The Best Cinnamon Rolls
As I write this during a global pandemic, I want to share that creating and sharing has not been easy. I do not want to be insensitive to those who are sick, and to those who are loosing loved ones to COVID-19. But I was reminded that we as creators can be a source of happiness and light.
This recipe was used at my bakery, butter bear shop. The original recipe can from a previous bakery and it made 48 cinnamon rolls! Simply cutting into 1/4th wasn’t going to be enough so it took so tweaking.
Recipe tips:
1. If you don’t have buttermilk, simply add 1 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar to milk. Milk can be whole or 2%.
2. Measure out your dough to the perfect rectangle to ensure all the cinnamon rolls are the same size.
3. Use floss to cut thru your cinnamon rolls.
4. Add your favorite nuts. I added 1/3 cup chopped walnuts to the recipe 🙂 but this is optional.
The Best Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk at 110 degrees F
- 2 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
Filling
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- In a large bowl or bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together warm milk, instant/rapidrise dry yeast, sugar, 8 tablespoons of the melted butter, vanilla, eggs and salt. Slowly mix in flour, 1 cup at a time, with a wooden spoon or spatula (or paddle attachment on your stand mixer on low speed) until the flour is incorporated and the dough starts to come together (dough will be tacky to the touch).
- Then, knead dough, by hand on a lightly floured surface a few times (or on medium speed in your mixer with the dough hook) until it is smooth and and elastic, about 1 minute. Form the dough into a ball and place in a bowl coated with vegetable oil. Roll dough in bowl to coat in oil. Cover with a towel and place it in a warm, draft-free place to rise for about 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Meanwhile, spray the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish with nonstick spray and prepare the filling. Mix together the brown sugar, vanilla, white sugar, cinnamon. Let butter sit out to come to room temperature and soften.Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and, using a rolling pin, roll into a 12×18 inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter all over the top of the dough and sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture on top, so entire surface is fully covered.Roll the dough up tightly, lengthwise, so you have one long 18″ log. Cut dough into 12 equal pieces. Arrange them in the prepared baking pan, cut sides up.Loosely cover and let rise a second time in a warm, draft-free place, until they are puffy and doubled in size, about 1 hour. (To speed up the dough rising process, heat your oven to 200 F degrees and then, turn off the oven heat and let your rolls rise quickly in the warm oven until puffy and doubled in size.)
- After the rolls have risen, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until they are golden brown.
Cream Cheese Icing
- While the rolls are baking, prepare the icing. Beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla and powdered sugar, beating until smooth and creamy. Spread the icing over warm rolls.
Make this recipe? I’d love to see! Tag me using #CreateAmandasPlate
Happy baking!
XO,
