How to Make the Perfect Cinnamon Rolls

How to make the dough

The dough for the cinnamon rolls should feel tacky to the touch, but not excessively so. Too little flour will make the dough sticky and eventually produce dense rolls. The dough will be tough and the rolls will be dry if you add too much flour. Allow your dough to rise twice for the fluffiest cinnamon rolls.

How to prepare the cream cheese glaze

While the rolls are baking, make the icing. Cream cheese, butter, and vanilla should be combined and beaten until smooth and creamy. The powdered sugar should be thoroughly mixed in. Apply frosting to the rolls.

Tips for perfect cinnamon rolls

The cinnamon rolls will stay moist if you store them airtight. Wrap each cinnamon roll in foil or plastic wrap before placing it into a freezer bag.

You can refrigerate the cinnamon roll dough after kneading or after the dough has risen for the first time. The molded dough should be carefully covered and kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

Use full-fat or skim milk for the recipe. Stir in the yeast after one minute of warming your milk in the microwave, then rewarm for another 10 to 20 seconds. Use warm milk to avoid killing the yeast, if your milk is too hot, let it cool before adding the milk.

Ingredients.

Rolls:

1 large egg lightly whisked

3 1/2 cups all-purpose or plain flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Cooking oil

Yeast:

1 cup milk warmed to the touch

1/4 cup melted butter

5 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons quick-rise yeast or instant or rapid-rise yeast

Filling:

3/4 cup loosely packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons butter melted

Icing:

110 g cream cheese room temperature

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup powdered sugar

Procedure

Heat oven to 200°F or 100°C.

Combine the warm milk together with the melted butter, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Allow to stand for 10 minutes, until frothy.

Add the whisked egg to the milk mixture, flour, and salt, and mix until a soft but sticky dough forms.

Fold the dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 2 minutes kneading), occasionally rolling into the flour on your bench top to prevent the dough from sticking to your fingers.

Lightly coat a large bowl with cooking oil spray and transfer the ball of dough to the bowl, turning once to coat in the oil. Cover with a damp towel.

Place the dough bowl in the warm oven, and turn off the oven. Observe for 30 minutes as it rises. Push two fingers into the dough to check if it is ready, if an indentation forms, the dough has not risen enough.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down, cover it, and let it rest for a further 30 minutes.

On a lightly dusted surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle that measures 19 inches by 13 inches then distribute brown sugar and cinnamon equally over the dough after being brushed with melted butter.

Gently incorporate the butter with the cinnamon mixture, and roll the dough tightly like a jelly roll, starting at one of the long sides.

Gently squeeze the seam to close then slice the dough into even pieces after trimming the ends.

Place the rolls in a 9x13-inch baking dish that has been lightly buttered. Allow to rise for an additional 30 minutes, or until it has doubled in size, before covering with the damp towel.

Preheat the oven to 175°C or 350°F while it is rising.

Bake the cinnamon rolls for 25 minutes, or until they begin to brown.

While the rolls are baking, prepare the glazing by combining the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Beat the mixture until smooth and creamy. Add in the powdered sugar and beat until lump-free.

Allow the rolls to cool slightly before glazing them. Apply frosting to the rolls and serve hot.