just roll with it

One more week until I'm back in the kitchen on Saturdays and back here with weekly pictures and stories from class. On my last weekend of freedom from school until August, I decided to finally bake up the one thing I intended on making during my break from the school kitchen. Cinnamon rolls. There are more recipes online for cinnamon rolls than I had ever imagined, however, I was most intrigued by a recipe that was sans yeast. Could a cinnamon roll without yeast really taste as good? I was determined to find out.

The dough mixed up easily like a quick bread and there was a fair amount of baking soda and powder involved to help the bread rise. After a bit of kneading, I rolled the dough out and added a delicious cinnamon mixture to the top.

And promptly rolled it back up.

My favorite part is cutting the dough into the separate rolls. Just look at that cinnamon delight inside!

And into a well-greased pan they go. A thick coat of butter goes on top to add some shine (and extra fattening flavor).

This recipe called for a cream cheese frosting, which turned out good, but I'll admit that cream cheese isn't my favorite frosting ingredient. The leftovers did make a nice fruit dip though.

Time to eat! While Greg and I easily inhaled all of these rolls over the past few mornings, I still don't know if they're really better than a recipe with yeast. I'll just have to bake a comparison batch soon and find out.

There was another baked treat in my house this weekend, but it didn't come out of my oven. Two of my best friends (and bridesmaids) came down for a visit with their husbands on Sunday and one of them brought an exotic dessert along. I feel a little shameful admitting that I asked her to bring dessert, but it's only because I made the main course: salad, spaghetti and garlic bread. Plus, Ashley always makes a mean dessert and I knew she'd come up with something fabulous. Here's the proof - 

What's under all that fruit you ask? A Tres Leches cake of course. Tres Leches means "three milks." This Latin America inspired cake is baked like a normal cake and then a ton of milk is poured into it while it cools. Top it with real whipping cream and a variety of fruit and you've got a refreshing dessert to counteract a meal of garlic. It's sort of like pound cake with a glass of milk already included.

Variety pies, specialty cakes and French pastries are in my future for the next ten weeks. Je ne peux pas attendre!