Perfectly Perfect Cinnamon Rolls
Nom, Nom, Nom
I shared these cinnamon rolls with you guys on Instagram the other day and I wanted to make sure I got the recipe to you because this is one for the arsenal. Go ahead and get out your 4×6 note card and fancy pen because this is the one you’ll want to reference again and again! Plus, they are so easy. The recipe may look long, but that’s because I’m long winded and added tips about bread machine cycles and how to make them ahead of time. They do take a little time – all yeast breads do, but you can make these the night before and just pop them in the oven the next morning.
Triple bonus they’re much cheaper than twelve Cinnabons so you are basically saving money by eating these!
Perfectly Perfect Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Prep Time: 20 min. | Cook Time: 15 min. | Total Time: 3 hrs. | Servings: 12
For the Rolls:
- 1 c. warm milk
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1/3 c. unsalted butter, melted
- 4 1/2 c. (540g) bread flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 c. (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 tsp. bread machine yeast
For the Filling:
- 1 c. (213g) brown sugar, packed
- 2 1/2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/3 c. salted?butter, softened
For the Icing:
- 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
- 3 c. (340g) confectioner’s sugar, plus some for taste adjustments
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4?tsp. salt
Recipe
The Dough
Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Generally, if you are mixing it immediately this won’t matter. If you are delaying the start then make sure your ingredients go in the correct order. Most of the time this means wet ingredients in first. Next, flour and leveled to create a “barrier” between the wet and dry ingredients. Then, the other dry ingredients on top. If you want to be very careful
Select the dough cycle; press Start.
If you don’t have a bread machine then in a large bowl dissolve the yeast into the warm milk. After that mix in the sugar, butter, salt, and eggs. Cut in the flour and knead the dough into a large ball. Use your hands and dust them with flour. Once you have a nice ball of dough let it rise in a warm place for about one hour or until it is doubled in size (I like the oven – read my method below in the Last Rising section). Then proceed to turning it out.
When the cycle ends the dough should have doubled in size. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
The Filling and Roll
Prepare a 9×13 inch baking pan by lining it with parchment paper and liberally buttering.
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 16×21-inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and leave a 1/4″ margin of dough on the long side furthest from you (this will allow for a better dough-to-dough seal when you roll them up). Sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Use a rolling pin to roll over the cinnamon-sugar mixture a couple of passes just to “set” it.
Beginning in the center of the long edge nearest you roll up the dough and then cut the log into 12 rolls.
?Place the rolls in the pan.
The Last Rising and Baking
If you are cooking these the next day at this point cover the raw rolls with plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator.
If you are proceeding to cook them (which you can they reheat beautifully), place in a slightly warm oven (I like to do this by turning on the broiler for 10-20 seconds then turning the whole oven off – if your oven light provides a small amount of heat, that may be enough). Let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.
After doubled, remove from the oven and preheat it to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Bake the rolls until golden brown – about 15 minutes.
If you have let yours rise in the refrigerator overnight put them in a cold oven. Turn the oven on to 350 degrees and bake until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.
The Icing and Eating
While the cinnamon rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Taste the icing add more sugar to adjust for the taste and consistency (this can also be done the night before, covered, and kept in the refrigerator – just set it out while they are baking to come to room temperature). Confectioner’s sugar is can be temperamental to heat and humidity so the amount you use in summer may be different from the amount you use in the winter.
Spread half the frosting on the hot rolls that are just out of the oven. Let them sit for a few minutes then spread the rest. This staged icing application will give you a sticky roll with intact icing. Then nom, nom, nom!
