Wicked Cinnamon Rolls

From The Cincinnati Enquirer, April 6, 1994

Dubbed "Cinnamon sans sin," these cinnamon rolls are sinfully large and oozing with brown sugar and cinnamon, but fat-free.

NOTE: DO NOT USE IN A BREAD MACHINE

Step One - Pastry Dough

• 1 1/3 tablespoons yeast
• 1 cup lukewarm skim milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups flour (a soft winter wheat flour such as White Lily is best)
• 2 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/3 cups flour

In a large bowl, mix yeast into lukewarm skim milk. Stir gently about one (1) minute. The yeast will not completely dissolve in milk; that's expected.

Mix sugar, flour, and whites. Stir 100 strokes. Let rise 30 minutes.

Mix in 1 teaspoon salt and 1 1/3 cups flour. Stir until well-mixed (the dough will start pulling away from the sides of the bowl). With a little additional flour sprinkled on the dough, knead for 5 minutes. Let rise for 40 minutes. Follow Step 2 below.

Step Two - Wicked Cinnamon Rolls

• Pastry Dough per above recipe
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon skimmed milk

Complete Step 1 (making the pastry dough). Sprinkle flour onto a counter top. Place the dough on top. Sprinkle enough flour on top of the dough to keep it from sticking to your rolling pin. Roll the dough flat until it's about 1/4 inch thick. Work the corners with the rolling pin and try to get a rectangular shape rather than a circle.

Sprinkle the top with at least 1 cup brown sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon (don't be stingy; neither contains fat).

Gently roll it up. Slice into sections 2 inches long. Place (cut side up) on a non-stick, rimmed cookie sheet. (The more brown sugar you use, the more it oozes out the bottom of the rolls.)

Preheat the oven to 375°. Let rolls rise for 20 minutes. While they're rising, brush the rolls with an egg wash of 1 egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon of skimmed milk.

Bake 20 minutes until tops are light gold. Remove immediately from the pan. Ice heavily (see recipe). Makes 7 big rolls; each is fat-free.

You can also freeze the rolls after making, before baking. After cutting, place the raw rolls in a foil lasagna pan. Cover tightly with foil lid. They can then be baked straight from the freezer. Remove lid and bake for 25 minutes at 375°.

Kevin "Doc" Wolfe's Fat-Free Junkfood Cookbook, Im Press