because even raisins love a generous nip of dark rum
When I first started delving into the wonderful world of baking, around the age of 12, one of the first recipes I ever made was a basic cinnamon roll. It had a baking powder-raised scone base topped with plenty of butter, cinnamon sugar and raisins.
Every time I made it I set the fire alarm off. Every… single… time!
The oven temperature must have been too high, or I left them in too long, but whatever I did I followed those recipe instructions to the letter every time, and every time the front and back doors of the house would have to be opened and kitchen cloths used to waft the smoke away from the fire alarm.
It became a thing – someone would wait, poised, near the fire alarm to blow the smoke away from it every time I made cinnamon rolls.
The cinnamon rolls would have burnt raisins and burnt filling, and they were really dry and chewy, but I didn’t care – I thought they were lovely and I had made them myself.
Fast forward a few decades and I’d completely gone off the notion of burnt cinnamon rolls. I’d tried a few recipes over the years, and although most would turn out reasonably ok, any raisins peeking out of the top of the filling would get burnt during cooking. Blergh.
The solution? Give them raisins a good hefty dose of rum!
This recipe is adapted from a Cinnamon Sweet Roll recipe from the Robin Hood Baking Festival 2002 Quick & Easy Baking Recipes leaflet my Canadian grandparents sent me in a care package some years ago.
The rum soaked raisins add a lovely, juicy flavour to the yeasty, soft sweet rolls smothered in cinnamon sugar. Be warned – they are very moreish and incredibly delicious while they are warm – you don’t even really need the icing drizzle (if you can even wait until they cool enough to put it on!)
If you don’t fancy adding booze to your bakes (although keep in mind baking them will evaporate the alcohol) you could always substitute it with apple juice.
Table of Contents
Rum & Raisin Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 1.75 tsp fast-action dried yeast
- 560 grams strong white bread flour
- 56 grams butter
- 60 grams granulated sugar
- 0.5 tsp sea salt
- 250 ml full fat milk
- 1 large egg beaten
- 100 grams raisins or sultanas
- 25 ml dark rum
- 30 grams butter melted
- 200 grams dark brown sugar
- 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
- 200 grams icing sugar
- 6 tsp cold water
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Instructions
- The lazy way: Place the yeast, bread flour, butter, granulated sugar, salt, milk and egg in your bread machine, select the regular dough cycle and allow it to run through.
- The elbow grease way: Place flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. Melt the butter and add with the milk and egg and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Turn out onto a floured board and knead for ten minutes. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place to double in size, about an hour and a half.
- Meanwhile, soak the raisins in the rum, stirring occasionally to make sure they all get their little dose of alcohol. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.
- When the dough has risen, punch it down and roll out on a floured surface to a half inch thick rectangle approximately 15 inches by 12 inches.
- Brush with the melted butter, sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar and top with the rum soaked raisins.
- Roll up tightly starting at the short side and slice into 12 even sized pieces.
- Place rolls, cut side up, on a greased baking tray (or use a silicone baking mat), cover, and leave to rise for 30-40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 180 C/ 350 F.
- I tend to poke any raisins peeking out back into the layers with a cocktail or kebab stick to stop them burning. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- To make the icing, sift the icing sugar and stir in enough water to make a not-too-runny consistency, but runny enough to drizzle over the rolls.
- Store in an airtight container - will keep fresh for a few days. Reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds to refresh. Leftovers freeze well.
Notes
Environmental Information
Linking up with Recipe of the Week by A Mummy Too, Treat Petite by Cakeyboi and The Baking Explorer, Baking with Spirit by Cake of the Week and Four Seasons Food – Autumn, by Eat Your Veg and Delicieux.
OTHER RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE
Quick Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls by Veggie Desserts
Stollen Breakfast Buns by Supergolden Bakes
Rum & Raisin Muffins by I’d Much Rather Bake Than…
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Daydream adventurer. Expat Canadian. Foodie. Calls Shetland home, for now. One eye is always on the horizon.
Natally says
Made these and they tasted great, thanks!
Maya Russell says
I think I’m going to have to do these rum soaked raisin rolls!! I love them anyway, but have never done my own.
charlotte clavier says
Oh boy they do look delicious. Definitely a recipe i want to try out for myself
Amanda Botterill says
oh my these sound absolutely delicious
kayleigh white says
My mouth is watering just looking at these!
Pam Francis Gregory says
These look fantastic!
Lou, Eat Your Veg says
A Gorgeous recipe! They look absolutely perfect and I’m loving your rum soaking tip for unburnt raisins. Thanks so much for linking up to September’s Four Seasons Food ‘Getting Fruity’ challenge, and my apologies for taking until now to read, and drool over, your post.
Danielle Vedmore says
I seriously need to make these! Cinnamon rolls are one of my faves – have never had one with rum in though! Yum!!!!
stephen holman says
these look yummy!!! 😀
Elizabeth says
Thanks Stephen – they are rather lovely if I do say so myself!
tracy nixon says
I made these yesterday just to try them before Christmas and they were gone in 10 minutes ! My dad especially liked them!
Tracy Nixon says
Great recipe for Christmas!
sarah brooker says
these look soooo good!
Stuart Vettese says
Thanks for taking the time to enter – a petite treat indeed!
bev says
look delicious
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
These really do look so delicious! I love the rum and raisin combination x #recipeoftheweek
Julie's Family Kitchen says
Yum, you have baked these to perfection. I absolutely loved the sound of the rum and raisins, dare I say it but I have a bottle of rum that I usually soak my Christmas cake fruit in. I can’t wait to try your recipe, especially as I have all the right ingredients ( I love it when that happens). By the way, you have the photographed cinnamon rolls absolutely beautifully.
Sophie at Franglaise Cooking says
Oh those just look amazing! The only problem now is that I want to eat them immediately and not have to wait to buy ingredients and cook them!
#Recipeoftheweek
Carpet Cleaning Fulham says
Looks so delicious!! I will try it this weekend!!
Tenancy cleaners London says
MMM, so yummy, these raisin cinnamom rolls looks so good. That part with the fire alarmwas very funny 🙂
Yet Another Blogging Mummy!!! says
Those look yummy. Thinking back to when I was about 12, I used to make gingerbread men again and again. But they weren’t fancily decorated like you see now – just currant eyes and buttons #recipeoftheweek
Holly says
Wah! So much cinnamon goodness. Love them. Our old fire alarm used to be so so sensitive, it was awful – you couldn’t make anything without it going off!
Hayley @ Hay In A Day says
Oh wow! I’ve just come back from a holiday where I was eating pastries everyday! Cinnamon buns are my favourite and I’m having withdrawal symptoms since I’m back so I may crack on and make these tomorrow!! #recipeoftheweek
Janine says
I’ve only tried to make cinnamon rolls once, and it was rather disastrous as they got burnt in my new oven. These do look pretty good, though, so I might have to give it another go.
Thanks for entering Baking With Spirit – could you do me a favour and email the link over to me (cakeoftheweek@hotmail.co.uk) so that I remember where to find the post? I’m on holiday at the moment and I don’t want to miss this off the round up!
Bea and Mara says
Wowww, they look great and I love the raisin inside!!!
Charlotte Oates says
My husband loves cinnamon rolls and rum and raisin. I can’t wait until he finishes the diet he’s on at the moment so I can make him some I these.
What Kate Baked says
This look just the most perfect, inviting cinnamon rolls Elizabeth- and i love the photo of a couple of cheeky little hands keen to mop up the stray icing!
jenny says
this looks absolutely fantastic and delicious! Love the styling and photos too! Great recipe. Thanks for sharing. #recipeoftheweek
Elizabeth says
Thank you! 🙂 I’ve been playing with my new camera – only just recently moving from Auto to Manual, so I’m having a lot of fun with my food these days 🙂
Paul Wilson says
Looks perfect for afternoon tea.
Elizabeth says
They are, oh they so are! And breakfast, and late night telly snacking.. 😀
Kate - gluten free alchemist says
Cinnamon rolls are delicious. I used to eat them by gradually unrolling them with each bite and savouring the cinnamon goo as I went. The drizzled icing looks perfect. Very tempting!
Elizabeth says
Is there any other way to eat cinnamon rolls? They’re supposed to be eaten like that, aren’t they? 🙂
Camilla @FabFood4All says
10 out of 10 for fabulousness Elizabeth:-)
Elizabeth says
Aw thanks Camilla! 😀
Janice says
Gorgeous looking cinnamon rolls. It was jammy buns that I used to make when I was 12, but I never set the fire alarm off, although come to think of it, I don’t think we had a fire alarm.
Elizabeth says
Oh dear! I was thinking about that as I recalled setting the fire alarm off – I was always so worried about fire for some reason, as a child, and I am very thankful that we at least HAD a fire alarm!
Urvashi@BotanicalBaker says
Oh my goodness gracious me. I want to reach out and grab one of those. Corrrrrrr!
Elizabeth says
Yay! Mission accomplished 😀
Dominic says
i’ve never really made a successful cinnamon roll either, they’re never as sweet as I want them to be and it feels naughty adding more sugar… yours are truly beautiful, love the icing and love the swirl, they are quite quite perfect.
Elizabeth says
I know what you mean. These ones are pretty awesome though – I’d urge you to give them a try!
Tiny Tang says
how tasty do these look?! I definitely want to try this! x
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Elizabeth says
Thanks! Let me know what you think if you do make them 🙂
Francene Stanley says
The cinnamon rolls look wonderful and I’m glad you worked out how to stop the raisins from burning. I remember them from my teenage years in the 50s in Australia. So yummy!
Elizabeth says
Thank you Francene 🙂 Cinnamon rolls are a big part of many childhoods, I think, and I’m glad they will form part of my own children’s memories – the smell and the taste… such nostalgia 🙂
Katie Bryson says
Cinnamon rolls are my absolute favourite breakfast item… I had them every chance I could when we were on holiday in California this summer. I’ve made them myself, but they’ve never been as delicious as i’d hoped. I’m going to give your recipe a try and see how it goes… this is making me crave coffee BIG TIME!
Elizabeth says
I had the last one for breakfast yesterday while typing up this post – oooh it was lovely even if it was 3 days old! I hope you try my recipe – let me know what you think if you do! 🙂
Jan Bennett @GlugofOil says
They look soooo good! Fantastic pictures – I want one!
Elizabeth says
Thanks Jan – been playing with the manual setting and studio lights! No more dark photos for me! 😀
Paul Wilson says
Looks delicious.
Elizabeth says
They are Paul, oh they are! 🙂
rebecca nisbet says
you can actually make these in a bread machine? love cinnamon buns, but with rum and raison in too! my mums having this recipe!
Elizabeth says
You make the dough in the bread machine, the rest has to be done by hand and baked in the oven for lovely, softy, cinnamon sugar buttery goodness 🙂
Judith says
OMG I love that you have a way of making these with a bread machine! I’ve always *loved* cinnamon rolls but really had no clue at all how to make them – especially the Cinnabon ones.
Gotta give this a go now 😉
Elizabeth says
What can I say – I am lazy! If I can get the bread machine to do all the work of kneading and rising then I will! 🙂 I had to Google Cinnabon – these to rather look like them, don’t they!
Keep Calm and Fanny On says
I want to dip my finger in ten icing dribbles too 😉 lovely! And that’s one of my favourite photos EVER it really tells a story, smashing!
Elizabeth says
Heehee, I could see my youngest and his friend staring at those icing dribbles with such delight I had to grab my camera!
Laura says
Mmmmm, these look just right. Nice and generous too 😉 I also like how you haven’t drowned them in icing like so many yeasted roll recipes do – I like to see the swirl through the icing still like you can with yours.
Elizabeth says
Nothing’s worse than a stingy cinnamon roll! I want them big! 😀 I like to see the cinnamon swirl too, glad to hear I’m not the only one.