Why are cinnamon rolls so good?
These particular cinnamon rolls are super soft, fluffy, and perfectly chewy,
with so much gooey brown sugar cinnamon and luxurious melty cream cheese icing. The sweet,
sweet smell of brown sugar and cinnamon and butter while you’re baking is absolutely irresistible.
These are my DREAM rolls. If you love sweet, bread-y things, these cinnamon rolls are for you.
Are you bread-y for it?!
How to make cinnamon rolls
1. Activate the yeast: sprinkle the yeast on to warm milk and let foam.
2. Add sugar, eggs, and melted butter and mix throughly.
3. Stir in the flour until everything comes together into a ball of dough.
4. Knead the dough until smooth, then pop into a lightly oiled bowl so it can proof for an hour.
5. After the dough is puffy and proofed, tip it out onto a floured surface and roll
it into a rectangle. Spread out some soft butter and sprinkle on brown sugar and cinnamon.
6. Roll it up tightly, cut into even pieces, and place in a pan and let proof until doubled.
7. Bake until gooey and golden.
8. Top it off with cream cheese glaze and enjoy!
Cinnamon roll icing
To make cinnamon roll icing simply mix together room temp cream cheese,
soft butter, and powdered sugar. The key is to use room temp cream cheese so you don’t
get any cream cheese lumps. You can also add a touch of vanilla.
After baking
Let the rolls cool completely and leave them unfrosted. Wrap up the entire tray or separate them out individually.
Defrost at room temp then warm in a 350°F oven until warmed through, about 10 minutes, or microwave for 20-30 seconds.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup warm milk 110°F
- 2.25 tsp active dry yeast 1 envelope
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg plus 1 extra egg yolk, room temp
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 3 cups bread flour or 360g all purpose flour + 3.57g vital wheat gluten
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter room temp
- 2/3 cup dark brown sugar lightly packed
- 1.5 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 4 oz cream cheese room temp
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter room temp
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract optional
Instructions
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the milk and sprinkle on the yeast.
Let sit until the yeast starts to foam, 1-2 minutes. Stir in the sugar, egg, egg yolk, and melted butter
then stir in the flour and salt with a wooden spoon until everything comes together into a ball of dough.
2. Knead with the dough hook on medium for 8 minutes.
Alternately, knead by hand for 8-10 minutes on a floured surface. Lightly oil and large bowl and place the dough inside.
Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise for 1 to 1 and a half hours or until doubled in size.
3. On a lightly floured surface, tip out the dough and roll out to a large,
long rectangle, about 14 x 20 inches. Spread the butter evenly, all the way to the edges.
Whisk together the cinnamon and sugar in small bowl then spread evenly onto the dough.
4. Roll into a tight roll, and cut into 9 even pieces for an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 inch pan.
If using a 11 x 7 inch pan, cut into 6 pieces for giant rolls or 12 for smaller rolls.
Place the rolls into the pan.Cover loosely with plastic and let rise in the fridge overnight.
Or, if you’re wanting to bake right away, cover and let rise at room temperature for 30 minutes
to 1 hour, or until doubled.
5. When ready to bake, remove the rolls from the fridge
and heat the oven to to let come to room temperature as the oven is heating up,
about 30-45 minutes. Heat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until slightly
golden and just cooked through or the internal temp comes to 190°F.
6. While the rolls are baking, make the frosting by
beating together the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar,
and vanilla (if using) until light and fluffy. Let the rolls cool for 5 minutes, then frost.
Enjoy!
