5-Star Cinnamon Rolls

I wanted to have some bakery-like cinnamon rolls. I remember having cinnamon rolls at various at Cinnabon or Saint Cinnamon stores in Manila.  The rolls were prepared on site and I enjoyed watching them roll out the dough, spread the butter, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar, roll up the logs, etc. 

I have made several batches of cinnamon rolls over the years using different recipes.  The recipe from The Pioneer Woman was the one I used when I made rolls to give away one Christmas.  For some reason, I decided to check google for my new cinnamon roll adventure.  

I decided to try one that claimed to be the BEST cinnamon rolls in the WORLD, and one that would lead me never to go back to any other recipe once I had tried this one.  

What can I say?  The recipe made truly excellent cinnamon rolls.  The cream cheese frosting made it so much better.

Will my quest for a cinnamon recipe end with this one?  I cannot make that promise.  What I can say is that I normally don't bother to rate the recipes I try but I took the time to give this one a 5-star rating. In addition, I am 100% sure I will get a request for this recipe to be repeated.  

I made the dough on Friday night.  

They were in the fridge overnight.  

The second rise happened on Saturday morning.  The rolls were ready in the afternoon.  

We enjoyed the cinnamon rolls with the cream cheese frosting at dinner and for Father's Day breakfast.

CINNAMON ROLLS 

Makes 9 cinnamon rolls.

DOUGH :

·         ¾ c warm milk

·         2 ¼ t active dry yeast

·         ¼ c granulated sugar

·         1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature

·         ¼ c butter, melted

·         3 c bread flour, plus more for dusting

·         3/4 t salt

FILLING :

·         2/3 c dark brown sugar

·         1 ½ T ground cinnamon

·         ¼ c butter, softened

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING :

·         4 oz cream cheese, softened

·         3 T butter, softened

·         ¾ c powdered sugar

·         ½ t  vanilla extract

 Instructions 

1. Heat milk in microwave safe bowl on high for 40-45 seconds (110 degrees F).  Sprinkle yeast on top of warm milk, add 1 t of the sugar and let bloom. 

2. In bowl, place flour, rest of the sugar and salt.  Make a well and pour in yeast mixture.  Add egg, egg yolk and melted butter. Mix until well combined.  

3. Knead 8-10 minutes until dough forms. 

4. Transfer dough ball to a well-oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel. Allow dough to rise until double in size (~ 1 to 1 ½ hours) 

5. Transfer dough to a well-floured surface and roll out into a 14x9 inch rectangle. Spread softened butter over dough, leaving a ¼ inch margin at the far side of the dough.

6. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Press down cinnamon sugar over buttered dough.

7. Tightly roll dough up along the 9-inch side.  

8. Cut into nine 1-inch sections.  

9. Place cinnamon rolls in a greased 9x9 inch baking pan or round 9 inch cake pan. Cover and let rise for 30-45 mins.

10. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes or until just slightly golden brown on the edges.  Let cool 5-10 mins before frosting. 

To make the frosting: 

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. 

2. Beat until smooth and fluffy. 

3. Spread over cinnamon rolls and serve immediately.