Hope Toler Dougherty – Recipe for Romance

Shannon here: Hope Toler Dougherty shares a yummy recipe for cinnamon rolls from her latest Contemporary Fiction title, Beach House Rescue. Comment or answer the question in any post dated June 2nd – 16th to enter the drawing for a print copy plus 3 other titles. Deadline: June 23rd, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Hope:

In Beach House Rescue, Wyatt Henry shows off his culinary skills by baking cinnamon rolls for Tessa Trask. His recipe makes a lot, so that’s why he could have three different kinds for Tessa to try for breakfast.

Here’s the recipe I adapted from several cinnamon roll recipes just like Wyatt likes to do.

Yields:

20-25 servings, depending on size

Ingredients for the dough and filling:

2 C milk

½ C vegetable oil

½  C sugar

1 packet active dry yeast

4 C all-purpose flour

1/2 C (additional) all-purpose flour

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

2 T table salt

1/2 C melted butter

1 C sugar

1 1/2 T cinnamon

Ingredients for the icing:

3 C powdered sugar, sifted

1/3 C milk (or more to reach desired consistency)

2 T melted butter

Directions for the dough:

1. Heat the milk, vegetable oil, and sugar over medium heat to almost boiling. Set aside and cool to between 105 and 115 degrees. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit on the milk for 1 minute.
2. Add the flour. Stir until just combined (it will be very sticky), then cover and set aside for 1 hour to rise. Then, add the remaining ½ cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir/fold gently until just combined. Use the dough immediately, or refrigerate for up to 3 days, punching down the dough if it rises to the top of the bowl. (Note: The dough is easier to work with if it has been chilled for at least an hour.)
3. To assemble the rolls, remove the dough from the bowl. On a floured baking surface, roll the dough into a large, very thin rectangle. To make the filling, pour 1/2 cup of melted butter over the dough. Spread the butter evenly, covering to the edges of the dough. Generously sprinkle 1 cup of sugar (or less) over the butter. Sprinkle cinnamon over the sugar.
4. Beginning at the long end, roll the rectangle tightly like a jelly roll. Use both hands and work slowly, being careful to keep the roll tight. Pinch the seam closed to seal and flip the roll over with seam facing down.
5. With a sharp knife, make ½ to ¾ inch slices. Coat the baking dish with butter or spray with cooking spray. Place the sliced rolls into the dish without crowding them.
6. Cover the rolls with sprayed plastic wrap, wax paper, or a kitchen towel and let rise for at least 45 minutes.
7. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
8. Remove the coverings after this final rising and bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until golden brown.

While the rolls are baking, make the icing:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and butter.
2. Remove the rolls from the oven. Immediately drizzle icing over the top. Serve warm.

FOR VARIATIONS:

       For Blueberry/lemon rolls:

Add 1 tablespoon of lemon zest to the dough with the flour during step 2.

Sprinkle 1-1/2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries on top of the rolled-out dough during step 3.

In the icing, omit the milk and melted butter, adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and more lemon zest to desired consistency.

        For the Orange rolls:

Add 2 tablespoons of orange zest. Decrease milk to 1 ¾ cups and add ¼ cup of orange juice in step 1.

Omit the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in step 3. Instead, spread approximately ¾ cup of orange marmalade over the rolled-out dough. The marmalade spreads more easily if it’s been warmed.

In the icing, omit the milk and melted butter, adding 2 tablespoons orange juice and 1 tablespoon of orange zest.

Reader Question: What flavor would you add to cinammon rolls and why?

June Book Bundle #1 

Winning Over the Cowboy by Shannon Taylor Vannatter, Contemporary Romance, print

Streams in the Wasteland by Susan Tigert, Historical Romance, print

Dangerous Shadows by Gail Pallotta, Romantic Suspense, digital

Beach House Rescue by Hope Toler Dougherty, Contemporary Fiction, print

About Hope: Hope Toler Dougherty holds a Master’s degree in English and taught at East Carolina University and York Technical College. She’s written seven novels and one novella. Forever Free, won the Faith, Love, & Hope Reader’s Choice Award for 2025. Beach House Rescue is her newest release. She and her husband live in North Carolina and delight in visiting their two daughters and twin sons. They’ll welcome a new daughter-in-law in August. Learn more and connect: 

Hope’s Website           Hope’s Facebook Readers Page          Hope’s Instagram

Hope’s Pinterest             Hope’s BookBub           Hope’s Goodreads           

About the book – Beach House Rescue:

Two strangers. One beach house. Zero plans to share it.

Tessa Trask expects a quiet summer restoring a friend’s beach house—not waking up to an intruder and defending herself as best she can. Wyatt Henry isn’t a burglar, though. He’s just as surprised to find her there—and just as determined to stay.

Under protest, the two agree to an uneasy truce. Tessa is creative and spontaneous. Wyatt is disciplined and guarded. Keeping their distance should be easy…until a surprise visitor arrives and turns their temporary arrangement into something far more complicated.

As sun-soaked days lead to deeper conversations, irritation softens into a fragile peace and grows into something worth protecting. While Tessa begins to trust God’s leading for her future, Wyatt wrestles with a past that makes trust feel dangerous.

Are their growing feelings worth the risk—or is walking away the only safe choice?

Worried you won’t win the drawing? Interested in Hope’s other titles? Need extra books for gifts?

Get your copy/copies now!

Beach House Rescue             Hope’s Books

Come back June 18th for R.F. Whong!