Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Like every family during the holidays, my family has certain traditions that make the holidays feel complete! One of these traditions is baking cinnamon rolls while watching holiday movies. As a result, I have practiced and developed my cinnamon roll making skills over several years. Today, I want to share this recipe with you so you can make it for your loved ones. The recipe that I use was developed by Tasty and can be watched by clicking this link. Otherwise, continue reading!

Ingredients

Dough:

2 cups warm whole milk

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup melted unsalted butter

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

5 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp kosher salt

Filling: 

3/4 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup softened unsalted butter

2 tbsp cinnamon powder

Frosting:

4 oz cream cheese

2 tbsp melted unsalted butter

4 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Mix together the warm milk, granulated sugar, melted butter in a large bowl. (Important: make sure that the milk is warm, close to body temperature. Otherwise, you will kill the yeast). Give this a mix before adding in the yeast. Let the yeast activate for 10 minutes.
2. Add in 4 cups of the flour and incorporate it using a spatula until a wet, sticky dough has been formed. There might be some lumps in this batter, however, that is not a problem. Cover the bowl with a wet kitchen towel and proof this dough for 1 hour until is has almost doubled in size.
3. To make the filling, mix the softened butter, cinnamon and brown sugar into a bowl until well combined.
4. Butter 2 9-inch pans or any other pans that will be used to bake the cinnamon rolls.
5. Once proofed, remove the covering from the dough and add the remaining cup of flour, baking powder and salt. Dust your hands and a clean surface with some flour and begin kneading the dough. Knead for approximately 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and bounces back when poked.
6. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 1 cm thick. Note: make sure the edges and corners are sharp to aid in the rolling process.
7. Using a spatula, spread the filling onto the dough in an even layer.
8. Starting from the shorter side of the rectangle, roll the dough. Making sure to close the seam by pinching it. Place the roll so the seam faces down.
9. Using some dental floss, begin cutting 8 cm thick rolls. After all rolls have been cut, place in the buttered pans and cover. Leave in a warm place for 35-45 minutes until doubled in size.
10. Place in a 350˚F (180˚C) oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
11. While the cinnamon rolls are baking, make the frosting. Using a whisk, mix together cream cheese, vanilla extract, milk and melted butter until combined. Slowly begin adding in the powdered sugar until a smooth consistency is achieved.
12. Once the rolls are golden-brown, take them out of the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes.
13. While warm, drizzle the frosting over all of the rolls, making sure to coat all surfaces.
14. Enjoy!

That’s it! I have been using this recipe for years now and every year, I always get some amazing cinnamon rolls! I hope that you try this recipe out and love it as much as my family and I do!

Featured Image

Sources: 1