Soft Cinnamon Rolls (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ Dough Base
01 -
1 small spoonful (5 ml) vanilla extract
02 -
1 teaspoon sugar (to get the yeast going)
03 -
½ cup (120g) unsalted butter, softened
04 -
2 eggs, room temperature and whisked
05 -
1 ¼ cups (30cl) whole milk
06 -
2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
07 -
4 ⅓ to 4 ½ cups (520-540g) all-purpose flour
08 -
2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
09 -
1 ½ teaspoons salt
→ Cinnamon Topping
10 -
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
11 -
½ cup (120g) butter, at room temperature
12 -
¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream, at room temp (to drizzle over rolls)
13 -
⅓ cup (70g) light or dark brown sugar
→ Cream Cheese Frosting
14 -
½ cup (65g) powdered sugar
15 -
¼ cup (60g) unsalted butter, softened
16 -
3 tablespoons maple syrup
17 -
115g cream cheese, softened
# Instructions:
01 -
Stir warm milk, sugar, and yeast together in a little bowl, then let it rest for about 10 minutes till it foams up. Pour the mixture into a stand mixer bowl with the whisk attachment, followed by eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Gradually add the flour and salt, mixing till blended. Toss in pieces of the softened butter, a little at a time, as the dough mixes. Let it knead at a medium pace for 10 minutes. If the dough still clings to the sides, sprinkle in more flour till it feels smooth and pulls away. Scoop up the dough, shape it like a ball, and set it in a big greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and leave it somewhere warm for about an hour—it should double in size by then.
02 -
Combine the softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Stir until there are no lumps and it’s creamy.
03 -
In another medium-sized bowl, use an electric mixer at a medium speed to beat the softened butter until it’s fluffy. Add the cream cheese and mix till smooth. Turn the mixer to its lowest speed, then slowly blend in powdered sugar and maple syrup until well combined.
04 -
Coat a 23×33 cm baking dish with butter or oil and set it aside. Deflate the dough, roll it into a rectangle (around 46×30.5 cm thin) on a floured surface, and spread the cinnamon mixture evenly across. Roll it up tightly lengthwise, slicing off uneven ends. Cut the roll into 12 slices, about 3.8 cm wide. Place them in the dish, leaving space for expanding, and drizzle some room-temperature heavy cream between them. Cover with plastic wrap and let them rise again for roughly an hour till doubled. Heat the oven to 180°C. When the rolls have puffed up, bake for 20-25 minutes until golden on top. Set them aside for about 10 minutes, then spread the cream cheese frosting generously over the warm rolls. Enjoy right away!
# Notes:
01 -
You can switch active dry yeast with instant or fresh yeast in these amounts: 2 ¼ teaspoons of dry yeast (7g) would equal 1 ¾ teaspoons instant (6g) or 17g fresh yeast.
02 -
Since flour brands may vary, you might need more or less. Begin with 4 ⅓ cups (520g), but have an extra ¼ cup (20g) on standby if needed.