Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls are delicious and there is nothing better than homemade - yum! I used a recipe from Smitten Kitchen and actually baked these rolls on separate days. I ended up baking one batch for us and then freezing a whole pan and baking it on a different day* so that they could be fresh for Matt to take in to work.

Cinnamon Rolls

For Dough:

1 cup whole milk

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 1/4 teaspoon (one packet) instant yeast

1 teaspoon salt

Combine milk and butter in a glass measuring cup. Microwave on high for 30-45 seconds, until butter is melted and mixture is warmed to 120-130 degrees. Add the yeast to the milk and butter mixture and let stand for a few minutes to activate. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and add 1 cup of the flour, sugar, egg, and salt. Beat on low speed for 3 minutes. Gradually add the additional 2 1/2 cups flour. Beat on low until flour is absorbed and mixture is sticky, about 8 minutes.

For this process, I switched over to the dough hook attachment. My dough was pretty sticky, so I ended up adding a little flour. Not too much, because you don't want it to become tough.

Form dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and allow the dough to rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 2 hours. In my kitchen, the top of the refrigerator seems to be a "happy place" for my dough to rise. It stays pretty warm up there and is out of the way.

After 2 hours and doubled in size

On a floured surface, roll out dough to a 15 by 11 inch rectangle.

Meanwhile, prepare the delicious cinnamon roll filling.

Cinnamon Roll filling:

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons cinnamon

1/4 cup softened butter

pinch of salt

Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and pinch of salt in a small bowl. Spread the softened butter evenly over the rolled out rectangle of dough. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the top.

Now comes the fun part! Starting on the longer edge, roll the dough into a log, pinching gently to keep it rolled up. With seam end down, cut crosswise into equal slices, each about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide.

Arrange cut rolls in a greased baking dish, keeping them close together. * If you are freezing the rolls to bake later, like I did with half of my batch, stop at this point and wrap the pan tightly with plastic wrap and then foil. The day before you are ready to bake them, allow the pan to sit at room temperature overnight, until rolls are completely thawed and have had a chance to rise and double in size.

Cover pan and allow rolls to rise an additional 45 minutes to an hour, until doubled in size again.

After another hour

Bake rolls at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, until tops are golden brown and cinnamon mixture is bubbly. Remove from oven and immediately invert onto a cooling rack.

Upside down rolls - let all that cinnamon-y goodness sink in!

The final step is topping them with a delicious cream cheese glaze.

Glaze

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients into a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread glaze on warm cinnamon rolls and enjoy!