Description
A recipe for one very delicious, doughy cinnamon roll for one. You can absolutely double the recipe and make two fine rolls.
Ingredients
Scale
For the dough:
- 1/2 cup (64 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon instant (RapidRise) yeast
- A good pinch of salt (we’re talking less than 1/8 teaspoon)
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil or any neutral oil you prefer
- 2 1/2 tablespoons milk (cow’s milk or any kind of nut or oat milk)
For the filling:
- 1–2 tablespoons softened butter (salted or unsalted, it’s up to you)
- 3 tablespoons lightly packed brown sugar
- 1/2–3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (just sprinkle it on generously until you’re pleased)
- A pinch of salt if you used unsalted butter
For the glaze:
- 1 ounce (about a 1/2-inch slice off a cream cheese block) softened cream cheese
- 2–3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- A splash of vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
- A tiny splash of milk, if necessary (a teaspoon or so)
Instructions
- Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 1-cup oven-safe ramekin with nonstick cooking spray (or smear with softened butter) and set aside. To figure out the side of your ramekin, fill a measuring cup with 1 cup of water and pour the water into the ramekin. A 1-cup ramekin will be filled to the absolute brim. Use an oven-safe vessel as close to 1-cup as you have.
- In a small bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, yeast, and a pinch of salt. In a small measuring cup whisk together oil and milk and heat in the microwave until just warm to the touch (somewhere between 105 and 110 degrees F).
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry and use a spatula to incorporate well until the ingredients gather into a cohesive ball. Lightly sprinkle the counter with flour and knead the small dough ball for 20-30 turns. Lightly cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
- Roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness into a 9-inch tall x 6-inch wide rectangle (though mine is always more like an oval). You won’t need too much flour on the counter because you want the dough to stick to the counter just a bit to hold its shape.
- Smear with butter. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Sprinkle with cinnamon and maybe a sprinkle of salt. Use a large knife to slice the dough into 3 strips (about 2-inches each). Roll the first strip into a relatively tight coil. Place that coil on the second strip and roll again. Place that coil on the third strip and roll into a generous cinnamon roll. Place in the prepared ramekin, cover loosely with a towel and place near the oven as it heats. Allow to rest for 20-30 minutes until puffed.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes until golden and bubbling. While the roll bakes, whisk together the glaze. (I zap the cream cheese in the microwave for a few seconds to super soften it.) Add cream cheese, vanilla, salt, and a tiny splash of milk to get the right consistency.
- Remove roll from the oven. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before using a butterknife or large spoon to scoop the hot hot roll from the ramekin. Smear with glaze and wow, enjoy immediately.
- Note: You can absolutely double this recipe successfully. Split the dough in two before rolling and coiling and do so separately.