The Dough Diaries: Easy Cinnamon Rolls
Friends, welcome! I have two exciting things to share today & I can hardly wait! Firstly, this is the start of a new series in which I try to use up my fast expiring yeast. Every venture needs a catchy nickname, & ours has the most wonderful one of all: The Dough Diaries. This series is going to take us on a little tour of the bread world, starting with these Easy Cinnamon Rolls. If cinnamon rolls aren’t your thing, then stay tuned for more doughy deliciousness. Secondly, I have some exciting news to share!
The news is something I’ve wanted to share for ages, but I didn’t want to jinx it. As of yesterday, I am officially a contributor for Hungermama. Hungermama is a food blog I’ve been crushing on for ages, and Bethie, Hungermama herself, and I have been talking for a few weeks about me joining. The blog is filled with dozens of family-friendly recipes, so I’ll be sharing some of my less complicated bakes over there. Can you believe it? I’m thrilled! These Easy Cinnamon Rolls are my first post over on the blog – click here to read Bethie’s lovely intro!
easy cinnamon rolls
Now that we’ve got everything out in the open, let’s talk cinnamon rolls. I’ve tested these babies three different times, & each time they got fluffier, softer & more pillow-like. They’re squishy perfection. And not to brag, but they taste incredible. They’re spiked with just the right amount of cinnamon sugar. Enough to make you come back for a second roll, but not enough to make you feel meh. A generous layer of butter in the bottom of our dish caramelizes the rolls ever-so-slightly, bringing a whole other level of flavour. We’re talking serious brunching here.
There is a small bit of effort involved in these rolls, but it is nothing compared to your average recipe. This recipe allows you to go from -0.1 to 6 cinnamon rolls in just over 1.5 hours. I’d consider that a win by brunching standards. Surely I can’t be the only one who gets hit by the deadly cinnamon roll cravings? There I am, barely awake, making coffee, & BAM. I need a cinnamon roll, or I’ll massacre my whole family. It’s rough, but I think we’ve all been there.
Easy Cinnamon Rolls
INGREDIENTS
- 125 ml full fat milk
- 28 g salted butter
- 25 g granulated sugar
- 1.5 tsp active dry yeast
- 192 g plain flour
- 1 large egg yolk
- 56 g salted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 32 g icing sugar, sifted
- 1 tbsp full fat milk
DIRECTIONS
- Over a medium heat in a small saucepan, stir together the milk, butter, and sugar until the sugar has dissolved & the butter has melted. Remove from heat & transfer the liquid into a large mixing bowl and allow to cool to just warm (yeast doesn’t like the heat, so make sure it cools way down, I popped mine into the fridge for a few minutes).
- Sprinkle the yeast over the cooled liquid and stir to incorporate. Leave to sit for 5 minutes in order for the yeast to activate.
- Add the flour and the egg yolk to the milk mixture. Use a wooden spoon to stir together until incorporated. If the dough feels slightly too wet, add more flour (a tablespoon at a time).
- Using your hands, bring the dough together into a ball and knead slightly.
- Cover the bowl with cling film and leave to rest in a warm-ish area for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the cinnamon sugar by combining the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Set aside. Also, prepare your pan: grease the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch baking dish and set aside.
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface and use a rolling pin to roll into a roughly 9 x 12-inch rectangle.
- Spread the dough with the melted butter and then generously sprinkle over the cinnamon sugar (it will seem like a lot, but don’t skimp).
- Starting at the longer edge of the dough, roll it into a tight coil and keep going. Slice this into six large even pieces.
- Place the rolls into the prepared baking dish and leaving about ½ inch of room between each. Cover the dish with cling film and leave to rise for 30 minutes in a warm area.
- While the rolls rise, place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 180C.
- Remove cling film and bake the rolls for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown, puffed, and bubbling. Leave to cool ever so slightly.
- In a small bowl whisk together the icing sugar & the milk. Drizzle over warm rolls and enjoy with several cups of coffee.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to know! Please leave a comment & a rating below, or tag me on Instagram @imvcki. Thank you so much for supporting Passionate Baker!