Buttermilk biscuits make quick work of cinnamon rolls

Making bread is one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen. The magic of watching yeast literally bring a dough to life never fails to amaze me, no matter how many hundreds of times I've seen it. (I know, I'm easily entertained.)

Still, there are some mornings when the craving for a warm, fragrant cinnamon roll doesn't allow for the three or four hours it would take, at a minimum, to make them with a yeast dough.

Fortunately, there is another option that results in a breakfast roll that's possibly even more delicious and that can be made, from scratch, in a fraction of the time as the more traditional version. Hello, Cinnamon Roll Biscuits!

At their best, buttermilk biscuits are rich, tender, flaky and endlessly versatile. They can be sweet or savory. You can top them with everything from sugared strawberries and whipped cream to peppery sausage gravy. Or use them to top a chicken pot pie or peach cobbler.

So, it's no surprise that they also make incredibly addictive cinnamon rolls. Cold butter and cold buttermilk are the keys to success for these rolls. Keeping the dough cold allows the butter to sit inside the dry ingredients long enough for layers to form during the baking process.

Once the dough is made and rolled out, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter are spread onto it before it is rolled into a log. Freezing the log before trying to slice it into the typical spiral-shaped rolls makes the dough easier to cut and rechills it, which helps to make the biscuits flaky.

A quick and easy cream-cheese icing is made while the rolls, hot from the oven, have a chance to cool slightly. It's then slathered over the top of the still-warm rolls, which melt the icing just enough to drip down into the nooks and crannies.

On these cold winter mornings, when many of us still have a house full of company, these cinnamon roll biscuits will make breakfast a treat and keep holiday spirits high.

Serves 12.

Quick and easy biscuit dough stands in for traditional yeast dough in these moist, tender and fragrant cinnamon rolls. From Meredith Deeds.

For the biscuits:

• 3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

• 2 tbsp. sugar

• 1 tbsp. baking powder

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1/2 tsp. baking soda

• 1 c. (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-in. pieces

• 1 1/4 c. cold buttermilk, plus more if necessary

For the filling:

• 1 c. packed light brown sugar

• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp. salt

• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

For the icing:

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened

• 1 c. powdered sugar

• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

• 1 tbsp. milk

• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9-by-9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda and pulse to combine. Add cold butter and pulse until largest pieces of butter are the size of a pea. (Alternatively, butter can be worked into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter.)

Transfer to a large bowl and drizzle buttermilk over top, tossing with a fork as you go to incorporate. Knead mixture a few times in the bowl until a shaggy dough forms (add another tablespoon or two of buttermilk if there are dry spots), then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead two or three more times until the dough comes together. Don't overwork the dough. Roll out into a 16-by-8-inch rectangle.

In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add 3 tablespoons softened butter and stir until it forms a paste. Spread the cinnamon mixture all over the biscuit dough.

Starting with the long edge, carefully roll into a log with the seam side down. Place a piece of plastic wrap, several inches longer than the log, right behind it and gently (without trying to pick it up) nudge the log onto the plastic wrap. Pull the sides of the plastic wrap up to enclose the log. Twist the ends to tightly wrap it and place on a baking sheet. Freeze for 20 minutes.

With seam side down, cut dough crosswise with a thin, sharp knife into 12 equal slices. Arrange slices into prepared baking pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until deeply golden brown on top. Place on a cooling rack and let stand for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons butter, milk and vanilla in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until smooth. Spread glaze on rolls. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Meredith Deeds is a cookbook author and food writer from Edina. Reach her at meredithdeeds@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram ­at @meredithdeeds.