Mini Cinnamon Roll Bites

When I began this recipe, I fully intended it to be cinnamon rolls. It still ended up as cinnamon rolls, but I wanted full-sized, fluffy, breakfast cinnamon rolls. That didn't happen. When I started the recipe, I was concentrating on doing everything just as the recipe told me to. And I did. Or so I thought. When I got to the step that told me to add in the yeast, it said something along the lines of, "Wait until the mixture is just warm, then add the yeast." Well, I tested the mixture with my finger and it felt slightly warm, so I added the yeast. It wasn't until I was whisking it together that I saw the steam coming out of the pan. Next time, I'll stir the mixture so I'm not testing the temperature of the portion that has cooled off the most. Actually, at this point, I didn't think anything was wrong. It didn't occur to me that I had just killed the yeast. I went about finishing the rest of the dough recipe, rolled it into a ball, put it in a greased bowl, and covered it with plastic. When I came back to the dough, it had not risen at all. Not even a little bit. It just sat there and did nothing while I was away. I was confused to say the least and asked my mom about it. That's when we figured out I messed up the recipe, and we would not be eating cinnamon rolls for breakfast the following morning. It was a sad moment. But, I decided I would not let the dough go to waste and went to bed.

Before I began baking the next morning, I searched the internet in hope of finding a way to save the dough. One website said to make breadsticks or crackers out of dough that didn't rise. Bingo! I decided I would do exactly that. Making the dough into little cracker-like creations ended up being a lot faster than making cinnamon rolls. I didn't have to worry about letting the rolls rise for another two hours after putting them together. I only had to roll, slice, and bake - very simple and easy to manage. My biggest problem was trying to figure out how long it took to bake and cool to get them crunchy all the way through. The middle of mine were still a tiny bit soft compared to the crunchy outer parts. They were addicting, nonetheless. I probably ate most of them, but they didn't even last a day. That's the problem with bite-sized snacks - they're so small that eating four or twenty of them doesn't seem like a big deal.


Mini Cinnamon Roll Bites
makes 40-50

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk
7 tbsp butter
1 tbsp plus 2 tbsp sugar
4 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp ground sea salt
1 egg
2 egg yolks

For the filling:

2 tbsp plus 1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp brown sugar
2 1/2 tbsp butter
sugar (optional)

1 egg


Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter in 1/2 a cup of water and the milk. Take off of heat. Add a tablespoon of sugar. Whisk together then set aside.

Sift the sifted flour into a large bowl with the salt, and 2 tbsp of sugar. Whisk the egg and egg yolks together in a small bowl. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add the milk mixture and eggs. Stir together then work with your hands to make a rough dough. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes, or until smooth. Add flour if it is too sticky.

In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon and brown sugar together. Break apart any clumps that form. 

Split the dough in half. Roll dough out to a 15x11in rectangle. Cut the dough in half lengthwise. The end result should give you dough that is 15x5-1/2in. Melt the butter in a small bowl and brush over the dough, making sure to get the edges. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon mixture over the dough and rub it into the dough. Tightly roll the dough up lengthwise again. You should still have dough that is 15in long in the end. Cut the rolls 1/2in thick and place on a greased cookie sheet. Repeat with the other half of the dough. They do not rise or spread out during baking, so there is no need to put a lot of space between each one. Lightly beat an egg and brush a small amount over each mini cinnamon roll. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Remove from baking sheet immediately after baking. Place on a wire rack and let cool completely. They can be eaten before being cooled, but will not be very crunchy.