Obsession

Okay, for those of you who know me at all, you know about my unhealthy (quite literally) obsession with Texas Roadhouse rolls and cinnamon butter.

And on this fateful day... I figured out that I could make them from scratch. At my own house. In my PJ's. I'm also thinking this is serious trouble for my waistline.

I have been really scared of making anything bread related for forever now. Either they turn out really dry, rock hard or just don't rise at all and I don't even try to put them in the oven! However, with the ice storm happening outside today and all the ingredients already in my kitchen, I thought "what the heck." And it actually worked... really really well. Again, trouble.

For the rolls (about 2 dozen):
1 package active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp.)
1/4 c. warm water
1 c. milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm
1 1/2 tbs. melted butter, slightly cooled
1/4 c. sugar
4 c. flour
1 egg
1 tsp. salt

For the cinnamon butter (about 1/2 cup):
1 stick butter (salted or unsalted) at about room temp.
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. honey
1 tsp. ground cinnamon


Rolls: Dissolve yeast in warm water with a teaspoon of sugar by stirring until dissolved. In a medium bowl, add yeast, milk, sugar and 3 c. flour to make a medium batter. Mix thoroughly. Let stand until light and foamy. Add melted butter, eggs and salt. Beat well.

Add your last cup of flour to form a soft dough. Sprinkle a small amount of flour onto counter and let dough rest. Meanwhile, grease a large bowl. Knead dough until smooth, then transfer into large bowl. Turn over a few times to grease the ball of dough. Lightly cover with saran wrap and let rise until double in size. Punch down. Flatten your dough on the lightly floured surface. With a knife, cut dough into portions, let rest, then shape dough into desired forms and place on two greased baking sheets. Let rise until doubled in size (about 45 minutes.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes (depending on the size of your rolls, my smaller ones took 10, larger took 15) until golden brown. Immediately baste with butter and enjoy!!!

Butter: With an electric mixer, beat the stick of butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, honey and cinnamon and beat well until combined and has whipped look. Cover and refrigerate for up to five days.