Ultimately Easy Cinnabuns

In continuing my recent postings of "dialog dishes" (my new name for recipes that require a little narrative), I'm offering up this impromptu recipe for cinnamon rolls/cinnabuns/sticky buns... whatever you prefer to call them. I just call them yum.

I recently made "Homemade CinnaBuns" from The Southern Plate and confess, they were very, very good (albeit super rich and almost worthy of an insulin shot.) And the great thing about her version is that they don't require you to make your own dough (something that I seldom have the time to manage.) The downside, though, was that even the dough in this recipe requires advanced thawing and then rising. Not that either of these is laborious, but I often find myself in need of a breakfast offering that I hop right out of bed and make... not plan in advance.

So this morning it dawned on me that I was stashing a "tube" of that "crack out of the can" French bread from Pillsbury. I know... those doughs don't really mimic homemade, but for the most part, are pretty good and ULTRA easy.

So I just adapted her recipe to use this dough (and cut down a bit on the sugar and icing... no insulin in this house since we're not diabetic ;-)

They were GREAT! We liked 'em even better with less of the goo-e-ness factor to them... plus I added raisins (because my son and I are big raisin fans.) Try 'em and I think you'll agree that they're Ultimately Easy as well.

Ultimately Easy Cinnabuns

1 tube refrigerated French bread dough
1/2 stick butter, softened
Brown sugar
Ground cinnamon
Raisins (optional)
Cream Cheese Icing (optional)

Simply roll out bread dough into a large rectangle and spread with butter. Sprinkle with enough brown sugar to cover rectangle and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon; top evenly with raisins, if desired. Slice into rounds (I opted for big rounds... made about 8) and place in a baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Let cool slightly and drizzle with icing, if desired.

Cream Cheese Icing

(Note: I had icing leftover from a Red Velvet Cake, so this was a no brainer to drizzle over top. If you don't find yourself with that type of serendipitous kitchen addition, use the guide below to stir up some in a flash.)

I've discovered that basic ratio for a soft cream cheese icing is

1 oz cream cheese:1 tablespoon butter: 6 Tablespoons powdered sugar

You can whip this up in a matter of minutes in large batches or small, depending on your recipe needs. You might also consider adding a little vanilla for flavor and to thin (although milk works well, too).