Ah, Cinnamon buns. Need I say more? If you love this ooey gooey, sweet and sticky treat, this recipe is for you.
When you think of Cinnamon rolls (or buns), Cinnabon cinnamon rolls must come to mind. While this recipe isn't exactly like Cinnabon, so many have told me that its a really close second. My frosting on the other hand apparently tastes exactly like Cinnabons. Find it here.
I first made cinnamon rolls back in my high school baking class. They turned out great back then, but when I tried recreating them at home...they were awful. Not soft, not gooey...they were really close to hockey pucks. Mind you, I was only 15. Anyways, I gave up and vowed to never make them again.
But here we are years later and I found the perfect recipe. I played around with about 5 different recipes until I finally got it right. And let me tell you it's a lot easier than it sounds. It's gonna feel like awhile on your first try so make sure you dedicate 3-4 hours when making these, but after that you'll be baking like a pro. So let's get right in.
1. Make sure you put all your ingredients out so they get to room temperature.
So really just the egg and the butter.
2. Proof your yeast.
If you use instant yeast you don't need to let it proof. If you use active dry yeast then you do. First, you need to warm the milk in a saucepan just until it's hot and little bubbles appear around the pot. Take the milk off the heat and stir in the cold butter as this will bring down the temperature. Add a 1/4 tsp sugar to the mixture to help your yeast activate (because yeast feeds on sugar). Before adding the yeast test the temperature of the milk/butter mixture. If it's between 105-110 degrees Fahrenheit you can add the yeast. If it's over 110 degrees your yeast will die. Sprinkle your yeast over top and gently stir it in. I normally cover it with a plate or bowl cover. After about 10 minutes your yeast should be frothy like the picture below.
If it isn't frothy then don't proceed with recipe because your cinnamon buns won't rise.
3. In a stand mixer with dough hook on, add your milk, butter and yeast mixture to the bowl.
Lightly beat your egg and add vanilla or any other kind of extract or essence directly to the egg and add it to the bowl. Adding vanilla directly to the egg takes away any raw taste the egg might have. Add a teaspoon of baking powder, the sugar and a tablespoon of sour cream. I find sour cream adds moisture and keeps these rolls really soft. Mix that in your stand mixer just until combined.
4. Measure the flour correctly.
This is highly important. Don't skip this step. DO NOT SCOOP YOUR FLOUR. Loosen up your flour and spoon the flour into your measuring cup. Then level it off with a bread knife. This is the correct way to measure flour. Trust me. When you just scoop it, you have more flour than you need. But with this method you get about 75-100 grams less.
5. Make sure you have the dough hook attachment on and add the flour slowly, about 1/4-1/2 cup at a time.
Normally every last bit of flour goes in for me but I still add the flour slowly in case I measured out too much flour. Your dough should be really sticky and tacky. It will stick to the bowl but that's okay. It will come together once you knead it. Just sit back and let the stand mixer do all the work. Leave the mixer on medium to high speed for about 10 minutes. If you notice it's still sticking to your hands after the first 6-7 minutes, stop the mixer and shape the dough then mix again. Sometimes your dough just needs some manual help. If it's still sticking to your hands after 10 minutes just keep adding a tablespoon of flour until it comes together.
*How to tell if the dough is done: Squeeze the dough. If it pulls away and feels really soft, but doesn't stick to your hands, it is ready. If it sticks to your hands, it needs more flour. This is a very tender dough, so don't be too tempted to keep adding flour until you are sure.
6. Shape the dough into a ball and place into a greased bowl.
The picture looks like I have this really firm dough ball, but I just shaped that way. In reality, it was really soft dough. Now, you cover the dough and store in a warm place to rise. Placing the dough in a warm place is what most recipes will tell you, but this doesn't work for me. I'm from Canada. So what I do is boil some water (i have an automatic tea kettle so l don't have to turn on the stove). I then place a bowl of boiled water into my oven along with my covered dough. This creates a homemade mini dough proofer and cuts the rising time in half.
7. While the dough rises prepare the filling.
Leave out some butter to get it to room temperature. Combine the dark brown sugar and the cinnamon.
8. Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a well-floured work surface.
The dough will feel very very soft. This is a good thing. I wrote the time on the plastic wrap so I remember how long the dough has been rising. Roll the dough out into a rectangle. You can use a dough cutter or long knife to help you align the dough. Once it's an almost perfect rectangle, spread softened butter all over your dough. I normally warm room temperature butter for 10 seconds to get it very soft. Then sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Don't be afraid to get your hands messy to make sure the filling reaches all parts of the dough.
Note: I don't recommend doing a butter cinnamon sugar paste. It doesn't spread properly.
8. Roll up you dough. Try to roll end to end and form a tight seal.
9. Cut your dough with dental floss.
Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Start by making indents on the dough. First indent the halfway mark on your dough. Then take the half and indent a half again. The smaller halves your left with should have 3 rolls each. You can cut your rolls using a knife, but knives tend to squish your dough and make them not as round. So now i use dental floss. It sounds weird. I was a non-believer too. But it works.
10. Now you place your rolls into a greased pan and cover them.
Repeat the homemade proofing step. Let your rolls rise for about 1 hour or until they've doubled.
11. Optional: Add the secret ingredient to make the softest, gooiest rolls ever!
Measure out about 1/3 cup of heavy cream. Warm it until its room temperature or slightly warm, but make sure it's not hot and not cold. Then pour the heavy cream right over top the rolls just before putting them in the oven to bake. This is the best tip I can give you for the softest cinnamon rolls ever.
*Tip: If you don't have heavy cream, evaporated milk works too. Just add a teaspoon of butter to it and melt it in. I've used evaporated milk before over these rolls, and they turned out exactly the same as when I used heavy cream.
*Note: If you don't have heavy cream or evaporated milk, you can skip this step. Your rolls will still be soft and gooey, but just not as irresistibly soft and gooey as they would be with the cream.
12. Then bake. Frost. Enjoy
You can find the link to my copycat Cinnabon cream cheese frosting here.
Recipe
Prep Time: 30 mins
Rising time: Depends on yeast used (2-4 hours)
Cook time: 20 mins
Servings: 12
Ingredients
Dough
1/2 cup warm milk (about 115 deg F)
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 room temperature egg
1/4 cup butter
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon sour cream
Pinch of nutmeg
*Optional secret ingredient: 1/3 cup of heavy cream
Filling
1/4 cup very soft butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
Directions
Boil milk until hot and bubbles form around pot. Add butter and sugar.
Add yeast when temperature is between 105-110 deg F and let it proof or become frothy.
To a stand mixer, add the yeast mixture, egg, salt, sugar, nutmeg, baking powder and sour cream. Mix just until combined.
Add the flour and begin the mixer using the dough hook. The dough will be very soft and tacky and will stick to the sides of the bowl. DO NOT be tempted to add more flour It will come together, I promise.
Beat the dough on medium speed for 5-7 minutes or until the dough is smooth.
Place dough in a greased bowl and cover the bowl. Put in a warm place and allow the dough to rise until double. Takes about ~1 hour, but will vary depending on where you live and the temperature of your kitchen.
In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
Flour a work space and turn out the dough. Roll into a rectangle.
Spread butter all over dough then sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar.
Roll dough into a tight log and cut into 12 slices using a knife or dental floss.
Place in a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Cover the pan and allow the rolls to rise until nearly double (~40 mins)
Bake at 350 degrees F for 17-19 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown and the centers are cooked through. Spread frosting and enjoy.
Let me know if you tried it or feel free to leave a tip in the comments below!