Secret Recipe Club: Cinnamon Rolls

So.
I'm doing a second post for the Secret Recipe Club this month.  The great thing about Secret Recipe Club is it gives a chance to explore a variety of blogs every month.  The problem is that the posting is Monday, and when I'm working I don't have a whole lot of time to make the rounds and read all the other great posts.
But summer has just ended!  And when there was a call for someone to pick up an orphan blog while I was not working, I jumped at the chance.  I really won't have time to volunteer and explore for more than my one assigned blog for a bit after this month.  But I'm so glad I had the chance this month.
My assigned blog this week is Della Cucina Povera.  I loved looking at Francesca's travel pictures, and spent time considering falafels, tiropitakia, and sicilian pistachio cookies.  But ultimately, the carbs won out and I decided to make something for breakfast that drips with icing - cinnamon rolls.
I have posted my mom's cinnamon rolls in the past.  They're carmel-ly, full of pecans, sticky and lovely.  Francesca's rolls are classic cinnamon and cream cheese icing.  They looked gooey and delicious.  They were a perfect treat for my first morning back at work.
I present to you now from Della Cucina Povera, Cinnamon Rolls:

Ingredients:
For the Dough:
1 c milk
1/4 c butter
3-1/2 c flour, divided
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
2-1/4 tsp yeast
For the filling:
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
2 Tbsp cinnamon
1/3 c butter, softened
For the icing:
1/4 c butter
4 oz cream cheese
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 c icing sugar

Method:
1.  Make the Dough:  Heat milk in a saucepan until warm.  Add butter and melt.  Pour into the bowl of an electric stand mixer and let cool slightly.  In a separate bowl, stir together 3 c of flour, sugar and salt.  When milk has cooled, add yeast and stand to let it become foamy, about 5 minutes.
2.  With the dough hook, Mix egg into the yeast mixture.  Add flour and continue to mix, about 5 minutes, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  If the dough remains sticky, add flour, 1/4 cup at a time.  Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
3.  Make the filling:  Stir together the sugars and the cinnamon.  Set aside.
4.  Grease a pie pan and set aside.  Roll the dough into a 9x14" rectangle.  Spread with the softened butter, and sprinkle with the filling.  Roll up, starting with one long side.  Pinch the seam to close.  Slice into 12 pieces and fit in the pan.  Let stand 15-20 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 350F.  Bake rolls for 20 minutes, until golden and done in the middle.  Let cool 5 minutes before icing.
6.  Make the icing:  Beat together butter and cream cheese.  Add vanilla and icing sugar.  Drizzle over warm rolls before serving.

From Della Cucina Povera

You know what drew me to this recipe?  The fact that I got to use the dough hook.  I'm a sucker for making dough in my stand mixer.  I love watching it come together.  The dough was sweeter than I expected, but was really easy to work with.  I added a small amount of extra flour, but I didn't want to make the rolls tough.

I wasn't sure that a pie pan was the best thing to put these in, but they fit.  I thought my round baker would be too small, and I wanted to keep them in stoneware with the amount of sugar that was going to be crystallizing in the bottom.

I do have sugar in the bottom of my oven now.  Sigh.  But don't these look yummy?  Francesca made mini rolls, and I considered it, but decided that 1 would be enough if I just made 12.

I believe Francesca's post began, "Blah, blah, blah, something healthy."  These aren't, but they are amazing!  Glad I got to pick up a new recipe!