Cinnamon Rolls
These homemade cinnamon rolls are filled with cinnamon and sweet honey butter and topped with cream-cheese icing (not shown in our photo). Here's how to make them.
Ingredients
For the dough
- 10 ounces warm milk, [about 105°F (40°C)]
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 5 to 5 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more as needed and for the work surface
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 6 tablespoons (3 oz) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the baking sheet
- 3 large eggs
For the honey butter
- 1 cup honey
- 2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the cinnamon sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
For the icing
- 5 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4 1/2 tablespoons (2 1/4 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 10 ounces confectioners sugar
- 2 ounces heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the dough
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, stir together by hand the warm milk, yeast, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes.
- Add the flour, salt, butter, and eggs. Using the dough hook, mix until the dough is completely developed, 8 to 10 minutes. (By “completely developed” we mean that the dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl with no extra flour left at the bottom. It's possible that you may need to add a little more flour if the dough seems sticky. The dough, when completely developed, should be tacky but not sticky.)
- Remove the dough hook and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Set the bowl in a warm place and let stand until the dough has doubled in size.
Make the honey butter
- In a medium bowl, stir together the honey and the butter until completely combined.
Make the cinnamon sugar
- In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon until completely combined.
Assemble the rolls
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out into a rectangle, roughly 18 inches by 24 inches and 1/2 inch thick. Liberally brush the dough with half the honey butter. Sprinkle with as much of the cinnamon sugar as you please.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and rub the parchment with butter. If making small rolls, beginning with the 24-inch side of the dough, roll it tightly from one side to the other, gently pulling or pressing the dough as needed to make as even a roll as possible. If making giant rolls, beginning with the 18-inch side of the dough, roll it tightly from one side to the other, gently pulling or pressing the dough as needed to make as even a roll as possible.
- Divide the long roll into individual rolls using a serrated knife and slicing the dough roll into individual rolls. Small rolls should be about 1 1/4-inches thick and giant rolls about 2-inches thick. Working with 1 roll at a time, carefully take the tail end of the piece of dough and gently pull and wrap it around the rest of the spiral dough, tucking it underneath. Place the roll on the baking sheet and press down slightly. Repeat with the rest of the rolls, fitting them sort of snugly. (You can cover and refrigerate the rolls overnight if that lets you hit the snooze button the next morning.)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Cover the rolls with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and set it in a warm place. Let the rolls rise while the oven preheats.
- Bake the cinnamon rolls, rotating the pan once, until they're a deep golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and lightly brush the tops of the rolls with the remaining honey butter.
Make the cream cheese icing
- Place the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a standing kitchen mixer, and mix on low speed until smooth. Add the confectioners sugar, cream, and vanilla and whip until smooth.
- When the rolls are completely cool, slather them with icing. Serve them as-is or, to rewarm, place them in the oven at 325°F (163°C) for 2 to 3 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1roll | Calories: 399kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 218mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 42g