Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
I had been craving homemade cinnamon rolls, and I finally decided to try my hand at making them from scratch. These delicious and fluffy cinnamon rolls take time to make and require lots of patience, especially when the dough gets really sticky.
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Dough
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
⅙ cup of granulated sugar (32.5g)
1 packet of activated yeast
½ tsp salt
¾ cups (178g) water
3 tbsp (43g) unsalted butter
1 large egg
½ cup heavy cream (do not mix in)
Filling
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter (softened)
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
Icing
4 oz cream cheese
4 tbsp butter (softened)
1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Cinnamon Roll Dough
Activate the yeast according to package instructions.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together 1 cup flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.
In a heat safe bowl, combine the water and butter (cut into tablespoons). Heat in the microwave for 30-45 seconds, until warm to the touch but not hot. The butter will not melt completely.
Pour into the dry ingredients with the egg and mix with a wooden spoon.
Add in 1 more cup of flour and mix. It should turn pretty thick and stick at this point.
Add in ¼ cup of flour and mix again. It should now turn shaggy and become difficult to stir. At this point, set the spoon aside and use your hands to mix and knead the dough.
It will be sticky, so add another ⅛ or so of flour and continue to mix and knead by hand. It should turn into a smooth mass that’s soft and tacky.
With a clean finger, press it into the dough. If your finger is sticking, add a little more flour and knead. If it’s not, then shape it into a ball and let it rest uncovered for 10 minutes.
Combine the filling ingredients in a separate bowl and mix thoroughly.
When the 10 minutes are up, the dough should have puffed up quite a bit but not quite doubled in size.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and pat into a rough rectangle shape. Roll it into a rectangle using a rolling pin.
Spread the room temperature filling mixture onto the dough in a thin and even layer, leaving about a ½ inch border all around the outside of the dough.
Working from the long end of the rectangle dough, roll it up into a log and give it a gentle squeeze in to compact the log of dough. It may have stretched a bit during the rolling process so this brings it back together.
For best results, use unflavored dental floss to cut the rolls.Using the floss, slide it under the roll and cross the ends of the floss over the top of the log.Pull them through to create a cut. Cut off the two ends of the log then cut into 6 pieces.
Place the rolls in a buttered or greased 9x9 dish. It’s ok if the rolls are touching. *See notes for overnight instructions.
Place in a warm spot and cover with a towel to rise for 1 hour. The rolls should have doubled in size and now take up the entire dish.
Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.
Pour the heavy cream over the top of the dough in the dish then bake for 20-30 minutes or until the tops are a light golden brown. While they cool, make the icing.
Cream Cheese Icing
Combine the cream cheese, softened butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl and whisk or stir until thoroughly combined.
Spread onto the warm rolls and dig in!
Overnight Dough Steps
After step 15, cover the rolls in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight. Before baking the next day, allow the rolls to rest at room temperature (covered) for about 45 minutes. They may not puff up but that’s ok. Follow the same baking instructions.
