Ok, I’m picky about a lot of things, but cinnamon rolls is one I’m VERY opinionated about.
I want them to be gooey and FLAVORFUL (no bland, dry rolls). I want the bread part to taste good (if I just wanted cinnamon sprinkled bread, I would eat cinnamon toast (preferably the Pioneer Woman’s method- very good). I want them to be decadent and worth spending the time to bake and calories to eat.
Needless to say, they are hard to find.
So early in quarantine, I saw my friends at Recipe Archeology (check them out- hilarious YouTube videos!) post some sticky buns. Now, I didn’t want that particular treatment, but the base seemed like a great start to a cinnamon roll. So I’ve been working on them the entire stay-at-home time.
I’m ready to share my recipe. (Process photos under the recipe so you can see how it goes.)
Perfect Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- Dough:
- 2 packages dry active yeast
- 2.5 cups warm water (around 105-110 degrees, if you have a thermometer)
- one box yellow cake mix
- 4 1/2 cups flour (either all All-Purpose or 2 cups bread and 2.5 cups AP), plus some for dusting
- Filling:
- 1.5 sticks salted butter (very soft, almost melty)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- cinnamon (I pour directly from the bottle- probably 1/3 cup?)
- 2 teaspoon salt
- Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp caramel extract (or use all vanilla)
- 1/2 tsp maple extract (or use all vanilla or double the caramel extract)
Directions
- Start by dissolving the yeast in the warm water for 5 minutes.
- Add cake mix, water and flour to a mixer (with a bread hook) and mix for 10 minutes. DON’T shorten this time. LET IT GO. The gluten in the flour needs to develop. It will still be pretty sticky.
- Dump it on a floured surface (I put down wax paper and flour for easy cleanup), and knead in some flour until it’s almost not sticky. Form a ball and place in a greased big bowl.
- Place the dough ball bowl in your COLD over (with the light on- that’s the heat you need to proof it), and let sit for 1 hour.
- Take the dough out (it should be big and puffy) and punch it down. Cut it in half.
- Take one half and place it on the floured surface. We are going to “laminate” the dough now (meaning make layers).
- Flatten it out by hand, then fold in 1/3s (sort of like a letter), turn it a quarter and fold in 1/3s again. Then do it again (flatten, fold, fold).
- Let it sit for 15 minutes, then roll is out into a big rectangle (as rectangle as possible, wonky is ok).
- Spread HALF of the softened butter on the dough, then sprinkle HALF of the sugar mix, and 1 tsp salt. Top with plenty of cinnamon.
- Roll it up (top of the long side down), then use a serrated knife to cut into 12 rolls (cut in half, then half again (4 logs), then cut each quarter into three rolls.
- Place in greased pans (I like to use two pie pans and one 8×8 so you get lots of edges), and let rest (either one hour at room temp or in the fridge covered for at least 6 hours). Rolls WILL rise and expand. Don’t crowd them. Repeat with other half of the dough.
- Take risen rolls and bake uncovered at 350 for 15-25 minutes (I know….that’s a big spread. Check them at 15. You want light browning…it depends on how thick you cut the rolls).
- Mix glaze ingredients well until powdered sugar dissolves. Will be very liquid.
- AS SOON AS THEY COME OUT OF THE OVEN, top with glaze. Just remember you will have 2-3 pans to glaze and divide it accordingly. Make them full of liquid glaze. Once they cool, it sets a bit
Here are some process photos in case you are a visual learner:
Sticky dough after mixing for 10 minutes-
Puffy dough after rising for an hour in a COLD oven with the light on-
Half the dough rolled out and topped-
Cut into 12-
In the pan before rising a second time-
After second rise, before baking-
After baking, before glazing-
These would be PERFECT to make head for Thanksgiving morning or Christmas morning breakfast. Just make the dough the night before and bake that morning! So good!
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