Cinnamon Biscuits

I had never even heard of making cinnamon rolls out of biscuit dough until recently, and apparently I was the very last person on Earth to find out about it. I clearly did not get the memo that this was being done in kitchens around the world, and has been for quite some time. But as if by some act of divine providence, this past week it seems that the whole world has been unable to stop talking about cinnamon biscuits, and so I finally received the message. I have more than one hundred fifty cook books, and have watched thousands of hours of cooking shows in my days, so it isn't all that often that I read or hear about something that I have never even heard of before. So, it goes without saying that the idea excited me, and I hopped on the band wagon full steam ahead, and without missing a beat I pulled out my pastry cutter, and whipped myself up a batch. I didn't follow a recipe, I mean, after all, I have made both biscuits and cinnamon rolls too many times to count, so really, how difficult could combining the two concepts be?

I started with my (ahem, award winning) biscuit recipe, cut the salt a bit, and substituted Bulgarian buttermilk for its lower fat American cousin. I patted the dough out thin and spread it with a standard mixture of butter, sugar, and cinnamon, and rolled it up and sliced it just as I would with any other cinnamon roll. The great thing about not using yeast is not having to wait for rising time, and very little kneading is required, so they mix up in a flash and can go directly into the oven. I baked them separately on a parchment lined baking sheet like I would for any biscuit or scone, and not together, grouped in a pan, as one might be tempted to do. Is there anything better than the smell of baking cinnamon rolls? I mean really? It is heaven. And of course, a cream cheese glaze never hurt anything.

The results of this experiment were quite good. The flavor was very little different than that of traditional cinnamon rolls. The texture was very scone like, almost cakey, and not feathery like its yeasty counterpart. Unlike the yeast based, these I thought were much better at room temperature (and day old) than they were hot out of the oven. (This isn't surprising to me, as my scones, I feel, are often better, in terms of texture, the following day. This makes them especially nice for entertaining, as they can be made in advance. Not unlike roasted or seared meats, I think scones and biscuits often require time to allow their internal moister to redistribute.)

All in all it was a success. Cinnamon Biscuits: as delicious as cinnamon rolls, without the prep time. Perfect for a special breakfast treat, anytime.