One Hour Cinnamon Rolls (Really!)

Makes 9-12

Preheat oven to 425. Start warming 3/4 cup milk or rice milk.

In bowl, whisk together:

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
1 cup unbleached flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk in warm milk, then:

1 egg
2 tablespoons oil (extra virgin olive in my house)

Cover with a plate and let sit in warm place for 15 minutes. It should get nice and bubbly.

Then add:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
Unbleached flour as necessary

Knead for 3 minutes, adding unbleached flour as necessary until dough is no longer sticky.

Let rest for 5 minutes. (Longer is better, but if you're shooting for the 1-hour mark, 5 minutes is enough.) While dough is resting:

Melt 2 tablespoons butter.

Roll out dough into a 9"x12" rectangle.  Spread with melted butter.  Sprinkle with:

Cinnamon to taste (I just shake it all over the dough)
Brown sugar (again to taste; let's call it 1/4 cup)
Other fillings as desired (see below for suggestions)

With the 12" side facing you, roll up dough.  Cut into 9-12 rolls, depending on how many/how tall you'd like your rolls to be.  I usually cut 12.

Place rolls in 11" round baking pan.  If you made 9 rolls, they'll fit in a 9"x9" pan.

Bake at 425 for 13-15 minutes, or until golden brown on top. While rolls are baking, make frosting or glaze, if desired. Remove from oven and frost as you like! See below for toppings/variations.

Buttercream:
2 Tbsp. melted butter
Dash salt
Few drops vanilla or almond
1 cup powdered sugar
Milk, rice milk, or cream (1 Tbsp. to start)

Whip together, adding more powdered sugar or liquid to achieve desired consistency. I make it fluffy, as for a cake, then put dollops on the rolls and let them melt. If you like your rolls saturated with glaze, make it thinner.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
Use Buttercream recipe above. Reduce butter to 1 Tbsp. Substitute 2 Tbsp. room-temperature cream cheese for milk. Thin with milk or cream if needed.

Caramel Glaze:
4 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
Dash salt

Bring to boil in small pan, stirring constantly. Pour over baked rolls. Nuts may be added for extra decadence!

Orange Topping:
Add zest of 1/2 orange to either of the above

Apple Rolls
While dough is resting, core and dice 1 apple. Sprinkle over dough with cinnamon and brown sugar.

Pear/Cardamom Rolls
Follow directions for apple rolls above, but use 1 pear. Instead of cinnamon, use cardamom and nutmeg. Glaze with thin almond-flavoured buttercream.

Cranberry/Walnut with Orange Glaze:
Sprinkle chopped fresh or frozen cranberries and walnuts over dough with brown sugar. Use nutmeg and very little cinnamon. Glaze with thin orange-flavoured buttercream.