I think it’s a cruel joke that drinking alcohol is not allowed when you’re pregnant. Imagine being 25 pounds heavier than normal in the dead of summer. Imagine there’s two other kids at home who dominate you day and night because they know your 9 month pregnant self is too tired to chase after them. At that moment, don’t you really deserve a cocktail? Wouldn’t you really want something that would cool down and refresh that tired, center-heavy body of yours? The answer is an obvious and resounding YES, so in my late pregnancy, in the heat of my cocktail craving days, I started working on the recipes for the 3 varieties of champagne cocktail popsicles that you’ll read about today. It’s a summertime treat that everyone, Mamas especially, are deserving of, and I think you’re really going to like them.
Champagne Popsicles
First up is a mimosa popsicle. Made with fresh orange juice, sparkling wine, and just a smidge of simple syrup, this is the push-pop your brunches have been waiting for. I love a classic mimosa as much as anyone, but a mimosa popsicle? That’s something to write home about. The second option is a bellini pop! Fresh peach wedges are pureed and stirred with champagne and a teeny bit of syrup to create a seriously fruity popsicle that is altogether summery. I found I enjoyed this one the most, particularly since peach season is showing out in all it’s glory right now. You can use frozen peaches here, but this is also a great way to use up peaches on the verge of going bad. Finally, we have a strawberry lime champagne popsicle. Pureed berries, simple syrup, a squeeze of lime juice, and bubbles round out the list of ingredients for these pops. They’re a crowd pleaser, and you can easily include a little bit of lime zest for extra citrus flavor.
What You’ll Need
While traditional popsicle molds work fine here, I really encourage you to consider grabbing some of these disposable plastic push-pop bags. They’re super inexpensive (I found mine on Amazon!) and make the perfect portion size for these champagne cocktail popsicles. Keep in mind that alcohol does not freeze; these will melt faster than your average pop! If you opt to not use plastic sleeves, consider serving small popsicles in a glass with a tiny pour of champagne at the bottom. I saw something similar here and think it would make for a cute beach or brunch cocktail to serve.
These champagne cocktail popsicles are indeed boozy; feel free to add a bit more fruit if you prefer a more subtle wine flavor. No need to splurge on any expensive booze here- just something inexpensive that you wouldn’t mind drinking a small bit of. Either way, be sure to stay cool with these grown-up popsicle cocktails (poptails?) and let me know what you think! Happy Monday and Happy Drinking!
These champagne cocktail popsicles come in three push-pop flavors: Bellini, mimosa, and strawberry lime!
Author:Kate Wood
Prep Time:5
Total Time:240
Yield:4
Category:Dessert/ Cocktail
Ingredients
For Mimosa:
1 cup orange juice
½ cup sparkling wine
1 ounce simple syrup, optional
For Bellini:
1–1/3 cups chopped peaches
½ cup sparkling wine
2 ounces simple syrup
For Strawberry Lime:
1–1/3 cups chopped strawberries
½ cup sparkling wine
Juice of one lime
2 ounces simple syrup
Instructions
For the Mimosa:
Combine the orange juice and sparkling water in a large measuring cup. Taste the mixture and add simple syrup if you desire the pops to be sweeter. Divide the mixture via funnel into 4 disposable plastic push-pop tubes. Freeze until solid!
For the Bellini:
Combine the chopped peaches, sparkling wine, and syrup in a blender and process just until the peaches have been pureed and the mixture is smooth. The mixture will bubble slightly. Allow some of the bubbles to subside, re-stir the mixture, and then divide is among 4 disposable plastic push-pop tubes. Seal and freeze until solid.
For the Strawberry Lime:
Combine the chopped strawberries, sparkling wine, lime juice, and syrup in a blender and process just until the strawberries have been pureed and the mixture is smooth. The mixture will bubble slightly. Allow some of the bubbles to subside, re-stir the mixture, and then divide is among 4 disposable plastic push-pop tubes. Seal and freeze until solid.
Happy New Year, friends! I hope your midnights were filled with kisses and bubbles and all sorts of wonderful glittery things. We ate dinner with friends but were home in our pajamas eating cereal by 11:00 pm. It was GLORIOUS. I’m all about parties and fun, but it felt good to be comfortable enough to be tired and content at home. Count on more of that from me this year.
I always like to ask people what their New Year’s resolutions are, and in years past I’ve totally been one to produce a laundry list of goals. This year, instead of goals, I spent some time considering what types of things I wanted more of in 2019- what things would be productive and healthy inclusions to my coming 12 months? After loads of consideration (and, okay, a little list making), I want to share my ideas with you in hopes that you may be able to include some of these things in your own life. It felt good to be self-reflective in a loving, encouraging way, so I hope you get the opportunity to do so yourself. So here it is: my to-do list of sorts for 2019.
Cook More Real Food.
The end of 2018 saw me ordering lots of carry-out and fast food. I was exhausted from our pending move and decided to give myself a break by leaving dinners to someone else. But here’s the thing: I love to cook. In an effort to get back in my kitchen, I plan on joining Epicurious’ Cook 90 Challenge. They’ve mapped out ways to make it easier to prepare fresh, real food three times a day for an entire month. Even if I only end up cooking 75 or so meals this month, I’ll consider that a victory.
Take Better Care of Me.
When you’re a mom of two toddlers, self-care can go down the drain quickly. I spend a lot of time with greasy hair and unshaven legs because I’m really just kinda tired. My dear friend recently became really passionate about the benefits of clean skincare, so I decided to invest in a few new products that I knew were good for my body from the outside in. If this whole thing is new to you too, you can check out Follain online, which is kinda like the Sephora of clean beauty. Two of my favorite products so far are this nighttime moisturizer and this rosehip oil. I may still have fuzzy legs, but it feels good to know I’m taking a little better care of me
Get Organized.
Ok, this looks totally different for everyone. I know you’ve heard me ramble on about decluttering and my favorite day planners, but I wanted to do a little extra at the beginning of this year to stay tidy. For me, that meant closet and drawer organization. I purchased brand new velvet hangers online and invested in several sets of plastic drawer organizers. Now my closet look streamlined and my chip clips, measuring spoons, bobby pins all have a home in my drawers. I don’t know what getting organized would look like in your life, but I think that it’s sometimes healthy to have a little method to our madness.
Spend Time Connecting.
Look- 2019 was weird, y’all. I felt out of sorts and insecure and really kinda lonely at times. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m alone in this. So in 2019, I want to be more connected. For me, this means more one-on-one conversations with dear friends and more date nights with my husband. It means more time playing on the floor with my kids instead of shooing them away. It means more time praying and more time spent telling people why I love them.
A simple way to get connected? Engage in an out-of-the-box manner. I’ve long been a fan of snail mail, and I’d encourage you to consider taking time to write a note to someone you love. I adore Kate Spade notecards like these, and I have purchased multiple sets of custom watercolor stationary from my artist friend here. Put your phone down and spend some time loving someone- it’s always worth loving a little harder.
Read More.
There’s a million different studies that have been done on the benefits of reading. My goal to read more began simply from wanting to be a better writer here on this space. I have literally zero clue where to begin reading again, but I think I’m going to start with Oprah’s book club. I’ve heard rave reviews about this month’s addition (Michelle Obama’s book!) and I can’t wait to get started.
Challenge Yourself.
I think we sometimes have the tendency to play it safe. We stay on the sidelines because the possibility of failure seems kinda scary or just downright depressing. I’m planning to challenge myself more in the kitchen this year. I don’t want to stray away from recipes or skills that seem outside of my wheelhouse simply because I think I’ll fail. I want to be better! So count on me deboning whole chickens, cooking more seafood, and experimenting more with from-scratch recipe development. 100% I’m going to fail sometimes, but my bet is that I’ll surprise myself a little too and that will feel awesome. For a baking challenge, I’d encourage you to check out my cinnamon bread, tiramisu profiteroles, or maybe even today’s recipe: orange swirl bread.
Orange Swirl Bread
I actually developed this recipe for orange swirl bread for Southern Cast Iron last year. My image landed on the cover (!!!) and I have been waiting for the right time to share the recipe on this site. If you didn’t buy the magazine when it was out (how dare you, btw), you’ll finally have the chance to take a stab at this recipe yourself right here from the comfort of this site!
Making the Bread
This orange swirl bread is an airy yeast bread with orange zest, cinnamon, and sugar spiraled in the center. The dough is rolled, braided, and formed into a wreath before it’s baked in a cast iron skillet. Once golden and baked, the bread is drizzled with an orange glaze that makes the otherwise mild bread just a touch sweet. I like to serve wedges of this bread for breakfast and snack on little edge pieces in the evening as dessert. My children love feasting on this in the morning, and honestly, it’s just so beautiful that I’m really proud to serve it to anyone. You know?
Spend some time reading through the instructions for this orange swirl bread before you get started. The rising process takes time and you certainly don’t want to rush it. In a pinch, you can bake the loaf, freeze it, and rewarm to serve with the glaze at a later date. I think it tastes best warmed, but there’s no shame in grabbing a room temp piece on the go.
I can’t wait to spend more time with you all this year. I’ve got a ton of ideas and I can’t wait to connect with more of you. So happy new year, happy January, and as always, happy baking. Cheers!
If you like this orange swirl bread you should check out:
This orange swirl bread has a cinnamon sugar and orange zest filling and is topped with an orange glaze. The bread is an airy braided yeast loaf!
Author:Kate Wood
Prep Time:30
Cook Time:40
Total Time:240
Yield:1 Loaf
Category:Bread
Ingredients
For the dough:
½ cup (120 mL) whole milk, lukewarm
¼ cup (50 gm) sugar
2–1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 cups (260 gm) all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, divided
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (55 gm) unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the filling:
½ cup (100 gm) sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
½ cup (113 gm) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature.
For the glaze:
1 cup (120 gm) confectioner’s sugar
2–3 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the warm milk and half of the sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over top of the milk and allow the yeast to activate, about 5 minutes. The mixture should froth and foam slightly. You can stir it gently to make sure all the yeast has been moistened, but if the yeast does not foam, dump it out and start over. Once the yeast has been activated, stir in the remaining sugar and 1/2 cup of the flour into the milk mixture. Add 1 egg and the salt and stir to combine. On low speed, add the remaining flour and beat to combine, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Once evenly combined, increase the speed to medium (I use speed number 4 on my KitchenAid stand mixer) and add the softened butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl and then continue to beat on medium speed for an additional 4 minutes or until the dough is moist, sticky, and slightly stretchy.
Lightly grease a large bowl and place the dough inside, covering it tightly with a piece of plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest in a warm spot in the kitchen until it has approximately doubled in size, about 1-1/2-2 hours.
Once the dough has risen, roll it out into a 12”x18” rectangle on a lightly floured surface. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, and orange zest for the filling. Use the back of a fork to cut in the butter, smooshing it together to make a thick paste/spread. Spread this mixture evenly over top of the rolled out dough.
Starting with one of the long ends, roll the dough somewhat tightly into one long tube and pinch the ends of the dough to seal in the filling. Use a sharp knife to slice down the middle of the length of the dough, leaving one inch at the top of one of the ends uncut. You should end with two strands of rolled dough connected by a 1” chunk of dough at the top (this will serve as the starting point for your braid, so you want the dough to remain connected here). Turn the exposed innards of the dough roll to face upwards and then twist the dough, right over left, right over left, until the entire length of dough has been twisted into one long piece. Join the ends of the dough to make a ring, pinching the ends together slightly. Carefully transfer the ring of dough into a lightly greased 10” cast-iron skillet. Cover the skillet with a piece of plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Once the oven is preheated and the loaf has risen slight (about 40 minutes), stir the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush a thin layer of the mixture over the surface of the dough. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the dough is puffed and golden brown throughout. Allow to cool slightly.
Once cooled slightly, combine the confectioner’s sugar and orange juice in a small bowl, whisking until smooth. Add additional sugar, if desired, to thicken it up or extra juice to thin it out. Drizzle over top of the bread and serve. Bread is best served warm and will keep covered at room temperature for 2-3 days.
There’s nothing like a few blood oranges and a shot of liquor to spruce up an otherwise ordinary bowl of flour and eggs- am I right? Ingredients like these take cakes from average to amazing, so I’m thrilled the share a treat like this blood orange bundt cake with you today!
Living in a fairly rural area of lower Alabama, I often have a hard time finding exotic ingredients at my grocery store. Just to be clear: I’m using the term ‘exotic” loosely here. I’m not talking ostrich eggs or black truffles or even something as basic as a tub of mascarpone cheese. In these parts, it’s a stretch some days to even get my hands on a gallon of organic milk or a bag pine nuts, okay? We’re a one grocery store town (two if you count Wal-Mart, three if you count that guy who sells watermelons and sweet potatoes out of the tailgate of his truck), so while I am a far cry from being a pioneer woman, I still have to get kinda creative with my ingredients sometimes.
Last fall, our grocery store randomly got in a shipment of leeks and I remember feeling like it was Christmas morning. Holding back tears of joy, I called a few girlfriends exclaiming, “They (sniff, sob)… have (gasp for air, more sobs)… LEEKS!” I’m pretty sure I bought three bunches of those little beauties, and Brett and I ate potato leek soup for like two weeks. Unfortunately, our plumbing hasn’t been the same since the leak incident of 2016. RIP.
Then there was the day they started carrying my favorite brand of kettle corn. When I spotted that beautiful lavender colored bag on the bottom shelf, you would’ve thought Charlie had found Mr.Wonka’s golden ticket. I dropped whatever off-brand bag of potato chips I had been considering and raced to the popcorn shelf for a closer inspection. I can’t remember, but I think I cried real tears and then bought up the shelf of popcorn like I was stocking a bomb shelter. Don’t you dare judge me for it.
Our little grocery store is small and humble, and to be honest, it can be really frustrating to not have immediate access to a lot of the ingredients that bigger stores probably carry (#firstworldproblems). But let me say this: the ladies at the checkout line know my children by name. My daughter is so obsessed with our store’s butcher that sometimes she will request a trip to the store just so “Aimee go see Willie, please mama?” I can walk to my grocery store in less than 15 minutes, drive there in less than 3, and even though it’s not much, I’d take my little hometown store situation over just about anything.
Recently while shopping, I spied some blood oranges in the produce department. I sang the “Hallelujah Chorus” and promptly tossed a bag in my cart. I must have kept those oranges in my fridge for nearly a week before I decided what was worthy of its fancy juice and zest, and I’m happy to say that this blood orange bundt cake is the product of those efforts in the kitchen.
A fluffy butter and egg filled batter, scented with vanilla bean and citrusy zest, this blood orange bundt cake is the best case scenario for any bit of prized produce hanging out in your fridge. This cake takes the juice and zest of quite a few blood oranges, so it is perfect for using up all of that wintertime citrus. To make the blood orange bundt cake, we start by combining a number of basic dry ingredients- flour, sugar, baking soda… you know the drill. Once well combined, we toss in a few chunks of butter and allow that to incorporate until it’s pea-sized crumbles. The blood orange juice, eggs, and zest are combined with a bit of orange liquor, and that wet mixture is added to the cake. Once whipped to a smooth and fluffy finish, the batter is poured into a large bundt cake pan and baked in the oven until golden and fragrant.
I decided to top this blood orange bundt cake with a simple glaze made of blood orange juice and powdered sugar. The blood oranges lend a rosy hue to the glaze, and while a bright pink frosted cake is rarely an elegant treat, I can promise that this cake is one all the grown-ups will write home about. It has a tender and moist crumb, an understated citrus kick, and just the right amount of sugar to make this cake perfect for breakfast or dessert. BONUS: If you, like me, live in a slightly rural area with limited access to special fruits like this, take heart! I have tried this cake with navel and mandarin oranges and I can vouch for both as substitutes.
This blood orange bundt cake is a seasonal way to spruce up your baking game and I hope you’ll give it a try. Experimenting with new flavors, even ones that maybe aren’t so “exotic” like the citrus in this cake is an incredibly fun way to spend time in the kitchen. If you happen to spot a bag of blood oranges at the store this week, you should grab one and give this cake a try. Oh, and if you happen to be shopping at my local grocery store, you better get there quick before I buy up their stock of blood oranges.
This blood orange bundt cake is a sweet and citrus cake that is perfect to share with a crowd! Serve for breakfast or dessert.
Author:Kate Wood
Prep Time:30
Cook Time:80
Total Time:1 hour 50 minutes
Category:Cakes
Ingredients
For the cake
2–1/2 tablespoons blood orange zest
1 cup blood orange juice (about 5 blood oranges, but will vary)
2–1/2 teaspoons orange liquor
5 eggs, room temperature
1–1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
3 cups flour
2–1/2 cups sugar
1–1/2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1–1/4 teaspoons salt
2–3/4 sticks of butter (11 ounces/22 tablespoons), room temperature
For the glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons blood orange juice (more, if desired)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
To prepare the cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and liberally grease and flour a large 15 cup bundt cake pan.
Stir together the eggs, vanilla, blood orange juice, zest, and liquor in a bowl or measuring cup and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and stir on low until combined, about 30 seconds. Keeping the mixer on low, add the butter one tablespoon at a time and continue to beat until the mixture is uniform and in peas-sized crumbles.
Increase the speed to medium (about 4 on a stand mixer) and slowly pour in the egg and juice mixture. Continue to beat until the batter is uniformly moistened, smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, or until an inserted toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool on a cooling rack for about an hour and then carefully invert on the rack to continue cooling completely.
To prepare the glaze
Combine all three ingredients until no lumps of sugar remain. Add more sugar to thicken glaze slightly and add small amounts of juice, milk, or water, to thin the glaze out. I prefer to keep mine rather thick so that it will thickly coat the sides of my cake. Once the cake is cooled completely, pour the glaze over top and allow it to drizzle down the sides. Store at room temperature for up to three days.
Notes
This recipe is intended to be prepared in a large, 15 cup bundt cake pan. Do not fill the pan more than 3/4 of the way full or it will overflow! Pour extra batter in a cupcake pan and bake little blood orange muffins.
Test the viscosity of your glaze this way: run a spatula or your whisk through the glaze. It should be just thick enough that the line you dragged through the glaze nearly disappears after about 10 counted seconds. Add more powdered sugar to thicken, or more juice to thin.
So what’s on your Christmas list? A bike? A record player? New running shoes or a spiralizer? Maybe you’re ready to test the murky waters of mom jeans and lace-up shirts, or perhaps you’re simply looking to expand your collection of baking essentials.
Christmas in our house has changed quite a bit since we’ve had babies. My shopping time this year was spent hunting for water resistant bibs and hooded towels big enough to cover the hind parts of my extra fluffy toddler. Gone are the days where I would shop out my lengthy list of J.Crew sweaters and concert tickets and Kate Spade totes. This year, I didn’t need or ask for anything specific, but for fun, I decided to make up a wish list of random intangibles- my grown up Christmas list. These are items that are in no way achievable, but still super fun to dream about. Don’t judge me, but feel free to make up your own as we go along.
MY GROWN UP CHRISTMAS LIST
Sleep.- and not just a night of 8 or 9 solid hours either. I want a week’s worth of sleep completely undisturbed from the baby monitor or my husband tossing about next to me. I want to lay in bed in the morning for an extra hour or two and not think about unloading the dryer or going to work or whether or not I’m going to start leaking milk from every orifice of my body. Basically I want permission to sleep and be lazy.
Bake with Ina Garten and Taylor Swift. Have I talked about this dream too much already? In my wildest fantasies, I’m chilling in the Hamptons, drinking French wine with Jeffery. Taylor is in the corner wearing a cat sweater and playing the “1989” album. She tells me all about what happened with Harry Styles and invites me to spend the next July 4th at her place in Rhode Island. Later, Ina teaches me how to roast chicken and we laugh at the peasants who can’t afford Nielsen-Massey vanilla. Is that obnoxious? Sorry.
Hair. Did you know that pregnancy hormones do weird things? Did you know sometimes hormones can cause you to lose hair? Did you know that sometimes all of that hair loss is focused in one specific area in your hairline and that it can even make you kinda look like you’re balding? Well, if Santa doesn’t bring me some hair or at least a phone number for Beyonce’s wig person, I’m going to be in serious trouble.
I’m not sure what it’s called, but I want that disease where you can eat a lot and never have to work out. I want to eat chips and drink beer and put extra frosting on my cookies and not worry about that annoying pillow of fat that hangs out where my butt meets the back of my thigh. I don’t want to do another box jump or lunge, but I also want to be considered for Blake Lively’s body double if she ever films a sequel to “The Shallows.” Is that too much to ask?
Adele’s singing skills. I want people to hear her voice on the radio and be like, “Hmm, I’m not sure, but that actually might be Kate Wood.”
Take a DeLorean time hop back to 1985 and watch a Queen concert. Maybe I could pick up my husband (he would have been in Kindergarten at the time) and he could go with me? That’s a weird item for a wish list, isn’t it? Don’t judge.
Orange cardamom rolls.
Yeah, yeah, that list is ridiculous and unrealistic. But! You can totally achieve that last item. Because today, I’m sharing this recipe for orange cardamom rolls.
This recipe was adapted from Posie Harwood who writes a number of terrifically inspired posts both for her blog and on behalf of Food52. Her cardamom rolls have been on my radar for a while, and when I finally had a chance to make them a few weeks ago, I was tremendously pleased with the results. Out of the oven, these orange cardamom rolls are fluffy, fragrant, and perfect with a cup of coffee. I topped them with an orange zest glaze which sweetens up the knots of dough and makes them irresistible to look at.
These orange cardamom rolls start out similar to cinnamon rolls– a yeast dough sweetened with sugar and moistened up with eggs and butter. The dough rises for a short time before a cinnamon sugar schmear is slathered all over and folded inside the rolled out sheets of dough. A few loops and twists transforms thin slices of dough into pillowed swirls of soft and chewy bread that tastes as delicious straight from the oven as they do heated up the next morning.
Orange cardamom rolls look elegant, and feel special- a perfect treat to wrap up for someone you love or to serve to family and guests on Christmas morning. I photographed these rolls on a cake stand because they were so beautiful and what is a birthday without a cake of some sort! So HBD, Jesus! This one’s for you!
I hope you all have a merry week celebrating Christmas or just spending time with your family and friends. Make these orange cardamom rolls for Christmas breakfast and maybe even take time to come up with your own grown up Christmas list. I hope you all won’t completely judge me for mine, but if you happen to have any resources to make my wishes come true, you know who to call. Kidding…. but really.
These orange cardamom rolls are fluffy knots of sweetened dough, lightly spiced with cardamom and a cinnamon sugar filling, and topped with a zesty orange glaze.
Author:Kate Wood
Prep Time:90
Cook Time:30
Total Time:2 hours
Yield:24
Ingredients
For the dough
1cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup unsalted butter
12 ounces evaporated milk
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/4 cup warm water
4 1/2 teaspoons (2 packages) active dry yeast
7 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sour cream
3 eggs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened but not melted
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
For the glaze
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons cream or whole milk
Zest of 1 medium orange
Instructions
To prepare the dough
Combine the sugar, cardamom, butter, evaporated milk, and salt in a medium sized saucepan, and, stirring occasionally, heat over medium heat until the butter has just barely melted. Remove from the burner and allow to cool to warm.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and allow to dissolve. You can gently stir it after a few minutes if not all of the yeast has been dissolved. Once dissolved, add 3 cups of flour, the sour cream, eggs, and warm butter mixture to the yeast. Stir until well combined and then begin to the remaining flour while mixing on low speed. You may only need about 6-1/2 cups of flour total, or as much as 7-1/2 cups, but add it until the dough is able to pull away from the walls of the stand mixer. It will still be quite sticky, even sticking to unfloured fingers quite easily, but be sure to not add too much flour as this can make the rolls tough. Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough for 4 minutes on medium speed.
Grease a large bowl with cooking spray, butter, or oil, and place the dough in there, covered tightly with plastic wrap. Allow it to rest for about 1-1/2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size. If the dough is not growing after about an hour, be sure your bowl is in a warm, draft-free spot in your kitchen.
Once doubled in size, prepare the cinnamon filling by combining the butter, cinnamon, and sugar in a small bowl by smooshing it into a paste with the back of a fork or a rubber spatula. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare 2 sheet pans lined with parchment paper.
Sprinkling a good bit of flour on your work surface for rolling the dough and then remove half of the dough from the bowl. Roll it out into a rectangle approximately 9″x20″, adding small bits of flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the surface or the pin. Spread half of the filling evenly on the dough leaving a 1″ border around the perimeter of the rectangle. Fold the dough in half lengthwise to form a 9″x10″ square and roll or pat it out to thin the folded dough a bit. Using a sharp knife, cut 1/2″ strips of dough (approximately 12 total). Take one strip of dough and wrap it around your index and middle finger twice. Remove the double loop from your fingers and tuck both ends of the dough back through the center loop to form a bit of a twisted knot. Place each knot on the prepared sheet about two inches apart, being sure to keep the loose ends on the underside of the bun. Repeat this entire process with the second half of dough and then cover both sheet pans with plastic wrap to rest for about 15 minutes. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool while you prepare the glaze.
To prepare the glaze
Using a whisk, combine all ingredients in a medium sides bowl, stirring until it is uniform in consistency. You can warm it for about 10 seconds in the microwave to make a more pourable glaze, or add a teaspoon or two of cream to thin it out. Drizzle the glaze over your warm or cooled rolls and enjoy!
Notes
Rolls are best eaten on the day they’re made but will keep up to three days. Rolls are best eaten slightly warm.
The glaze prepared as the recipe has written will set up to be slightly firm at room temperature. If you add more liquid to it it is likely the glaze will remain sticky and wet even after sitting for some time.
