Cinnamon buns and bribery

We had a late dessert last night. I gave my boys three days notice....clean your rooms by 9pm Sunday night and I'll bake a treat and buy Rice Dream ice cream from the health food store on Sunday! Of course, they didn't immediately rush off to their rooms and clean them up straight away - no, they left it until a few hours before the deadline and THEN I finally saw some action.

I did end up helping the youngest with his floor - he played a coupon! One of our traditions is to give home-made coupon books for birthdays, and one of his coupons was for "help with cleaning room".

The oldest had the hardest job - his room is always the messiest, whether it's books, clothes, CDs, paper, it's all over the floor. Of course, just because I saw it tidy last night, that doesn't mean it's still tidy this morning. I equate it to a freshly weeded patch of garden - before you know it, the weeds have moved in again.

At least I can vacuum their rooms today without sucking up Lego and who-knows-what-else!

The treat was cinnamon buns and Cocoa Marble Fudge Rice Dream. I took a couple of photos of the process, if you're interested.

This is the dough, rolled out into a large rectangle and spread with some Earth Balance Buttery Spread, agave (though maple syrup is even better) and cinnamon. The dough is my usual bread recipe - 4 cups of wholewheat flour, a teaspoon of salt, a tablespoon of dried instant yeast, two tablespoons of turbinado sugar, two tablespoons of olive oil and enough water to make a smooth dough. Once it has risen in the bowl for an hour in a warm place with a damp teatowel over it, I roll it out. I "buttered" the glass 9 x 13 pan and squirted a little more agave in the bottom. Roll the dough up, cut into slices, place cut side down in the pan and leave to rise again for 30 minutes.


The dough swells again, filling the pan and sticking the buns together.


Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and eat warm!