Cooking with Chef Jo: More Yogurt Dough

I wanted something sweet. I wanted something good and I didn't want something that would take hours to prepare. I wanted cinnamon rolls! I had a spare couple of cups of flour after making our daily breads for the week. So I figured I'd stretch my recipe repertoire with the yogurt dough.

That's the thing about grinding your own flour. It depends on the humidity as to how much you end up with. Even if you purchase flour, it depends on this to how much liquid you have to add. So one day you'd add this amount of liquid and the next time you'd add up to 1/4 cup less liquid. It all depends on the weather. Well, the east coast has been pounded with rain and thunder storms for a week now. The absorption into the soil is slow going because there has been so much rain.

 So I cooked up (pun intended) a recipe using yogurt dough to make cinnamon rolls. I didn't need a whole sheet pan of them because I'd feel obligated to eat them all. I figured two for Mel and two for me would be plenty. If I had bought one of those Pillsbury "cheaters" cinnamon rolls tube, it would have made eight. Oh, the calories were rolling in my head and it would not taste as good. My waistline is a large enough number without the temptation.

Problem I tackled and solved was cinnamon rolls take a sweet, rich dough. What makes a sweet, rich dough? Sugar, eggs, and butter. I can do that. I'd splurge and make a cream cheese icing to drizzle on top too. What's the sense in making cinnamon rolls without an icing on top? I'd do it one better. I'd bake it in my air fryer too. All that resolved, I set to work. After numerous attempts, I finally hit the right proportions. I thought I'd share it with y'all.

Jo's Quick Cinnamon Rolls
Serves 4- 3 1/2" diameter rolls

What you'll need
 Dough
1 1/2 cups Self-rising flour*
3/4 cup yogurt
1 large egg
1 tsp butter, melted
3 TBS sugar*
1 TBS butter, melted

Filling
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar*
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

 Cream Cheese Icing Glaze
1 TBS cream cheese, softened
1 TBS butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar*
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 TBS milk, to thin to glaze consistency

Notes-* To make self rising flour- sift 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder/baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt together. For Gluten-free- substitute your gluten-free flour mix.
*To make this sugar-free- add equivalent sweetener of your choice.
*To make brown sugar- stir 1/2 tsp molasses and 1/4 cup sugar or sugar alternative for sugar free. 
* To make this sugar-free- blend sweetener of your choice and 1/8 tsp cornstarch. Whizz until powdery like confectioner's sugar.

Putting it all together 

• Start with the filling. Mix brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon together until well mixed. Set in the refrigerator to cool while preparing the dough.
• Place flour and sugar in a bowl. Mix together well and make a well in the center of the bowl.
• In another bowl, mix egg, 1 tsp butter, and yogurt together until blended.
• Pour yogurt mixture into the flour well and mix until combined. A soft dough ball will form. 
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
• Knead the dough about twenty times. The dough will be smooth and have a bread dough like appearance.
• With your hands, roll the dough into a snake about 3" in diameter.
• Divide into 4 pieces.
• Roll each piece into a 3 1/2"x 18" strip.
• Spread with filling. and roll the strip into a roll. pinch to seal the cut end to the roll. If it refuses to stay together, try moistening the loose end piece with a little water and press together again.
• Repeat with other pieces.
• Brush each roll with remaining TBS of melted butter.
• Place in the air fryer slightly touching.
• "Air fry" 350 degrees for 15 minutes. For regular oven. On a greased pan, 350 degrees for 20 minutes.   
• While the rolls are cooking, mix the ingredients well, cover to prevent a film from forming.
• Place cooked rolls on a rack to cool for 15 minutes. 
• The rolls will be slightly warm to the touch. Spoon glaze over the top of the rolls.

Serve warm with a tall glass of milk. I haven't played with this recipe yet for a vegan version. It's enough that I made three versions this month- regular, gluten-free, and sugar-free for me. Mel is allergic to the maltdextrin they add to Splenda to make it sugar-free. She'll be bouncing off the walls and awake for days. I don't know how she'd react to monk fruit or stevia. I'm honestly afraid to find out. I think she is too. I did all versions in the air fryer and my toaster oven. I have to admit the air fryer made a crustier roll while the oven made moister rolls. Mel thinks she was rewarded for doing something good. Shh! I won't tell her if you don't.

As variations, add 1/8 cup rehydrated raisins, cranberries, chopped raspberries, or nuts to the filling mix. I did variations raisins, and then with chopped raspberries. They turned turned out wonderfully delicious!

As you can see in the picture, there are lots of layers filled with cinnamon butter.  Slathered with the cream cheese glaze made them extra yummy for my tummy. From gathering the ingredients to my mouth, it was 30 minutes tops of instant fix for my sweet craving.

Y'all have a blessed day!

Chef Jo