Like breads and pancakes, cinnamon rolls or buns are a common breakfast or dessert option in Europe and America, made of flour, eggs, butter, sugar and of course cinnamon. It seems to me we Nigerians have adopted it too because it’s often available on the shelf in Shoprite. I think we can’t resist good food.

Now, perhaps it’s in watching cake rise in the hot oven or in firmly kneading that soft malleable dough, or maybe it is the delicious aroma that fills a home, but there’s something therapeutic about baking. However, with my seemingly unattainable weight-loss goals, I have done less and less baking in the past 3 years.

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about baking, and in my quest for something with yeast, I came across Laura Vitali’s cinnamon roll and decided to give it a go.

I didn’t plan to do a post on these rolls because it’s my second attempt, but midway I realised how picture-worthy it was turning out to be and I ran for my camera.

Unlike poached eggs, making this is time-consuming because you have to wait for about an hour for the yeast to rise, then knead. I did this about three times just to make sure my rolls would be extra fluffy, but I got other things done during the time I let the dough rise

If you’d like to try this, the recipe is available on Laura Vitali’s website and most of the ingredients are available in the market or any of our local malls. I split all her measurements in half because her batch was too big, and I didn’t use or need a processor because my batch is small and manageable. The pan here is a mini cake pan, available in Shoprite and costs about N2300.

To be honest, it’s easier to get a pack of these rolls of the shelf in Shoprite (for less than N1,000). However, if you are one for personal satisfaction, entertainment and some kitchen adventures, making these yourself guarantees an immeasurable sense of fulfilment.

I can’t tell you how excited I was when this turned out so well. It was a half-hearted attempt, my butter was short and I honestly didn’t take her measurements too seriously. I wish I had some raisins to put in and oh, I used condensed milk for my glaze or topping because that’s what I had at home and it turned out fine. I guess there are no real hard and fast rule to this.

Please remember to be careful with the gas and hot oven. I burnt my finger a little because I didn’t put the napkin on properly when getting the pan out.

P:S Now I’ve got 8 rolls left, who’s hungry?