During my time in lockdown I developed a new passion for baking in order to help cope with the dumpster fire that was the world outside of my kitchen. This cinnamon roll recipe is a product of many hours of stress, trial and error and multiple cinnamon roll batches. However I promise if you follow these instructions you will be able to successfully make the best batch of 14 cinnamon rolls, worthy of sharing with friends or family, or keeping them all to yourself.
The Ingredients:
The Dough
Milk - 560 ml
Caster sugar - 116 g
Melted, unsalted butter - 9 tablespoons (approximately 127 g)
Active dry yeast - 3 teaspoons
All purpose flour - 730 g (divided)
Baking powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 2 teaspoons
Cinnamon Filling
Light brown sugar - 192 g
Softened, unsalted butter - 14 tbs (approximately 198 g)
Ground Cinnamon - 2 tbs
The Instructions:
Firstly, warm the milk until it is mildly warm to the touch, but not scalding. This is vitally important, as if the milk is too warm the yeast will be killed, and if the milk is too cold your dough will take a painfully long time to rise.
In a large bowl, combine and then whisk together the warm milk, sugar and melted butter.
Sprinkle your yeast over the top of the milk mixture and allow the yeast to bloom in a warm area for around ten minutes. You should see the yeast begin to foam on the top of the milk mixture when it has begun to bloom.
Then, add to the large bowl containing the milk mixture 600g of the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined into a messy, textured dough.
Cover the bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for an hour, until it has nearly doubled in size.
While you wait for the dough to rise, butter the baking pans you will be cooking your cinnamon rolls in (personally, I prefer to use large rounded baking pans).
Then make the filling by combining the brown sugar, cinnamon and softened butter and mixing well. However, make sure your butter is not too melted, otherwise it will make cutting up the dough into even, neat cinnamon rolls a living nightmare.
Combine the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.
Take your nicely risen dough and add this flour mixture to it by stirring well. Then turn your dough out to a clean surface that has been lightly dusted with flour. Make sure there is a small amount of extra flour nearby to ensure the dough does not stick to your hand while kneading, however try not to incorporate too much flour as it will make the final product more dry.
Knead the dough for at least ten minutes until it is smooth and springs back when poked.
Roll the dough out into a large rectangle onto a lightly floured surface, and if you want clean and precise cinnamon rolls then you can use a knife to cut off excess dough and ensure you have clean, sharp edges.
Spread the cinnamon filling all over the dough, ensuring even coverage.
Starting from the shorter end of the rectangle, roll the dough into a log, using pressure to ensure tight and even spirals. Place the log seam-side down and trim away uneven ends using a serrated knife.
Using unflavoured dental floss, cut the log into evenly sized pieces preferably around 8cm thick.
Place the cinnamon rolls in the buttered pans, ensuring there is ample space around each roll for it to expand and rise.
Cover with a tea towel and let these amazing cinnamon rolls rise for another 35-40 minutes, because all good things take time. While you wait, preheat the oven to 180°c.
After the cinnamon rolls have risen, bake the cinnamon rolls for 25-30 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
When the cinnamon rolls have finished baking, let them cool, then remove from the baking tins, and if you’re feeling especially decadent, make up from icing to drizzle over top of your fluffy, freshly made cinnamon buns.