Baking up Cinnamon Rolls
This week, the culinary class whisked up some swirls of joy with cinnamon roll baking! AV Culinary Teacher Julia Ford’s class experienced the process of making these rolls starting from homemade dough to the special ingredient. These cinnamon rolls were anticipated by students because of their deep ties to Amador’s culture.
“Cinnamon rolls are a long tradition here at Amador Valley. This particular recipe we came up with over 15 years ago.” said AV Culinary Teacher Julia Ford.
This time-honored craft was more than just a sweet treat. The recipe introduced students to more advanced culinary skills, which extended beyond step by step instructions.
“It’s a more technical yeast bread because it is an enriched dough, which means it has extra fat in it, and so it just has a lot of components [that]I’m looking for in my students to be able to master,”said Ford.
The students started off their experience by making the dough with flour, yeast, butter, eggs, and milk. Then the dough had to be left to rise for an hour, after they punched down the dough and rolled it out, the students proceeded to add in the cinnamon brown sugar filling, cut them apart, roll them up and again set them in the proofers to rest overnight.
In the oven, their cinnamon rolls turned golden brown and the smell was everywhere in the hallway leading up to the culinary room. The students’ favorite part was, of course, “eating them”, said Dane Colombo (‘27).
Reason Behind Cinnamon
What made this recipe so special? According to the student bakers, it was the process, not just the ingredients, that made them memorable. Unlike standard store bought rolls, These cinnamon rolls were products of the student’s own dedication and personal flair.
More than that, the cinnamon rolls have a special secret ingredient that Ford came across years ago and has been using ever since, which is revealed only in her culinary classes to her students.
“Everything is homemade including the dough and the special ingredient… which we can’t disclose,” said Adam Khan (‘27).
The students made about a dozen cinnamon rolls per group. As soon as the students pulled out their baked goods from the ovens, cooled, and glazed them they proceeded to plate up their dishes. After, the students got to enjoy their cinnamon rolls.
“I love when they are warm and gooey on the inside” Khan.
The Culinary class partnered with the AVJ Coffee Cart to sell this cinnamon rolls in order to raise funds for their supplies.
