I have a confession to make. It’s about cinnamon rolls. I love these gooey little treats to pieces, but I only eat the center. That’s it, just the center coil. Why? That’s where all the goodness is! I see the rest of the cinnamon roll as protection for the precious, beyond delicious center. I always feel wasteful, but someone always comes along and gladly eat the shamelessly discarded scraps.
Recently McDonalds came out with a dessert that tries to simulate the center cinnamon roll euphoria. Without openly admitting that I’ve actually enjoyed something from McDonalds, I will say that this dessert (which I think only costs a dollar) is served warm, and full of cinnamon and tenderness… and lots of sweet white frosting type stuff. I won’t say it’s delicious, but I will say this: warm, cinnamon, sweet, 2:30am, 24 hour drive through, plastic fork, disposable container, no dishes, no evidence.
But if you have the time and inclination, these cinnamon rolls are a dream.
These cinnamon rolls were adapted from a recipe for a Norwegian Coffee Cake. The yeasted bread has cinnamon, cardamom and freshly grated nutmeg. The bread, in its original form is a beautiful braided creation, that even rivals the picturesque yumminess of these cinnamon rolls.
Cinnamon Rolls- Sugar and Spice
Sponge:
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/2 cup bread flour
2/3 cup whole milk, cold
4 teaspoons honey
Final dough:
1 cup bread flour
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons butter, cold
1/3 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs, room temperature
Cinnamon Sugar Filling:
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
Icing:
2/3 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk
1/8 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Method:
1. Mix the sponge: In a medium bowl combine all of the dry ingredients followed lastly by the milk. Stir together for 2 minutes, then cover with the flours, then the salt from the final dough. The flours are used on top of the sponge like a covering of plastic wrap. Allow to ferment at room temperature for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile combine all of the ingredients for the cinnamon sugar filling and set aside. Grease and flour a cupcake baking pan and set aside.
3. Begin the final dough: While the sponge is fermenting, in a 4-qt mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter of medium speed until smooth and pale. Add the sugar, lemon zest and spices and continue creaming at the same speed for 5 minutes. It should be light, fluffy and fragrant. Add the eggs in 4 additions, mix until combine. The mixture will look very wet, and curdled. This is a lot of eggs, for the amount of butter, it won’t be completely incorporated. Don’t worry!
4. Add the flour covered sponge to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed until evenly combined. On medium speed, continue to mix with the paddle attachment for 2 minutes. Switch to the dough hook and mix on low speed until smooth and satiny. If the dough is sticking a lot to the sides of the bowl, add all purpose flour 1 Tablespoon at a time. Stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the dough off the bottom of the bowl. Mixing with the dough hook takes about 5 minutes. You can finish with a minute or two of hand kneading if you like.
5. Place the dough in a lightly greased and floured bowl. Next, tuck greased plastic wrap around the dough so that no air can enter. Place a clean dish towel over the bowl. Bulk ferment at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours.
6. Flip the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface to fold the dough and redistribute the yeast. With a floured hand, pat the dough roughly into a rectangle. Lift the left side of the dough and fold it over almost to the right side of the dough, leaving about 2 inches of room. Lift the right side and fold it all the way over to the left. Lift the bottom of the dough, the side closest to you, and fold it almost to the top of the dough, leaving about an inch. Lastly, fold the top of the dough all the way down towards you. Return the dough to the bowl and cover as before, leaving it for 30 minutes.
7. On a lightly floured work surface, using a rolling pin, degas and roll the dough out to a rectangle 15 inches high and 12 inches long.
8. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar filling. Beginning with the long edge, roll up the dough and cinnamon sugar filling. Brush the edge of the seam with water and pinch closed. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
9. Using a bench knife, or sharp kitchen knife, slice the dough into 1 inch cinnamon rolls. Place cinnamon rolls into the cupcake pan for baking. At the point, sliced cinnamon rolls can also be placed on a cookie sheet to freeze for later baking. Either way, cover the sliced cinnamon rolls with plastic wrap and allow to rest and almost double in size, about 50 minutes. If the room is very warm from the oven, they will proof in as little as 35 minutes.
10. Bake for 10-15 minutes, keeping an eye on them after 10 minutes, until they are a lovely golden brown. If you’re freezing some, place the entire cookie sheet in the freezer, after the final rise, until rolls are frozen. One frozen you can stack them for storage. I let them mostly thaw before I bake them.
11. Remove from the oven and cool in pan on rack for about 20 minutes. Carefully remove form pan, and when completely cool, drizzle with glaze. These are best eaten the day that are made!
Ellen
Oh dear Joy! I am in BIG trouble. I found you only a few days ago and in that short time have been full of joy perusing your index. I was on a mission to check out cinnamon roll recipes because I am in the middle of compiling a book of my grandmother’s (Ee-Ee) recipes to keep my memories of her and the smell of her kitchen alive and I found you. I have printed so many recipes and have tried several already. Tonight will include your peanut butter pretzel brownie creation and your cinnamon sugar pull-apart bread. Pure Joy! Thanks a million – friends forever:)
Amy
Joy! Please help!
I’m going to a friends vacation home this weekend and it’s my Birthday on Saturday and I want to make myself cinnamon rolls for breakfast. We’re leaving right after work on Friday and since I have to work all day on Friday, can I make these on Thursday night and let me rise until Saturday morning??!?! Or will they be crazy, ridiculous HUGE? I absolutely love cinnamon rolls, please help! (or tell me something equally delicious to make instead that will transport well).
Thanks!
Amy
Barbara
Ooops! I hadn’t read other comments before I responded. Sounds like the center “gooeyness” of the cinnamon rolls is a favorite of a lot of folks. It is yummy! :-))))
Barbara
You’re the only other person besides my grandson who admits to having a special fondness for the center of a cinnamon roll. He, at a very young age, began calling the center coil in my homemade cinnamon rolls “the nugget of joy.”
I’m on the way to my kitchen to make your strawberry coffee cake. It looks wonderful.
Lauren
That’s it, I obviously need to quit my job, say goodbye to all my friends, and possibly even limit my reading and art-ing…it’s obvious that my world now needs to revolve around these. Baking these and eating these. And repeat. And then trying to make my way through everything you make. Omn.
Lauren
I made these yummy treats and they turned out not only yummy but gorgeous too! It takes some time to make them, but they are super easy and fun! Thanks for sharing this one!
Kathy
Is a cupcake baking pan the same as a muffin pan? I’m dying to make these and I just made your blackberry (blueberry) pie bars tonight.
bob the girl
yall are so crazy! I HATE HATE HATE the center, the top is the very best part
bob
Sorry to comment so late, but I have a question about mixing this dough. Do I have to use a mixer with both a paddle and dough hook attachment? I’ve only got an old Sunbeam with the two whisk/paddle mixers and I’m dying to make these cinnamon rolls. :9
So Not a Baker
Do you ship to Singapore?
Soosh
Amen sistah – it’s the closest we vegetarians get to a tenderloin.
Soraya
i love cinnamon rolls too much, thaaanks alot for the method , it’s the best till now ,it’s look delicious i have to make it ,thanks again =D
Cristy
I am killing myself right now looking @ these delicious cinnamon buns right now!! <3
POWER TO THE CINNAMON BUNS!!!
Eli
droool
Rhiannon
These look amazing. I totally have a craving for a cinnamon roll – fresh and warm…
Joanna in the kitchen
For me the frosting make this cinnamon rolls. Your photos are so nice:-)
Jaime
the center is my very favorite part too!!!
Dana
*Totally* agree with the center coil thesis. It is by far the best part of the cinnamon roll. And (shhhh) sometimes McD’s hits the spot, especially when it’s after midnight… hehe
Mike
I love cinnamon rolls but never made my own. But you’re right–the center is just like the top of a muffin, but I suppose I’ll eat it if I have to. ;-) As I sit here on grocery day with nothing for breakfast, I’m drooling at photos of cinnamon rolls…. :-P
JEP
LOL—when I was about 8 or 9, I ate the centers out of a whole pan of cinnamon rolls that were cooling on the kitchen counter—oh my, I was in big trouble with my mom! MMmm….centers are the best!
Deborah
I also love the center. I never bite into a cinnamon roll, it always has to be unrolled and eaten bite by bite until you reach the center. Save the best for last!!
kellypea
Completely agreeing with you about that gooey center, loving Cinnabons, and not too long ago making a copycat recipe, I can say that it’s worth looking for that one that is just right…this one looks to be there. I’m loving the idea of the brown sugar in the dough.
chriesi
I love cinnamon. These look great. Yummy.
Ashley
What perfect little cinnamon rolls! I love the whole cinnamon roll. I like when the outside part gets kind of dried out and crispy. And I love the soft inside part. It’s all delicious!
Kristen
Oh you are even making me tempted to hit McDonald’s this morning!
My mouth is watering for a cinnamon roll. Nothing better than homemade goodness like that in the morning (or middle of the night, for that matter)! Well done :)
Linda
Big LOL at “I only eat the center”! Me too! It’s squidgy soft and stickily sweet, the best part of a cinnamon roll! :)
Muffin
Mmm.. I love cinnamon rolls. Yours look especially delicious!
Stephanie
I’ve just spent all day baking the bread from your earlier post and now you’ve put these yummy treats up on your blog! You’re going to have me in my kitchen 24/7!
Jerri
these look wonderful. I wish I could reach in the computer and pull one out.
mary
I want to eat my computer screen….why am I so fascinated with baked goods? these look absolutely wonderful!
Susan from Food Blogga
What would I have to do to get one of these delivered for my breakfast this morning? I’m willing to do a lot for cinnamon rolls.
laurie
Good lord, so not fair to wake up to that in the am. Just so not fair.
Mari
Can’t wait!
Allison
ooooooh. because you are such a tease, and because that picture looks soooo delicious, i now have to make cinnamon buns this weekend. good job.
Nikki
So not cool. If you send me baked goods and kisses I mayyyy be able to forgive you :P