Breadmaker Cinnamon Rolls

In order to celebrate the final day of summer holidays (or was it celebrate the 1st day of school tomorrow?) I thought I'd tackle a kind of recipe that I've never done before. Cinnamon rolls are a favourite in our family ... but I've always used the Pillsbury Grands *gasp!*. I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com ("Soft, Moist and Gooey Cinnamon Rolls"). They were A LOT of work (I'm talking 3 hours of waiting, rolling and rising) but they were worth it. These tasted great but I'm going to try to find an overnight cinnamon roll recipe so I don't have to get up so early in the morning to prep these.

1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
4 tablespoons melted butter
4 tablespoons water
1/2 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
4 cups bread flour (all-purpose will not give you the right texture. See tip below.)
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons bread machine yeast
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/4 cup raisins (optional)
1 teaspoon milk
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a bread machine pan, place the milk, beaten egg, melted butter, water, vanilla pudding mix, bread flour, sugar, salt and yeast in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select the Dough cycle.
When cycle is finished, remove the dough (TIP: it will be very sticky so you'll need to sprinkle flour down. If you have a pastry sheet use it! Knead for 3 to 5 minutes. Roll out to a large rectangle.

Mix together the softened butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread over dough. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts and raisins, if desired. Starting with the widest end, roll the dough into a log. Pinch to seal seams. Cut into 1 inch slices, and place in a greased 9x13 inch pan (you may need another smaller pan if your rolls are quite big). Place in a draft-free space, and allow to rise until doubled. (I will often sit the pan in my microwave to rise -- without turning it on, of course!).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. To make frosting, mix the milk, confectioners sugar, softened butter and vanilla in a small bowl. Spread over warm cinnamon rolls.

Tip: You can find bread flour in your baking ingredient aisle. I can only find it in a small bag.