If you know me, you know baking is not my forte. There's something so frustrating to me about sticking something in the oven and hoping that it will rise or taste just right.
To make things worse, I've made cinnamon rolls a couple times with no success. Oddly enough, each attempt has had a different problem. When Bon Appétit started their Basically Guide to Better Baking, I decided it was time for my 4th attempt.
Listen, everything about this recipe seemed to be going according to plan. The dough was rising (yay for good yeast). The smell was delicious. I had all the ingredients except for the dates. I watched (as I do very religiously) the Bon Appétit Instagram where they went through the recipe. I specifically heard them say you can swap out the filling with anything else. So, I did. I made a butter/cinnamon/sugar mixture and spread it on the beautiful dough. I set everything into the cast iron skillet and let it rise again. Everything was perfect!
Since I'd been talking up these rolls for quite some time, I decided to take them, unbaked to my parents' house. After lunch/dinner/lunner (honestly, with the quarantine, who cares when you eat), I baked them.
This was it. The final step. Anticipation was killing me. I watched closely while they baked. I should probably mention here that yes, this is a photograph of my actual rolls when they came out of the oven. I took this photo thinking, 'wow, I finally did it'.
Tina and Ahmad had only stopped by for this so I quickly began serving a roll to everyone, but immediately, I knew something was wrong. The bottom was completely raw and was swimming in liquid - butter.
After that moment of heart-shattering realization, I decided to scrape off the tops (delicious, by the way) and toss the rest.
Better luck next time Yara...
At Home
With Talal, Tina, Ahmad, Mommy & Daddy