Today Cinnamon Rolls!
There is a truck stop in Johnstown, Colorado called Johnson's Corner. They have a diner and a gas station and they make World Famous cinnamon rolls. The delightful pastries are now sold throughout the state at almost every gas station and truck stop.
Today, the Princesses and I shall try to recreate those decadent and delicious rolls. I found a knock off recipe that looks like it is probably pretty close.
This recipe is large, so if you don't have a way to get rid of 12 or so huge cinnamon buns, I would suggest halving it. Lets get started!
Recipe For the Dough
- 13 cups bread flour
- 5 cups warm water
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 tablespoon dry yeast
Directions
- Add the yeast to 5 cups warm water and whisk together
- Add 6 cups of flour, one at a time while stirring
- Cover and let rest for two hours
- The sponge will have grown some, gently stir it then sprinkle with the salt and brown sugar
- Add about 6 more cups of flour one at a time while stirring
- When the mixture is too difficult to stir, turn it out onto a well floured surface and knead 8 to 10 minutes adding flour as needed, until you have a smooth, elastic dough.
- Place dough into a large oiled bowl or two.
- Cover and let rise until double, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Put dough back on work surface and roll it into a 24 inch square.
The recipe then calls for the filling. It says
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup ground cinnamon
Directions
Rub dough with vegetable oil
Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon
Roll the dough into a jelly roll shape
Cut into 2 inch sections and place on a well greased baking sheet.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.
After you get that done, preheat your oven to 400 and place a rack at the top 1/3 of it.
Bake rolls for 35-40 minutes until golden brown.
I deviated from the recipe I found online by using bread flour instead of all purpose flour. I also measured none of the filling, instead sprinkling the brown sugar and cinnamon liberally. I probably used just a little more than the recipe called for, but it gives you a baseline.
The recipe also came with no topping recipe. Johnson's Corner uses two main toppings. They use a sugary drizzle and they have a delightful cream cheese frosting. I will be making the drizzle here as the frosting puts these rolls into the cardiac danger category.
The drizzle is super simple.
Recipe
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk
Directions
- Stir sugar and milk together to form a drizzle add more milk as needed
I refrigerate the drizzle until needed because it contains milk and will not keep out of the fridge.
When I am ready for a cinnamon roll, I warm it and then put the drizzle on.
Now it's time to enjoy a great cup of Nicaraguan coffee and a delicious truck stop cinnamon roll while totally tanking my Voting Power. Enjoy!
This was a very enjoyable recipe to make with my Princesses. It was also very time consuming. Be sure you have a whole day to give before you make these.