Better Late Than Christmas

So we started a tradition three years ago of making fresh cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning.  Now anyone who has made cinnamon rolls without having to hit a can against the counter top knows that you need to put some time into it.  It's not hard ... but you have to think ahead.

So I use the recipe I found in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois.  I use it because they are telling the truth.  You CAN have fresh bread baking in your home by giving it five minutes a day.  But this Christmas Eve I was so tired I didn't even have five more minutes of energy to get the dough together.  I went to bed believing that it was alright if I broke this tradition.  That I could pick it up next year and we would all be none the wiser.  But the guilt set in.

Fortunately, or unfortunately if you are Chris telling this story, Atticus woke up at 5 am ready to dive into the presents.  Instead of shooing him back to bed, I got up with him and to pass the time we made Cinnamon Roll dough.  That killed 12 minutes (It takes more than five when you have your child "help" you).  So we cuddled up on the couch under the Snuggie and waited out the time until the rest of the family got up. 

At 7 am they were all up and running.  Opening gifts.  Putting batteries in things.  Sopping up an entire cup of coffee that spilled on the carpet.  It all moved so fast that I forgot to finish the rolls.  By the time I thought about it I was hit with a harsh reality.  At 5 am I should have taken butter out to bring it to room temperature so I could make the cinnamony gooey-ness that goes inside the rolls.  Ugh ... so close.  By the time I would get that butter the right temperature it would be time to leave for my mom's house for more Christmas fun.  So the dough sat in the fridge and the tradition was officially broken.

Until New Year's Eve.  It just struck me that now was the time.  I rolled them out.  Doused them with butter, cinnamon, brown sugar and pecans and baked them up.  With the stars aligned, AKA butter at room temperature thanks to a fire we had going in the fireplace, it took just five minutes (no one was helping me because we got an Xbox kinnect.)

We shared them around 2:30 pm.  Now the tradition is ... Homemade Cinnamon Rolls sometime over winter break.  I should be able to find 5 minutes over two weeks.  This is a much more doable tradition.  Yum.