Cinnamon Rolls

Hello Tuesday!  How is your week going so far?  I am still kind of wishing it were the holidays.  Now that the excitement of Christmas and New Year's is over, I want warmth.  Instead it is 30 degrees outside.  I just keep telling myself that in two months it will be Spring.

With my cold coming right after Christmas I didn't get in all of the holiday baking I had planned.  These just about did me in.  The rise times helped me recuperate between each step.  Total time was about 5 hours but I popped the buns in the fridge overnight for the final rise.

I haven't made homemade cinnamon rolls completely from scratch ever before.  I am pretty proud of my shortcut versions but these left them all miles behind.

Of course butter is involved.  Lots of butter.  If you are on the new year, new you help kick please stop now.  These are not healthy.  In fact, these are about as far from healthy as I can possibly imagine.

That being said, if you are going to indulge these cinnamon buns are completely worth every extra bit of butter and sugar you consume.  Three days later and Mr. J was still grabbing one, popping it into the microwave and it was just the same deliciousness as the first day.

Cinnamon Rolls

by Joy the Baker

Prep Time: 1 hour active, 5 hours total

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Keywords: bake breakfast bread cinnamon

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Ingredients (8 cinnamon buns)

For the Dough:

• 1 – 1/4 oz (just over 2 teaspoons) package active dry yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon, plus 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
• 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted, plus more for kneading
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan

For the Filling:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the Icing:

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine yeast, 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 1/4 cup water heated to lukewarm (about 115 degrees F). Stir to combine and let sit until frothy and foamy, about 10 minutes.

Add remaining sugar, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk. Beat with a wire whisk until well combined. Fit the bowl onto the mixer, fitting with the dough hook attachment. Add the flour and salt and mix on medium speed until the dough just begins to come together. Turn the machine on medium-high and knead the dough for 4 minutes. The dough will be very moist.

With the mixer on medium speed, add the butter about 1 tablespoon at a time and continue to knead for about 6 minutes. The dough will the wet and sticky.

Place the dough on a well floured work surface, and knead about 1/3 cup all-purpose flour into the dough. Don’t worry, the dough still might be a little sticky. Just set the dough to rest in a large greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

While the dough rises, make the filling. Combine the sugar, brown sugar, candied ginger, spices, and salt in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Stir in the maple syrup. The filling will be slightly moist and crunchy. Set aside.

When the dough has doubled in size, dump it from the bowl onto a heavily floured work surface. Gently knead the dough adding more flour as needed. I think I added about 3 Tablespoons of flour. Work the dough for about 1 or 2 minutes. Once it’s no longer very sticky, place a kitchen towel over the dough and let rest for 5 minutes before you roll it out.

Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a 10 x 10-inch square.

Brush the top of the dough with half of the melted butter. We’ll use the rest of the butter after the rolls are baked.

Pour all of the filling onto the dough. Spread evenly, leaving a 1-inch boarder at one of the short edges of the dough so the roll can be properly sealed. Lightly press the filling into the dough.

Using your hands, lift up the bottom edge of the dough and roll it forward into a tight cylinder. Place dough cylinder seam side down on a cutting board.

Cut cylinder into 8 equal slices. Nestle the slices, cut side up and evenly spaced in a butter 9 x 13-inch metal baking dish. Cover the rolls with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Remove rolls from fridge for about an hour until they are at room temperature. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Drizzle with remaining butter and bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Make the icing: While the rolls are baking, whisk together the sugar and maple syrup in a small bowl until smooth.

Transfer the pan of cinnamon rolls to a cooling rack. Let cool for 5 minutes. Dip the tines of a fork into the icing and drizzle over the rolls. Serve immediately.

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