Can I Use Challah Dough for Cinnamon Rolls

Last week, I shared this picture on Instagram of my nine year-old helping me to make our favorite Shabbat treat: Cinnamon Rolls!

I was asked if I would share the recipe, so thought I'd do so over here on the blog – in case any of you are interested, too.

A few things to keep in mind: First, I make our cinnamon rolls pareve, so we can eat them for dessert or breakfast… or, you know… both! Instead of butter, I use margarine (or even canola oil), and for the glaze, I use rice or soy milk, rather than cow's milk.

Also, I make my life easier by using the same dough from our (sweet) challah. Sometimes I make a double batch of dough – so we're sure to have LOTS of cinnamon rolls. And sometimes I just make one batch with slightly smaller challot, and a couple of cinnamon rolls.

Either way… YUM!

This recipe is based on a full batch of challah dough (using 5-7 cups of flour), so you may need to adjust your other ingredients.

Pareve Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

1 batch challah dough (lately I've been using Dvora Rotter's sweet challah, but I also love using my easy bread maker challah dough recipe)
1/3 cup melted margarine (or use canola oil, if you don't have)
3 T cinnamon (I like my rolls very cinnamon-y – you can adjust per your family's tastes)
1/2 cup white sugar

Ingredients for Glaze:

1 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
3 T pareve milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit (180 Celsius).

Once your challah dough has risen (doubled in size), roll it out into a large rectangular shape. I like my dough to be no more than about a centimeter thick.

Using a pastry brush, brush the dough with melted margarine. Go all the way to the outer edges of the dough.

Mix together cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over the margarine. You want the whole area covered, but not so thick that when you roll up your dough, the sugar doesn't "stick" and leaks out.

Roll your rectangular into a fairly tight log. If your rectangle is especially large, you can cut it in half and make two logs. Aim to have your rolled logs be no more than about 2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Remember, these will rise again and get bigger!

Cut each log into half inch slices and place on a greased and/or lined with baking sheet pan. I use both 9×13 pans and round cake plans; either work equally well.

Leave about an inch "border" between each roll, so that when they rise, they don't fall over each other. Cover the pan(s) with plastic wrap and a warm towel, and let rise another 30-45 minutes.

Cook for approximately 40-45 minutes, depending on your oven, until the cinnamon sugar is oozing out and the tops of the rolls are golden brown.

Mix up the glaze with a wire whisk.

Let the cinnamon rolls cool almost entirely before pouring the glaze on top.

Cover your pan with tinfoil and leave out on the counter over Shabbat. These warm up beautifully on the plata.