No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls!

Normal cinnamon rolls take forever.  Especially if you're an impatient college student like me.  I finished my midterms early and decided to bake and feed all of the poor souls who weren't so lucky.  This recipe is a great alternative to yeast based recipes and relies on baking soda and baking powder as a leavening agent instead.  That said, they are still light, fluffy and delicious, they just take half the time; but I warn you there is a ton of butter and is definitely not a diet recipe (I should post some healthier soon).  I adapted the recipe from bakingdom.com who adapted them from Baking Illustrated 

For Dough:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

 For Filling
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

 For Icing
2 tablespoons cream cheese or unsalted butter, softened (I used butter)
2 tablespoons buttermilk, or whole milk
1 cup powdered sugar


Filling:
Combine all of the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add the melted butter and stir with a fork until the mixture looks like wet sand. Set aside.

Dough:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Brush a 9-inch cake pan with 1 tablespoon of melted butter.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add the buttermilk and 2 tablespoons of the butter and stir until just combined. Transfer the dough to a pre-floured counter top and knead until the dough is smooth (it will still be very soft and a little sticky, but should be smoother and less lumpy).

3. Flatten the dough into a rectangle about 12 inches by 8 inches. Pour 2 tablespoons of the melted butter on and spread around with your fingers. Pour the filling over though dough and spread it evenly over the top, leaving about a 1/2 inch or so border around the outside edge. Press the filling down to sort of pack it on top of the dough.

4. Starting on the long side of the dough, roll the side up, pressing as you go, to create a tightly rolled log (be gentle, as this will likely stick to the counter a bit). Pinch the seam closed and lay the log seam side down.

5. Cut into 8 even pieces, laying each one flat as you go. Gently press down on the top of each roll, and then transfer them to the prepared cake pan. Brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Icing:
1. In a medium bowl, cream the cream cheese and add the sugar. Mix until the sugar and cream cheese start to come together a bit. Add the buttermilk and whisk well, until the mixture is smooth.

2. Allow the cinnamon rolls to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack set over parchment paper. Pour the frosting over the cinnamon rolls. Serve these while they’re still warm.
These will keep in an airtight container for at least 3 days.