Soft, fluffy cinnamon rolls, smothered in a thick, sumptuous layer of sweet vanilla cream cheese frosting. Perfect for breakfast (you can overnight prove them), brunch, afternoon snack, or dessert!
Add the milk and butter to a microwaveable bowl and heat for about 1 minute, stirring once, halfway through heating, until the butter has JUST melted. The milk should feel warm, but not hot. Alternatively, you can heat it in a saucepan, with the butter, until just warm.
180 ml (3/4) cup full-fat milk (whole milk), 60 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter
Pour the warm milk and butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. (*Note 2)
Add the sugar, yeast, egg, and egg yolk. Mix together for a few seconds, until just combined. I do this with my dough hook, so I don't have to change out the mixer attachment later.
55 g (1/4 cup) granulated or caster sugar, 2 1/2 tsp easy bake dried yeast, 1 large egg, 1 egg yolk from a large egg
Add the flour and salt into the mixture and mix again, on a slow setting (so the flour doesn't fly out) using the dough hook, for about 30-60 seconds, until combined.
360 g (3 cups) strong white bread flour, 3/4 tsp salt
Turn up the speed to medium, and knead the dough, with the dough hook attachment for 10 minutes. The dough should be sticky (this stickiness now will result in softer cinnamon rolls later).
Remove the mixer bowl from the stand mixer and cover with cling film (plastic wrap) or a wax wrap.
Leave the dough to prove/rise in a warm place (a warm room) for 60-90 minutes, until the dough has doubled in size.
Line a rectangular baking dish - approx. 11.5 inches x 8.5 inches with baking parchment. I use a rectangular Pyrex dish.
Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the flour on a clean work surface and tip out the proved dough. Sprinkle the top of the dough with the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour.
4 tbsp flour
Shape the dough, using your hands into a rectangle, approx 16x10 inches, with the longest side closest to you (parallel to the edge of the work surface)
Spread the butter all over the top of the dough rectangle, right up to the edges, using the back of a spoon.
60 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter
Mix together the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it all over the butter. You can use your hands to ensure it's spread evenly.
90 g (2/3 cup) light brown sugar, 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
Carefully roll up the dough, from the longest side, rolling it away from you.
Use a long piece of natural cotton or unflavoured dental floss to cut off the very ends of the rolled-up dough, on both sides. This will ensure the rest of the cinnamon rolls are neat and even (*Note 3).
Now use the cotton to slice the dough roll into 12 even cinnamon rolls.
Arrange the cinnamon rolls in the prepared baking dish so they're evenly distributed (4 rolls by 3 rolls).
Cover the dish with clingfilm or a wax wrap and leave to prove/rise for a further 30-60 minutes, until they've increased in size (the rolls should all be touching after this rise).
Preheat the oven to 170C/340F (fan).
Once the cinnamon rolls have risen, remove the clingfilm and place in the oven.
Cook for 20-22 minutes, until light golden brown.
Meanwhile, make the cream cheese topping.
Place the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and give it a whisk (an electric or manual whisk is fine) to loosen it up.
180 g (6.3 oz) full fat cream cheese
Add the softened butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla bean paste and whisk again (start slow, so the confectioners's sugar doesn't fly out), until you have a smooth cream cheese frosting. Put to one side.
70 g (4 1/2 tbsp) unsalted butter, 180 g (1 1/2 cups) confectioners' sugar, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
When the cinnamon rolls have finished baking, remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes.
Spoon the cream cheese frosting on top of the still-warm cinnamon rolls (doing this while it's still warm will ensure the cinnamon rolls stay lovely and soft).
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Video
Notes
*Note 1 - Tip for bringing eggs up to room temperaturePlace your eggs in a jug or bowl of warm water. The water should be a cosy warm bath temperature, that you can comfortably put your hand in. Leave the eggs in for 5 minutes and they should be ready to use.*Note 2 - Don't have a stand mixer?You can mix the ingredients together in a bowl, using a wooden spoon or your hands, until it comes together.When it's time to knead the dough, drizzle 1 tablespoon of flavourless oil on a clean work surface and tip the dough out. Rub your hands with a little bit of oil and knead the dough by hand for 8-10 minutes.Why are we kneading in oil instead of flour?
Cinnamon roll dough is a sticky dough. Adding more flour to the dough will make the dough tougher and drier.
Using oil will stop the dough from sticking to your hands and the work surface, and will still ensure you have a nice moist dough.
You can still use flour when it comes to shaping the dough after the first rise.*Note 3 - Don't throw away the ends of the rolled up doughSave the end pieces you cut off and bake them too. They're your chefs treat! I place them on a small baking tray and bake them at the same time as the cinnamon rolls, on a shelf underneath. They're smaller, so they'll be a little darker at the end of cooking time, but still utterly delicious!Have a bread proving oven?If you have a bread proving oven, you can reduce the overall proving time. For the first prove, use full steam on the bread-proving function and prove for 30 minutes.For the second prove, use full steam on the bread-proving function and prove for 20 minutes.StoringBecause the topping contains cream cheese, I prefer to store these cinnamon rolls in the fridge.Once the cinnamon rolls have cooled, cover them and refrigerate for up to 3 days. They will firm up a little in the fridge, so I like to place individual cinnamon rolls in the microwave and heat for about 15-20 seconds to warm them through slightly and make them fluffy again. Don't heat through for any longer, or the cream cheese frosting will melt.Making aheadYou can make these cinnamon rolls ahead, so you can have them fresh for breakfast in the morning. Make the rolls, up to the point you add the rolls to the baking tray. Then rather then leaving them to prove, cover them and place in the refrigerator overnight. Take out of the refrigerator in the morning, and place in a warm room for about 45 minutes - they should rise a little during this time (preheat the oven during this time too). Then bake as per baking the instructions.The cream cheese frosting can be make up to three days ahead, then covered and refrigerated until ready to use (you can use it straight from the fridge).Freezing - unbakedYou can freeze the unbaked cinnamon rolls in the tray, covered. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Once defrosted, take out of the fridge and allow to come up to warm up at room temperature for 45 minutes (they'll rise a little during this time), then bake as per the baking instructions.The cream cheese frosting can be make ahead and frozen in an airtight container too (it freezes well due to the high fat content, so don't be tempted to use low fat). Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and it's ready to use.Freezing - bakedYou can also freeze the cooked cinnamon rolls in an airtight container. They won't be as good as freshly made, but they still hit the spot!Defrost overnight in the refrigerator then once defrosted, reheat individual cinnamon rolls in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds to heat through and fluff up.You can freeze the cooked cinnamon rolls without the cream cheese frosting or with the cream cheese frosting. If freezing with the cream cheese frosting, the frosting will absorb into the cinnamon rolls slightly. I like to make a little extra frosting when I'm making the cinnamon rolls (the frosting can be frozen too), so I can add to the defrosted and warmed cinnamon rolls just before eating, but that's optional.Like your cinnamon rolls bigger?Divide the rolled up dough into 9 pieces instead of 12 and bake in a square baking dish. They'll need about 2-3 minutes longer in the oven to cook through.Recipe InspirationThis recipe was inspired by Monique's recipe at Ambitious Kitchen. I first started out making Monique's delicious recipe a few years ago and I've adjusted bits here and there along the way.Nutritional information is approximate, per cinnamon roll.