Cinnamon Rolls

 

Ok.  Ahhh-yep.  This is The One.  The Cinnamon Rolls. 

I've been through many a Cinnamon Roll recipe and yes, yes, this is The One.

Ok, I should preface by saying it's The One for us.  There are, goodness knows, a bazillion recipes for Cinnamon Rolls out there on the ol' interwebs and everyone has their favorite but for us, for now, this is It.  But it should be for you too, that's why I'm here.

Why?

Because these are out-freaking-standingly delicious.  Unbelievable.  Like super off the hook super duper unreal delicious.

And.  And.  Bonus, these stay soft after day one which has always been The sticking (ahh, pun) point for me. 

Usually Cinnamon Rolls morph into rocks in less than twenty four hours which, while reheated, sure, are still pretty good but they veer lackluster too quick.

These on the other, these eye-flutteringly amazing Cinnamon Rolls, stay soft for several days.  That to me is an immense win.

And boy, I'll tell ya, eating one fresh from the oven, holy heck, I swear to all things Cinnamon Rolls holy, holy bejebus, in-freaking-sane.

So That Good in-freaking-sane that I learned something about Mike.  Weird tangent, sure.  That if he utters not one single word, not a single sound while eating something I've baked, it is so that much a winner that he's rendered wholly, completely, entirely mute.

As he was this time.  For a solid half hour post-eating that fresh outta the oven one.

To be honest, he should have been thanking himself too.  He requested Cinnamon Rolls which sure, I'll oblige because I get them too, but he chose this recipe.

I'll explain....see, I've got eighty three, yes eighty three sweet roll recipes in my Paprika collection as I sit here.  Sounds ludicrous, I'm sure, recipe hoarder, but as I'm always seeking The Best of The Best, I stockpile and test until I get there.

Today I am here.

Right, how, out of eighty three recipes, did Mike land on this one?  After quickly perusing several, I printed out about five or six, put them in front of him and said, "ok, pick one, babe."  After an assemblage of funny looks shot my way he said, "that one."

I don't think he even looked, actually.  Thank the heck goodness he picked this one so everybody, please shout out a huge huge Huge thanks to Mike. 

Maybe I should do that more often.

Look, those Twisty Cinnamon Rolls are out of this world, as are the Chocolate Sweet Rolls and the other two wildly fantastic sweet roll recipes I've shared.

But.

These.

These. 

You'll see.

Truly, don't be intimidated by Cinnamon Roll baking either.  Mentally break the process into simple chunks, each one is then hardly overwhelming, and in a few short hours you, my friend, will be in sheer heaven.

A couple of quick notes:  you can use instant yeast in this recipe.  Just toss it into the dry ingredients instead of blooming active dry.  Too, you can prepare these ahead and chill overnight in the fridge for next day baking.  And, you can slice into twenty four wee ones instead of twelve bigger ones.

Ok!  Incredibly easy!  Bloom the yeast then toss in the rest of the dough ingredients and mix.*  Yeah!  I know!

You'll let that dough do its rising thing and then bam, it's time to assemble.

Dough risen and ready to roll.

Roll* out the dough which oh my, such a pliable happy dough to roll omg, then smear the butter across.

Toss the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl, mix that up, then dump the entire contents in the center.  Spread across evenly and it's time to log it up.

Roll rather snugly from the short sixteen inch side for the twelve finished Cinnamon Rolls (or the long edge for twenty four smaller ones)...
 

...then with a super sharp knife* or I hear dental floss works, cut into evenly sized rolls, about an inch and a third per.

Lightly grease up your pan, preferably metal* and set the rolls in there.  Hot tip:  if you have some empty space, crumble up some aluminum foil into balls to fill.  Don't fill completely as the rolls need some expansion room.

Let that rise again and off to bake!

Meanwhile, make the icing...
 

...pace anxiously, pace some more, and ok, bake time is up!  If you're unsure if they're done, grab a kitchen thermometer* to test for about 190° F (88° C) in a center-pan roll.

Pop that pan out of the oven, let cool for only a few moments, then dollop and spread that icing across while the rolls are hot.

Let cool for a few more moments if you can then oooooh my, dive in.  Dive the heck in.  Do it.  Go.  I'll give you your space to enjoy. 

Yeah.  Wow.  Just wow.......gah, passing out.

Curtsy, bow, hat tip, you are so welcome.  xo
 

Cinnamon Rolls

Yield 12

Prep time

30 Min

Cook time

15 Min

Inactive time

2 H & 30 M

Total time

3 H & 15 M

The Only Cinnamon Rolls recipe you will ever ever need. Unreal delicious, these rolls stay soft and fluffy for days. They will render you silent.

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 cup (237 ml) lukewarm milk, about 110°-115° F (43°-46° C)
• 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons/7 g) dry active yeast
• 1/2 cup (99 g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup (76 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 1/2 cups (540 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons (10.5 g) fine sea salt

Filling

• 1/3 cup (76 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup (213 g) packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons (17 g) ground cinnamon (up to 3 tablespoons)

Icing

• 1/3 cup (76 g) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup (57 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups (170 g) powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Begin by blooming the active dry yeast in the warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer with a pinch of the sugar for about 5-10 minutes until bubbly and foamy.
2. Add all of the remaining dough ingredients and with a dough hook, knead the dough for about 5 minutes. It may still be sticky but that's ok; don't add more flour.
3. Lightly oil a bowl, add the dough to the bowl, turning it to grease all sides, then cover and let rise until double in a warm, draft-free spot for about 1-2 hours.
4. Deflate the dough gently when ready then transfer to a lightly greased work surface or large silicone mat. With a rolling pin, roll into a rectangle of 16x21 inches.
5. With an offset or regular spatula, spread the 1/3 cup of filling butter across the surface evenly. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl then dump the contents over the dough. Spread the mix evenly across.
6. Rolling from the 16" short end, roll the dough snugly into a log then slice into 12 even rolls with a very sharp knife or using plain dental floss.
7. Lightly grease a 9x13 or slightly smaller pan and set the sliced rolls cut side down into it. If there's extra space in the pan, lightly crumple aluminum foil into balls and set it in the spaces to fill.
8. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and set it aside to rest for 30 minutes. The rolls should reach about double in size. Begin preheating the oven to 400° F (204° C) during this rest.
9. Remove the cover and bake until golden brown, around 15 minutes. The internal temperature of a roll in the center of the pan should be about 190° F (88° C).
10. While the rolls are baking, mix the icing ingredients in a bowl.
11. Remove from pan from the oven and while the rolls are still warm, spread the icing evenly over them.
12. Serve the rolls warm. Cover any remaining rolls with plastic or move to a storage container at room temperature for a few days or freeze.

Instructions Notes

1. Instant yeast can be substituted; mix it into the dry ingredients without blooming.
2. To make ahead the night before, prepare through step 7, cover and refrigerate. The next day, bring the rolls to room temperature while covered for about an hour on the counter. Remove the cover and continue with the recipe.
3. These can also be made into smaller rolls by rolling the log in step 6 from the 21" long end and sliced into 24 rolls. Bake as directed.

Notes

Adapted from Red Star Yeast.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

506.92

Fat (grams)

18.22 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

10.91 g

Carbs (grams)

79.71 g

Fiber (grams)

2.14 g

Net carbs

77.59 g

Sugar (grams)

42.2 g

Protein (grams)

7.4 g

Sodium (milligrams)

387.28 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

77.1 mg

Please see the "info" section for nutrition details and information about gram weights.

cinnamon rolls, sweet rolls

recipes

American

Created using The Recipes Generator

*The stand mixers, rolling pins, sharp knives, kitchen thermometers, are Amazon affiliate links.  Happy baking, thanks!  Please see the "info" tab for more, well, info.