Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls

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My stomach ties up in knots when it comes to yeast recipes so I’ve only tried a few. A couple years ago I was diagnosed with carpal and cubital tunnel. Last year I had rotator cuff surgery and I’m really skiddish about ticking off either of those. Given my day job as a personal trainer and fitness instructor at our community college, I save the heavy arm work for those activities. This recipe however required very little kneading so I was good to go. Everything went well except that I used a pan that was too big and this resulted in lopsided rolls that didn’t rise properly. But you know what? They were Good! The Mr. gave them two thumbs up and my daughter said they were “bangin”.

2 1/4 oz. pkg. active dry yeast
¼ cup warm water (110 degrees)
1 ½ cups buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
½ cup butter, melted
1 ¼ cups brown sugar
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. In a small saucepan, heat the buttermilk until warm to the touch. Pour the buttermilk and oil into the yeast mixture; mix well. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda. Stir the flour mixture into the liquid 1 cup at a time, until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 20 times. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.
In a small bowl, stir together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out into a large rectangle. Spread the brown sugar and butter mixture over the dough, roll up into a log and pinch the seam to seal. Slice into 1 inch pieces and place cut side up in a lightly greased 10×15 baking pan. Cover and let rise 30 minutes or cover and refrigerate overnight. (Actually I had to let them rise for about 45 minutes.) If baking immediately, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Let stand for 2-3 minutes before serving. Yield: 15 servings