Irresistible Cinnamon Rolls: A Sweet Morning Delight

Our cinnamon rolls are super easy to make and freeze really well. Make a batch and you can just pop them in the microwave to thaw out and warm up. Alternatively part bake and cook from frozen when you want them. We use unbleached stoneground organic strong white flour from Stoates at Cann Mills in Dorset for all our bread products as it tastes fantastic. We use eggs from our free range chickens which are extra large so we usually need to add more flour than is given in this recipe.

This recipe makes about 20 small rolls or 10 large ones.

If you have a stand or hand mixer or a food processor it will take some of the time and effort out of the kneading step but it is possible to do by hand – we did for the first 2 years.

Ingredients

Dough

120ml milk, warmed to about 43°C – we use semi-skimmed.
65g granulated sugar
7g active dry yeast
55g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature and cut into 4 or 5 pieces
280g strong white bread flour, plus more as needed
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/4 tsp salt
1-2 tsp oil for greasing the bowl

Filling

55g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature but NOT melted
65g dark brown soft sugar
1-1.5 tbsp ground cinnamon

Icing (optional)

55g full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature (optional)
60g icing sugar
1/2 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp vanilla essence

Instructions

Activate the yeast: Whisk the warm milk, with 1 tbsp of the sugar, and the yeast together in a bowl. Cover and allow mixture to sit for 5–10 minutes or until foamy on the surface.
Prepare the dough: Add the remaining sugar and the softened butter and beat until the butter is slightly broken up. Add about 1/4 of the flour, the eggs, and salt and beat on low speed for 30 seconds to stop it from curdling. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the remaining flour. Mix until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes if using a mixer.
- If it seems too sticky and clings to the sides of the bowl instead of forming a rough mass around the dough hook or spoon, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue to mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl but is still moist and tacky. If it feels dry and crumbly, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Knead the dough: If using a mixer, keep the dough in the mixer and knead with the dough hook for at least 5 minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5-10 minutes. If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. You do not want a dry dough.
- When ready, the dough should feel smooth, supple, and elastic. Poke it with your finger – if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
1st Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with clingfilm or a clean kitchen towel. We’ve made some reusable shower cap type covers for our bowls. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 1.5 to 2 hours or until doubled in size. Don’t panic if it its cold and takes longer to rise.
Grease the bottom and sides of a baking tray or line with non-stick baking parchment. Using parchment makes them much easier to lift out.
Roll out the dough: Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll half the dough into a rectangle. The dimensions and thickness are entirely up to you. I like to roll my dough out really thin to give lots of layers so I get a rectangles about 20 x 40 cm. Whatever you do make sure the dough is smooth and evenly thick. If the dough keeps shrinking as you roll it out, stop what you’re doing, cover it lightly, and let it rest for 10 minutes to relax the gluten. When you return to the dough, it should stretch out much easier.
Fill the rolls: Spread the softened butter all over the dough. The softer the butter is, the easier it is to spread in this step. (Microwave it for a few seconds to soften if needed – but don’t melt it.) In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together until it forms a dust. Sprinkle evenly over the butter. With the long edge facing you tightly roll up the dough to form a log. With an extra-sharp knife, cut into even rolls, 1.5 – 2cm thick. Here you could go for thicker rolls if you wish. Arrange in the prepared baking tray allowing plenty of space for the rolls to double in size.
- Tip 1: The sugar filling sticks to the butter so make sure you go right to the edges of the dough.
- Tip 2: If the knife sticks, dip it in flour – I have a small heap of flour next to where I’m working.
- Tip 3: I usually find that the rolls on either end of the log are a bit misshapen and sometimes lacking in filling. If necessary I unroll them, reshape them and add in any filling that has fallen out as I’ve been going along and then reroll them.
2nd Rise: Cover the baking trays and allow the rolls to rise until doubled in size and puffy. They will rise more in the oven. Alternatively place in the fridge for a cold ferment overnight. Do not stress about the timings for each of the rises.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C Fan)
Bake your cinnamon rolls for about 25–28 minutes or until they are lightly browned on top, rotating the pan halfway through. After about 15 minutes check if the rolls are browning too quickly and if necessary, loosely tent a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the pan. Remove pan from the oven and place pan on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes.
Make the icing: We’ve actually stopped putting the icing on but here’s the original recipe.
- Cream cheese icing – beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the icing sugar, milk, and vanilla. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 1 minute.
- Vanilla icing – omit the cream cheese. The milk can be substituted with water.
- Spread the icing over the warm rolls and serve immediately – alternatively wait till the icing sets and pop in the freezer.