Best Ever Cinnamon Rolls

I’ve been trying to make Cinnamon Rolls for a while, the kind that’s soft buttery and fluffy with a warm spicy cinnamon and cardamom flavour, with varied results. The problem for me is that I am too impatient and a proper soft yeasty bun is time consuming, so sometimes I would end up with dense buns. I wish I could say, that the following recipe is quick and easy. It is not difficult , it’s just that there’s a lot of waiting, but let me tell you once you make this Cinnamon Rolls, you will find that it is worth the wait. The smell alone while it is baking is amazing, and the taste – it’s the Best Ever Cinnamon Rolls!

I do love Cinnamon Rolls, and who doesn’t. Lucky there’s no bakery near me that sell these goodies, or else I would probably have some for breakfast everyday. There is however a pop up bakery in the shopping mall that sells Cinnamon Rolls , but at $5 a pop, it’s a bit on the pricey side and it is too sweet for me. And so when the craving hits hard, I have to make these delicious plump and bouncy Cinnamon Rolls myself. Love Cinnamon? Here’s another one to try Apple and Cinnamon Crunch cake.

The following is based on a recipe I copied from a Swedish Cookbook (sorry I can’t remember the name of the book) that I once borrowed from the local library. Of all the recipes I’ve tried, this is the most straight forward and easy to follow for an impatient baker like me. And by the way, in case you’re interested, Cinnamon Rolls (kanelbullar) originated in Sweden. However, it was the Americans who put the Cream Cheese Frosting. And what a combination! Plump and fluffy rolls filled with warm cinnamon and cardamon then generously frosted with tangy cream cheese. It’s a mouthful of heaven.

What you need to make Cinnamon Rolls

• For the dough – Strong Or Baker’s Flour, Lukewarm Milk, Instant Yeast,Sugar,Butter, pinch of Salt and Eggs. At a pinch you can substitute Baker’s flour with Plain flour, the rolls won’t just be as bouncy. I like to use Lighthouse Brand Bread & Pizza High Protein Flour, but use any brand you like.
• For the Filling – Softened Butter, Brown Sugar ,Cinnamon Powder and Cardamom Powder. Substitute Cardamom with Cinnamon if you don’t like/have Cardamom.
• For the Frosting – Softened Butter, Softened Cream Cheese, Sifted Icing Sugar and Vanilla. If you don’t like Cream Cheese, you can sprinkle the buns with Pearl Sugar(like the Swedish) or ice with a simple sugar glaze.

Easy does it, but takes patience..

• Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm milk then add a teaspoon of sugar. Let it sit for a few minutes until the mixture is frothy. If it doesn’t become foamy, it means that the yeast is not active and you have to start again with new yeast.
• Place flour, the rest of the sugar,butter,eggs and salt in a mixer with dough hook attached. Add the yeast milk mix to the bowl and mix on slow for a minute, then increase speed to medium and beat for about 6 minutes or until the dough comes together and leaves the side of the bowl. The dough will be quite soft. Spray cooking oil in a clean bowl, then transfer the dough from the mixer to this bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place for about two hours or until nearly doubled in size. If the dough is slow to rise, turn on the oven for 5 minutes, then switch it off. Then place the dough inside to prove .
• Make the filling by combining soft butter, cinnamon, cardamom and brown sugar together. Set aside until ready to use.
• Lightly flour work surface. Punch the dough in the middle to let the air out. Knead for a minute then use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 30×40 cm. Sprinkle a bit more flour if the dough is very sticky.
• Spread the cinnamon filling over the dough leaving about 1cm border all around. Starting from the long edge, roll the dough into a log. Slice the log about 3 cm thick rolls (makes about 12) and place each roll in a lined baking tray with a bit of space in between for expansion. Cover with plastic wrap and rest the buns until nearly doubled in size. Alternatively, place the baking tray with the buns in the fridge and let it prove overnight. Take out the tray from the fridge an hour before baking.
  
• Bake the rolls in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside to cool before frosting.
• While the rolls are baking, make the Cream Cheese Icing.
• Use a spatula to spread the Icing. Or place icing in a plastic bag, cut one tip and use to drizzle the icing all over the rolls for a fancier finish.

Best Cinnamon Rolls

Recipe by Lola Adele

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Soft and Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

• Cinnamon Rolls

• 1 cup Milk,full cream

• 14g Instant Active Yeast ( 2x 7g sachets)

• 4 1/2 cups Strong Flour (Baker’s Flour)

• 1 cup caster sugar

• 100g softened butter

• Pinch of Salt

• 2 Eggs

• Cinnamon Filling

• 75g softened butter

• 1 cup Brown Sugar

• 3 tablespoons cinnamon powder (or 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1 teaspoon cardamon powder)
  

• Cream Cheese Frosting

• 125g softened Cream Cheese

• 50g softened Butter

• 1 cup Icing Sugar

• 1 teaspoon Vanilla

• Sugar Glaze,Optional

• 1 cup Icing Sugar

• 2 tablespoons Milk

Directions

• Cinnamon Rolls
• Warm the milk in a microwave safe bowl to about 36 – 40°C, like lukewarm bathwater. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar and the instant yeast. Set aside for 5 minutes or until the mixture froths up. If it doesn’t become foamy, it means that the yeast is dead, so start again.
• In a stand mixer, with dough hook attached, add the rest of the sugar,salt, flour, eggs and softened butter. Mix on low just until combined. Add the milk yeast mixture and mix on medium for about 5 minutes or until the dough come together and leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer to bowl sprayed with cooking oil and cover with a plastic wrap. Set aside for about 2 hours or until the dough doubles in size.
• Punch the dough to let the air out. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to form approximately 40cm x 30 cm (16 x 12 inches) rectangle.
• Spread the cinnamon butter filling over the dough, making sure to even it out with a 2cm border on the edges.
• Starting from the long side of the rectangle, roll the filled dough into a log.
• Lightly spray a baking tray (32cm x 22cm ) with cooking oil and line with baking paper.
• Use a sharp knife to cut the log into 12 pieces about 4 cm each in thickness and arrange rolls in the baking tray. Leave a little bit of room between each roll. They will expand slightly. Wrap in plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm place for about an hour or until the rolls have puffed up. Alternatively, let it rise in the fridge overnight, in which case let it set in room temperature for an hour before baking.
• When ready to bake, preheat oven to 175°C and bake the rolls for about 20 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool.
• Spread the rolls generously with Cream Cheese Icing. Or drizzle with a Sugar Glaze.
  
• Cinnamon Butter Filling
• In a small bowl, mix together softened butter, cinnamon and cardamom if using, until well combined.
• Use the back of the spoon or an offset spatula to spread the cinnamon rolls with the filling.
  
• Cream Cheese Frosting
• Mix together softened Cream Cheese and Butter with Vanilla and sifted Icing Sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer.
• Beat together on medium until pale and fluffy. Spread on top of cooled rolls.
• Sugar Glaze,optional
• Combine Icing Sugar with enough milk to make a glaze with drizzling consistency. Use to glaze tops of buns in place of Cream Cheese Icing.

Notes

• For left overs, warm up in the microwave for 1 minute for each. The baking time does not include proving time.