cast iron baking

I love when our kids are home. It means I have mouths to feed. This past weekend our fourth son, Asa came home after being gone for 11 weeks at boot camp in MO. It's been pretty quiet here without our boys in the house. I miss the the noise and commotion that come with them.

I asked if he was craving anything and his request was cinnamon rolls. He didn't have to twist my arm into submission, I was thrilled to make these because, I love HIM and I love these and I love that he is home!

This is a simple, throw together recipe. I used my 12 inch cast iron. Make sure you butter it really well.

In the skillet, I also added a large knob (3 tablespoons-ish) of butter and about a half a cup of brown sugar and a heaping spoonful (maybe 1/2 cup) of store bought caramel topping heated it through and letting it cool a bit before adding the dough to the pan. 

Welcome Home, Cast Iron Cinnamon Braid
½ cup milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2¼ cups all purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
​1 teaspoon cardamom
1 large egg
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
½ teaspoon salt

Filling
½ cup brown sugar, packed
4 tablespoons softened butter
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg, beaten

Dough

Warm milk and butter until lightly warm to the touch. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add 2 cups flour, sugar, egg, yeast, and salt. Fold together until the batter forms a dough. If the dough is too sticky, add a bit more flour by the tablespoonful until it begins to form a ball. On a lightly floured surface, place the the dough and knead until smooth and elastic,  about 3-4 minutes. Form into a ball and transfer the dough to a lightly buttered bowl. Cover and allow the dough to rise in a warm room until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to approximately an 11 x 15-inch rectangle. Using an offset spatula, spread the soft butter, brown sugar and cinnamon uniformly on the dough, leaving a ½-inch border around the edge. Starting lengthwise, roll the dough until into a long tube shape. Pinch together the edges to seal.

Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the rolled dough in half lengthwise and face the inside upwards. Pinch together one end of the dough and braid the two long strands, facing the cut side upwards at all times. Pinch together the remaining end.

Form the dough into a circular shape and pinch together the pinched ends. Transfer the circle to a lightly greased cast-iron pan or 10-inch round cake pan and brush with the beaten egg. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until dark brown and fragrant.

Run a knife around the outside of the pan, pile with whipped butter-cream cheese frosting.