These fluffy and sweet cinnamon rolls have a pretty robust amount of cinnamon in them, which give them zip and pop! But if you prefer something slightly more mellow, reduce the cinnamon down to 1 tablespoon. These can also be prepared the day before, and then stored in the refrigerator overnight, making them perfect for a special morning breakfast with minimal work!
Course bread, Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword bread, cinnamon rolls, yeast
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 35 minutesminutes
Rest Time 2 hourshours30 minutesminutes
Servings 12
Calories 543kcal
Author Irvin
Ingredients
Dough
1cupwarm milk, any kind90 to 100°F
1/2cupwhite sugar, divided100 g
2 1/4teaspoonactive dry yeast
4 1/4cupsall-purpose flour595 g
4tablespoonsunsalted butter, melted57 g or 1/2 stick
1teaspoonkosher salt
2large eggs
Filling
1/2cupunsalted butter at room temperature115 g or 1 stick
3/4cuppacked dark brown sugar165 g
2tablespoonground cinnamon
1/2teaspoonground nutmegoptional but recommended
1/4teaspoonkosher salt
Frosting
1/2cupunsalted butter at room temperature115 g or 1 stick
4ouncescream cheese at room temperature1/2 cup or 1/2 brick
1teaspoonvanilla extract
1/4teaspoonkosher salt
1cuppowdered sugar, sifted115 g
Instructions
Make the dough by first proofing the yeast. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of the sugar (taken from the 1/2 cup) into the warm milk, then sprinkle the yeast over it and stir. Let the yeast proof for 5 minutes or until you see a few bubbles on the surface. Keep in mind that milk doesn’t proof yeast as easily as water, so don’t expect a lot of activity.
Place the flour, remaining sugar, melted butter, salt and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix until they are blended and form a sandy consistency.
Add the warm milk and mix until a dough forms and most of the dry ingredients are incorporated. Switch to the dough hook, and knead until a smooth elastic dough forms, about 3 to 4 minutes.
If you don’t have a stand mixer or prefer to knead by hand, mix the ingredients together in a bowl with a wooden spoon, then dup the ingredients on a clean surface once a rough dough has formed. Knead by pushing the dough with the heel of your hand into the dough, then fold over and push again. Continue to knead until all the dry ingredients are incorporated and you have smooth and elastic dough, about 5 to 6 minutes.
Lightly spray a bowl with cooking oil. Pull the dough into a tight ball, then place the “rough” side of ball is facing down into the greased bowl and the top of the ball of dough is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for 60 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
While the dough is rising, make the filling by placing the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the ingredients together until well blended, creamy in texture and clings to the side of the bowl.
Lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 x 2 inch tall pan with cooking oil, then line it with parchment paper, making sure some of the paper is hanging over the edges by about 1-inch.
Once the dough has risen, roll the dough out into an 18 x 12 inch rectangle. Spread the filling over the dough, to the edges, leaving about a 1/2-inch border on one of the 18-inch sides.
Roll the dough up tightly, starting at one of the 18-inch sides, so you have a 18-inch long log. Cut the dough into 12 pieces, about 1 1/2 inches thick. Place them, swirl side up, inside the prepared baking pan.
Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place to rise again, about 30 to 45 minutes. The rolls should be puffy and bulging slightly against each other. In the meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. Once the rolls have risen, remove the plastic wrap and bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top of the rolls are golden brown. If you have an instant read thermometer and you are persnickety about your baking (like me), the internal temperature of a center roll should be somewhere between 185 to 190°F.
While the rolls are baking, make the frosting by placing the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix together until creamy and well blended. Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix to incorporate.
Add the sifted powdered sugar into the bowl and mix until incorporated. You may want to scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through to make sure all the sugar is absorbed.
Once rolls are done baking, immediately spread a thin layer of the frosting over the rolls. The frosting will immediately melt from the hot rolls. But this melted frosting will help keep the rolls from drying out. Let the rolls cool for about an hour, then spread the remaining frosting over the rolls. Serve immediately.
Notes
Frosting technique (where you frost the rolls immediately after taking them out of the oven with a little frosting, then let it cool and frost again) adapted from Sarah Kieffer's cinnamon roll recipe.