Adapted From BuzzFeed Tasty
Few things warm the heart and soul as much as freshly baked, fluffy, gooey and rich cinnamon rolls on a cold winter day. A perfect Christmas treat, these foolproof cinnamon rolls are an absolute delight to bake and eat!
Although their preparation is quite elaborate, the steps are easy to follow and the end product makes all the effort worth it.
I have found that these rolls are best eaten fresh out of the oven, becoming tough if left out for even half an hour. Furthermore, microwaving them increases the moisture content and makes them chewy. Therefore, I recommend that consume these immediately after baking them. If you would prefer to bake them in advance, the rolls can be frozen for 3 months. Once frozen, let them sit out and come to room temperature before baking them at 180C.
You can make a simple glaze icing by dissolving icing sugar in water or milk. However, I recommend that you add the cream cheese as the hint of sourness and richness from it adds complexity to the overall flavour of the dish.
Do not microwave your cream cheese or butter to soften them as this will result in uneven heating. Instead, take the ingredients out of the refrigerator and allow them to come to room temperature naturally.
Do not try to grind cinnamon sticks in a mixer to make cinnamon powder as this results in uneven chunks. The powder will not be fine and therefore will be unpleasant to eat.
Ingredients for the dough:
240 ml milk, warm to the touch
50g castor sugar
55g unsalted butter
1 ⅛ tsp active dry yeast
315g all purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
2 tsp kosher salt
Ingredients for the filling:
90g light brown sugar
85g unsalted butter, softened (NOT melted)
1 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Ingredients for the frosting:
55g cream cheese, softened and cubed
15g unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
65g powdered sugar
Method to make the dough:
To test whether your yeast is active, dissolve ¼ tsp of yeast in 1 tbsp of warm water and 1 tsp sugar. If the yeast blooms, it is indicative that it will make your dough rise. If it does not bloom, the yeast has most likely expired and its use will result in a tough dough. This step helps prevent wastage of ingredients.
Melt your butter in the microwave but ensure it doesn’t heat up too much. If the butter becomes too hot, allow it to cool down to room temperature.
Microwave your milk in a small bowl for about 30 seconds (or more depending on how cold your milk was in the beginning). It should be warm or around the same temperature as your body when touched.
In a large bowl, add the warm milk, melted butter and castor sugar. Whisk these ingredients together until a homogenous mixture has formed.
Add the yeast into the same bowl and stir until it has completely dissolved.
The yeast requires a warm environment to get activated and bloom efficiently. Thus, if the atmospheric temperature is low, preheat your oven to 180C for 5 minutes and place the bowl inside the oven to ensure that a warm environment is maintained consistently.
Leave the mixture untouched for about 10 minutes or until the yeast has bloomed (bubbles/ froth should be visible on the surface of the mixture)
Add 200g of the flour to the milk mixture and stir until just combined.
Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen cloth or plastic wrap and return to a warm place (or the oven) and let the dough proof. Leave the dough untouched for an hour or until the dough has nearly doubled in size.
Generously butter 2 7-inch round baking pans and set aside.
Method to make the filling:
In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, softened butter, and cinnamon. Whisk well and then set it aside.
Assembling the cinnamon rolls
Remove the plastic wrap from the dough and punch out the air bubbles that have formed.
Into the same bowl, add the remaining 115g of flour, baking powder, and salt.
Mix well and then turn out the rough and shaggy dough onto a clean surface.
It is very important from here on that you do not add an excess of extra flour to help knead the dough. Although it is tempting to add a lot of flour in order to combine and form a smooth dough easily, the excess flour will result in tough and dry cinnamon rolls. Therefore, ensure that you do not add more than 1/3 cup of extra flour to assist in the kneading process.
Sprinkle some flour on your work surface and dust your hands with some flour as well and begin kneading the dough. Start by slapping the dough onto the counter, pulling it toward you with one hand and pushing it away from you with the other. Fold the dough back over itself (use a bench scraper or a wide knife to help scrape dough from the surface).
Add the extra flour whenever the tough becomes too sticky to handle.
Knead for about 10 minutes or until a soft, smooth dough has formed. The dough should spring back when poked.
Using a large, well floured rolling pin, roll the dough out into large rectangles (about ½-inch thick). Tuck in the corners with a bench scraper or a spatula to make sure they are sharp and even.
Place large dollops of the cinnamon filling that was prepared earlier all over the rectangle and using a spatula, smoothen it out evenly.
Once you have spread the filling, roll up the dough into a tight log. Place the seam-side down and trim any uneven ends.
To cut the cinnamon rolls, you can use a sharp knife. However, that flattens the spiral. Therefore, I recommend using unflavored dental floss, or a thin thread (like a sewing thread) to cut the log into even pieces.
Slide the floss or thread below the roll and pull each end in an opposite direction (as though you are tying a knot) to cut a roll.
Each piece should be about 1½ inches thick.
Place the cinnamon rolls in the prepared pans, 1 in the center and about 5 around the sides. Do not pack them too tightly as they will rise and expand once baked.
If you are making these in advance, wrap the pan tightly with plastic wrap and freeze it at this stage(they can be frozen for up to 3 months).
If you are preparing the rolls on the same day, cover them with a kitchen towel and let them rise in a warm place for 35-45 minutes. This helps make the rolls soft and fluffy and intensifies their flavour.
Preheat your oven to 180C and bake the cinnamon rolls for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.
While the cinnamon rolls are baking, make the frosting.
Method to make the frosting:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, melted butter, milk and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar and whisk until homogenous and runny.
When the cinnamon rolls are done baking, allow them to cool for about 10 minutes in the baking pan.
Finally, drizzle the frosting over the cinnamon rolls and enjoy!
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