Courtly Check Bistro Apron | Check Carving Board | Baking Pan 9″ x 13″ | Baking Pan 8″ | Loaf Pan | Check Measuring Cups | Check Measuring Spoons | Blueberry Dish Towels and Oven Mitts | Courtly Check Spoon, Whisk, and Spatula | Gold Check Cake Serving Set
I’m so excited to finally share a recipe that’s been in my family for generations! My MacKenzie-Childs order arrived so my mom and sister came over to help make a batch of homemade bread and cinnamon rolls. Trust me when I say this bread is hands down, the best bread I have ever eaten. It’s best enjoyed toasted with a little butter – it’s that simple. And the cinnamon rolls are the perfect balance of gooey and sweet without being too heavy!
If you remember back in February, I went to the MacKenzie-Childs event in Chicago and completely fell in love with the brand. I can’t think of any other brand that feels more like home to me. They are the intersection of comfort, uniqueness and style. Each MacKenzie-Childs piece is hand crafted by a talented group of artisans meaning that everything is one of a kind. Having attempted to paint a pie pan in February myself, I have even more of an appreciation for the expertise it takes for these artisans to create such beautiful pieces. Their production studio sits in a retired dairy barn and the grounds themselves sound absolutely stunning. I’ve only seen photos of the MacKenzie-Childs gardens and The Farm, but it’s my dream to go one day. The property is open to the public so if you live in the Northeast or find yourself there, you should absolutely consider going.
When it comes to MacKenzie-Childs, the Courtly Check print is their signature. I’ve seen it everywhere from Instagram to Million Dollar Listing LA on Bravo. There are so many beautiful prints but I knew I wanted to start my MacKenzie-Childs collection with Courtly Check. If you’re new to the brand, once you see this post, you’ll start to see MacKenzie-Childs everywhere! Their stunning pieces for the kitchen and beyond (their rugs and seasonal decor are incredible!) bring a colorful touch to any home. I also love their Flower Market collection which is where the tea kettle I used for a flower arrangement came from. I linked the MacKenzie-Childs pieces used for this recipe at the top! See below for how beautiful they are!
And now for the recipe! The recipe as written makes 2 loaves of bread and 24 cinnamon rolls. The dough for the bread is also used for the cinnamon rolls. After letting it rise for the first time, you divide it into 4 sections. Each section can make one loaf of bread or 12 cinnamon rolls. So, if you wanted to make 4 loaves of bread, you could! Or you could make 3 loaves of bread and 12 cinnamon rolls. Or, 48 cinnamon rolls.
INGREDIENTS FOR DOUGH:
4 cups warm water
2 packages dry yeast
¼ cup melted butter
4 teaspoons salt
1 cup sugar
10 cups flour
INGREDIENTS FOR CINNAMON ROLLS:
2 sticks of butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
DIRECTIONS FOR DOUGH:
1. Heat 4 cups water to 100 – 110 degrees Fahrenheit and pour into a 6 quart bowl. Use a thermometer to get the temperature right. You don’t want it to be too hot or it will shock the yeast. Too cold, and the yeast won’t be activated.
2. Slowly add 1 cup of sugar and 2 packages of dry yeast to the warm water. Stir with a spoon as you add to the water.
3. Add 4 teaspoons salt and slowly add almost all of the melted butter. You’ll need to save a little to coat the bowl in step 5 below.
4. Add 1 cup of flour at a time and stir with your whisk (the MacKenzie-Childs whisk is one of the best I’ve ever used!). After 6 to 7 cups of flour, it will become hard to stir. Spread 3 to 4 cups of flour onto a clean surface or cutting board. Scoop the dough out of the bowl and put it on top of the flour. Use the heels of your hands to knead the dough, turning it around as you go. Don’t be afraid to use a little force! It should take about 5 minutes until the dough is no longer sticky!
5. Wash out the 6 quart bowl and coat with the rest of the melted butter. Place the dough in the bowl. Pick up the bowl and rotate so the dough rolls around the bowl and gets covered with butter on the top.
6. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until it reaches the top of the bowl. I like to put it in the oven with the oven light on (not the oven!). This should take 1-2 hours depending on the yeast and temperature of where the dough is stored. It took me about 2 hours when making this batch! You can skip to steps 8 and 13 while you’re waiting for the dough to rise if desired!
7. Once the dough has risen, add a little butter to your hands and punch the dough once in the center. Divide the dough into 4 equal sections. Each section can make 1 loaf of bread or 12 cinnamon rolls as I mentioned above! You can adjust the recipe accordingly!
DIRECTIONS FOR BREAD:
8. Coat your loaf pans lightly with melted butter. I made 2 loaves using my new MacKenzie-Childs loaf pans!
9. Take 1 section of the dough from step 7 and knead it into a smooth shaped loaf. You may need a little extra flour sprinkled on your counter or cutting board to keep it from sticking! Just don’t add too much flour! Do this with another section as well. Shape both sections into smooth shaped loaves and place in the pans. See photo below!
10. Place the pans into the oven again with the oven light on (not the oven!) to let them rise until they have doubled in size. This should take 1-2 hours again. Once the dough has risen above the edge of the loaf pan, you can move on to the next step. While you’re waiting for the bread loaves to rise, you can skip ahead to work on the cinnamon rolls!
11. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes at 325 degrees for glass and enamel pans or 350 degrees for metal pans. Don’t bake the bread loaves at the same time as the cinnamon rolls. Bread loaves can be baked together though!
12. Remove bread from loaf pans and spread butter on top of the loaf to keep the crust from cracking. Let cool.
DIRECTIONS FOR CINNAMON ROLLS:
13. Melt 2 sticks of butter in the microwave. Reminder, you will be using the 2 remaining sections of dough to make 24 cinnamon rolls! Each section takes 1 stick of butter if you are adjusting the recipe.
14. Pour half of the butter into the bottom of your two 9″ x 13″ baking pans. Sprinkle brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans (optional) on top of the butter so that the bottom of each pan is lightly coated. See photo below!
15. Take each of the remaining sections of dough and roll it into a rectangular shape with a rolling pin. You may need to sprinkle a little flour on your surface to keep it from sticking!
16. Spread remaining melted butter on each dough section. Sprinkle with the remaining brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans (optional). If you love cinnamon or pecans, you can always add more.
17. Roll up the dough lengthwise as tightly as possible and slice into 1″ to 1.5″ slices with a sharp knife. The thicker the slice the larger the cinnamon roll.
18. Place each cut piece on its side into one of the 9″ x 13″ baking pans.
19. Let the cinnamon rolls rise until they have doubled in size. This should take about 1 to 2 hours and you can do this alongside the loaves of bread!
20. Bake in preheated oven at 325 degrees for glass and enamel pans or 350 degrees for metal pans for about 25 minutes.
21. Once the rolls are baked, remove from the oven and flip them over onto wax paper or aluminum foil. Make sure to flip them pretty fast so it looks like the photo below! If there is any butter and sugar left in the pan, use your spatula to drizzle it on top of the cinnamon rolls. Let cool.
That’s it! I recommend enjoying the bread toasted with butter. It’s insanely delicious. I promise you will never have a more delicious bread and the recipe is pretty easy! It just takes a little time! For the cinnamon rolls, I recommend heating them in the microwave for 15 seconds before enjoying. Store both in a plastic bag to lock in moisture!
This was my first time using my MacKenzie-Childs pieces because they just arrived! I can’t believe how well-made each piece was. The attention to detail is truly stunning. The enamel bakeware was great for the bread and cinnamon rolls. This was also the first time I used our current oven so I wasn’t sure how everything would go but the MacKenzie-Childs bakeware cooked perfectly! It was also very easy to clean afterward. I cannot wait to keep growing my collection. See below for a few more pieces I have my eye on!
*In partnership with MacKenzie-Childs but as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own!
Let me know what you think!