Cinnamon rolls

Name: Cinnamon rolls
Prep time: 75 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 105 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: Sugar 5 tbsp; Type 00 flour 5 cups; Brewer's yeast 1 ½ tsp; Fine salt 1 tsp; Water at room temperature 4 oz; Whole milk at room temperature 4 oz; Butter 2.8 oz; Eggs (about 1) 1.9 oz; Sugar ½ cup; Cinnamon powder 6 tsp; Butter for greasing the pan and brushing the dough 1 tbsp; Powdered sugar 1 ¾ cup; Water to taste

379

Calories per piece

Energy Kcal 379
Carbohydrates g 73
of which sugars g 34.1
Protein g 6.6
Fats g 6.7
of which saturated fat g 3.67
Fiber g 1.6
Cholesterol mg 35
Sodium mg 177

Vegetarian

Difficulty: Difficult
Prep time: 1 h 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Makes: 12 pieces
Cost: Low
Note +1 hour for rising

PRESENTATION

A good cinnamon rolls recipe is a geometry problem: the dough needs to be soft enough to roll without tearing, the filling dense enough to stay in the spiral rather than leak out during baking, and the layers close enough together that each bite gets dough and filling in equal measure. Get those three things right and the result is what everyone is looking for — a pull-apart center that's soft without being raw, a caramelized edge where the cinnamon sugar has met the heat of the pan, and a glaze that melts into the top rather than sitting on it.

The dough is enriched — eggs, butter, milk — which gives it the tenderness that separates a good cinnamon bun from a bread roll with filling. Here's how to make cinnamon rolls that hold their shape through the bake and improve overnight. It needs time: a first rise to develop flavor, a second rise after shaping to recover the structure before the oven. The overnight method works well here — reduce the yeast, shape the rolls, refrigerate overnight, and bake in the morning straight from the cold. The slow fermentation adds depth and means the hardest work is already done before breakfast starts.

Classic icing is a simple powdered sugar glaze. Cream cheese frosting is the American upgrade — tangier, denser, the version most people mean when they say they want a proper cinnamon roll. Chocolate chips or soaked raisins folded into the filling before rolling, or a scatter of granulated sugar on top before baking, are the variations worth trying once you've made the original.

INGREDIENTS

379

Calories per serving

Sugar 5 tbsp (60 g)

Type 00 flour 5 cups (615 g)

Brewer's yeast 1 ½ tsp (5 g)

Fine salt 1 tsp (5 g)

Water 4 oz (120 g) - at room temperature

Whole milk 4 oz (120 g) - at room temperature

Butter 2.8 oz (80 g)

Eggs 1.9 oz (55 g) - (about 1)

for flavoring and brushing: Sugar ½ cup (110 g); Cinnamon powder 6 tsp (15 g); Butter 1 tbsp (15 g) - for greasing the pan and brushing the dough

for glazing: Powdered sugar 1 ¾ cup (200 g); Water to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Cinnamon rolls

To prepare the cinnamon rolls start by melting the butter over low heat and then let it cool down once ready. Then pour all the dry ingredients into a bowl, namely the flour and sugar 1, the dry yeast (or fresh yeast crumbled directly into the bowl, 0.63 oz) 2 and the salt and mix 3.

Do the same with the liquid ingredients. In a bowl pour the water 4 together with the milk 5 and the lightly beaten egg 6.

Then continue with the melted butter that you have allowed to cool 7 and mix everything with a wooden spoon 8. At this point, combine the liquid ingredients with the dry ingredients 9

and, with the help of the spoon, mix until you obtain a combined mixture 10. Transfer it to the work surface 11 and knead by hand until you get a smooth and homogeneous ball 12 You can add a pinch of flour if necessary to work more easily. The dough is ready when your hands come out clean from kneading.

Grease a bowl with some butter 13 and place the dough inside 14, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for at least 30 minutes at a temperature between 68°F and 77°F (alternatively, you can keep the bowl in the oven turned off but with the light on) 15.

Move on to preparing the seasoning mix. In a bowl pour the sugar 16 and the cinnamon powder 17, mix well and set it aside 18.

Take the leavened dough 19 and deflate it on a lightly floured work surface with the help of a rolling pin 20. Obtain a rectangle of about 20x14 inches 21

then brush with melted butter 22 and sprinkle with ¾ of the seasoning mix 23 making sure to distribute it over the entire surface 24.

At this point, you will proceed to roll up the dough. Start by gently lifting the bottom edge along the longer side, this way you will help to detach it from the work surface 25. Then proceed to roll up a bit at a time, making sure to roll tightly and without squashing the dough 26. Once you have the roll, you will need to shape it with your hands to obtain a length of about 19 inches, so hold one end with your hand and with the other apply light pressure towards the end you are holding, to give a uniform shape 27.

With a sharp blade divide the roll in half 28, divide one of the halves again in half 29 and from each subdivision, you should get 3 disks of the same size (about 1.2-1.6 inches). Continue the same way also for the other piece. You will get with these doses 12 rolls 30; you can slightly model them with your hands to round the shape.

Grease a rectangular pan of about 12x8 inches and sprinkle it with the remaining 1/4 of the seasoning mix 31. Place the rolls in the pan all in the same direction, spacing them about 0.4 inches apart 32. Once all the pieces are arranged, gently press with your fingers to make the shape of each roll uniform 33

and finally cover with plastic wrap, letting it rise for another 30 minutes at least 34. After the time, the swirls will have doubled 35, then proceed to baking. The cinnamon rolls bake in a preheated oven, in static mode, at 355°F for about 30 minutes. Once baked, let them cool completely 36.

To prepare the frosting, pour the powdered sugar into a container and add a bit of cold water a little at a time and start to mix 37, continue to add more if necessary, always one tablespoon at a time, until you obtain a viscous consistency 38 and finally sprinkle your cinnamon rolls with the frosting before enjoying them 39!

Storage

Don't glaze the rolls before storing — the icing turns to syrup and softens the dough. Store unglazed rolls at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and add the glaze just before serving. For the make-ahead method: reduce the yeast, shape the rolls, and refrigerate the unbaked tray overnight for 8–12 hours. The next day, bring to room temperature before baking as directed.

Tips

For extra indulgence, fold chocolate chips or soaked raisins into the cinnamon filling before rolling. A scatter of granulated sugar on top before the oven goes in gives the surface a slight crunch that contrasts well with the soft interior. Cream cheese frosting in place of a plain glaze makes the rolls richer and slightly tangy — worth making at least once.

Curiosities

Cinnamon rolls trace back to Sweden, where they're known as kanelbulle — a staple of the coffee ritual called fika, served warm alongside a cup of strong coffee as a deliberate pause in the day. The Swedish version typically uses granulated sugar rather than icing, and sometimes cardamom in the dough alongside the cinnamon. The American version arrived in the first half of the 20th century, when the concept traveled across the Atlantic and was scaled up, sweetened, and topped with the cream cheese frosting that most people now consider definitive.

The two versions diverge most obviously in the finish: the original kanelbulle is lighter and less sweet, the American cinnamon roll considerably richer. The traditional Swedish frosting uses butter as a base; this recipe opts for a classic water-based glaze instead, which keeps the rolls from becoming too heavy given the richness already in the enriched dough. The result sits between the two traditions — soft and indulgent, but not so sweet that you can't eat more than one.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.