The Best Cinnamon Rolls
These cinnamon rolls remind me so much of the first restaurant I worked in. They would sell out almost every single day but on the rare occasion they didn’t, we would each get one to eat before evening service. They are just a sweet, pillowy, fluffy delight and you won’t regret trying these!
Servings: 9 rolls
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 180 ml warm whole milk
- 2 ¼ tsp instant yeast
- 50 g sugar
- 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk at room temperature
- 50 g butter melted
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 355 g bread flour plus more for dusting
For the filling:
- 75 g soft brown sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 50 g butter softened
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 110 g cream cheese softened
- 25 g butter softened
- 70 g icing sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pour the warm milk into a large bowl and then sprinkle the yeast on top.
- Add in the melted butter, sugar, egg and the extra yolk. Give it a mix and then tip in the flour and salt. Keep stirring until it all comes together and a dough begins to form.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and then knead for about 6 minutes or so. The dough should be very smooth at this stage, it will be a little sticky but not too much to handle. If it's too sticky, add a little more flour and keep kneading.
- Transfer dough ball to a well-oiled bowl, cover with cling film and allow dough to rise for 1 hour to 1 ½ hours, or until doubled in size. (The time this takes will vary largely depending on the temperature of your house).
- After dough has doubled in size, transfer dough to a well-floured surface and roll out into roughly a 14x9 inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter over dough, leaving a ¼ inch margin at the far side of the dough.
- In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture over the buttered dough and push it it down gently with your fingers
- Tightly roll the dough up, to make a 14 inch long log. Place it seam side down and then cut into 1 inch sections with a serrated knife or you can use dental floss or kitchen string. You should get 9 large pieces.
- Place cinnamon rolls in a greased 9x9 inch baking pan or round 9 inch cake pan. Cover with clingfilm and let rise again for 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 180c.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until just slightly golden brown on the edges. Do not over bake, we want them to be soft in the middle. If you think they are browning too quickly, you can pop a piece of tin foil on the top to protect them from the heat of the oven.
- Allow them to cool for 10 minutes before topping with the frosting
- To make the frosting: simple beat together the cream cheese, butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Spread over cinnamon rolls and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
You can of course use an electric mixer and a dough hook. Knead on medium for about 5 minutes.