rolling out the dough, you must cut it into eight inch squares to then slather with butter, cinnamon and sugar and roll into logs to cut up into small pieces. I think the most difficult part of this task is the rolling of the tube because it did not like being rolled after being filled with all that stuff. But I wasn't putting up with any of that funny business so I threatened to overcook it and it quickly complied.

After cutting them up, I placed them in the pan. Now here is where making two different batches comes into the mix. If I haven't mentioned already, I have made these twice now. Below is a picture from the first time. The recipe instructs to not let the rolls touch each other, and so that's what I did. Everyone had their personal space.

The other option I had, deviating from the recipe, was to place them closer together, which I did the second time.

After this you allow them to rise a touch more and commence with the baking.

Although I do not have pictures of the finished project yet (still waiting on those from my mother), I will describe both products in detail. The first batch turned out very small and crunchy. It reminded me of the Cinnabon cereal we had sitting in our cabinet, and while this wasn't necessarily bad, I just prefer a softer cinnamon roll. My entire family happily snacked on them, and by that I mean we finished off a half-recipe within 24 hours; they were a hit. The second ones, in my opinion, were more successful. Because of their close proximity to each other, these rolls did not become as crunchy, and it also helped make a gooier crust on the bottom. If you don't believe me, at least consider the opinion of Tom Key, and even without a quote from him on the quality of these rolls, I think the picture below communicates him feelings quite well.

Okay, maybe I do have a quote for this photo. He tried one, said "Can I have five more?" and placed them on a paper towel to microwave.

All in all, a successful recipe and experience in the kitchen. I would totally recommend them to anyone who has the time, although I must say they're not necessarily too unique, but then, everyone loves "a confection of butter, sugar, and cinnamon, separated by a thin bit of dough."

-Daniel