Fluffy Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls

It was such a treat eating thest hot from the oven. Warm, sweet, tender rolls oozing with buttery-nutty-cinnamonny goodness. The recipe for these delightfully soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls comes from the blog Coleen's Recipes.

The high liquid content of these makes them a little tricky (aka. sticky!) to work with but you don't really need to knead these so it's not so bad. These yummy rolls are well worth the stickiness. If you are knead-a-phobic, these are for you. However, even if you love kneading bread, you should still try these :)

1. The dough is light and fluffy, not "bready"
2. There is no kneading
3. They have the texture of a good donut
4. Covered, they stay keep for 2-3 days
5. They freeze beautifully

Fluffy Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls
Makes 12

2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp active dry yeast or 1 pkg.
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour (divided)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Filling (combine first 4 ingredients)
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Pinch of table salt
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons butter, softened

1. Mix the buttermilk, vegetable oil and sugar in a saucepan and heat on the stove until lukewarm (105-110 degrees). Remove from heat then stir in dry yeast. Let this mixture sit for a few minutes to let the yeast bloom.

2. Add 4 (of the 4 1/2 cups) of flour to the buttermilk mixture and stir well (no need to knead, just mix well). Dough at this stage will be extremely sticky and more like a thick batter. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place for an hour.

3. In a small, separate bowl, mix the final 1/2 cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. After the sticky dough has rested/raised for an hour, stir it down and add this final half cup flour mixture. Mix until well incorporated - this just takes a minute.

4. Turn batter (which will still be quite soft and sticky) out onto WELL-floured counter and roll the dough around a few times, coating the surface with flour so it is not so sticky. Roll (or pat) dough out into a rectangle that is about 1/2" thick. Spread dough surface with 2 tablespoons butter then evenly spread on the filling ingredients and top with nuts (pat the nuts into the sugar a little). Roll up, jellyroll style, keeping it as tight as you can. Pinch the seam shut tightly. Cut into 1 1/2" slices and lay them, cut side down, in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.

5. Bake in pre-heated 375 degree F oven for about 20 minutes or until golden and sound hollow when you tap on them. Drizzle with a simple icing sugar/milk glaze while still warm.