We baked these rolls with a cream cheese and lemon filling, but you can use just about any filling you like, including our fig-walnut or pecan-raisin-cinnamon.
Corrine Kozlak / Chicago Tribune
Question: I followed a recipe for making cinnamon buns, but the results were disappointing. The buns did not rise as I had hoped any idea why?
— Ranjit
Answer: First of all, did you turn on your oven light when the buns were rising in the oven? This step is important because it warms up the small space. The temperature of homes will vary, which is anything but friendly to yeast. By using your oven light, you are creating a warm, draft-free environment that is stable. A second possibility of why the buns did not rise is that the yeast was either old or bad or not enough time was given for proofing. Yeast is a living organism and its life is limited. So, if you’re using active dry yeast, one of the first steps is making sure the little imprinted expiration date is in order. If you want to make sure your yeast is active before you dive into a weekend of bread making, begin by activating the yeast, simply dissolve the yeast in warm (not too hot and not too cold) water, add a pinch of sugar, cover and let it sit in a warm spot for about 10 minutes. It should bubble; in fact, an active batch will have a sort of "foam" on the top of the water, almost as if you poured cold beer into a glass. Lastly, if the water temperature is too hot, this will kill the yeast and the dough will not rise.
Extra tip: If you’re taking the time to make cinnamon rolls from scratch, then it’s worth making them look pretty, too. Instead of cutting cinnamon buns with a knife, use dental floss (plain not mint). Hold a long piece of dental floss underneath the loaf. Draw the floss upward and cross over both ends at the top to slice the dough. Continue this technique for each slice and you will be left with evenly cut, nicely shaped cinnamon dough pieces.
Note: Every user assumes all risks of injury or damage resulting from the implementation of any suggestions in this column. Test all products on an inconspicuous area first.
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