Preheating the Oven Chicago: Dreaming of Cinnamon Rolls

It was all I could think of for two weeks...cinnamon rolls! The thought of the warm, sticky, cinnamony, yeasty goodness couldn't escape me. Oh sure, I thought about going to some local bakery to get one, but I stopped myself every time. I kept thinking, "Why should I go buy one when I can make them myself?" Hind sight is 20/20 here, but at the time, it seemed perfectly logical that I should make my own. Realistically, I probably would've enjoyed a local bakery's rendition just fine.

But I was craving a childhood memory. One of a pull-apart cinnamon roll from my mom's favorite haunt...MCL Cafeteria. Sure, it's a cafeteria, but boy, do they have good food. In particular their macaroni and cheese, their green beans, their yeast rolls and of course, their cinnamon roll. Oh my gosh. If I had the time and energy, I would've driven myself right down there to get one.

So, for the sake of time and energy (and sanity), I made it my mission to make my own. Ironically, the April 2012 issue of Bon Appetit happened to feature my craving right smack dab on the cover!

Bon Appetit's Ultimate Sticky Buns (photo from bonapetit.com)

I mean, look at those things! How can you NOT want one?

So, I made them...well, not exactly like the ones in the picture. I wanted a simpler, less calorically destructive version. It was easy to do. I made the dough recipe as called for and then just added the cinnamon-suger filling (using only half the butter in the filling). None of the gooey stuff for me, but still very delicious!

For the recipe, see this link: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/04/the-ultimate-sticky-buns