Cinnamon Rolls

Hello and welcome back everyone!!

Today I am sharing with you a recipe I LOVE with all my heart. This recipe it's perfect for Sunday morning breakfast, enjoy it with coffee or tea. It doesn't matter if its winter or summer, lets me real, cinnamon rolls are perfect for any occasion.

No big story with this recipe, actually I found it really easy. As I am a home baker and at first yeast just scared me out so much because lets be honest... a lot of things can go wrong with yeast. For example: To warm milk you can kill it, used a expired yeast and didn't released it, over proof it, under proof it, etc.

And this recipe it's so simple and so perfect for beginners, I just stuck with it until know.

With this recipe you will achieve a fluffy, moist and gooey bread that will make you eat more than 1.

So before we get started with this recipe, few notes:

1. You can make this rolls one day before. I recommend to do all the process and just let the 2nd proofing(rising) in the fridge all night. Next morning just let them out, chill for 30 min approx.. and bake.

2. You can freeze them, but I don't recommend to wait more than 2 weeks to bake because they will damaged. Same process as before. With the difference that the night before you gonna bake them, you need to thawed them on the fridge overnight. At the next morning, chill (30 min of so) and bake them.

3. You can use active or instant dry yeast. But remember that if you use active you need to use more than the recipe says and of course active it with warm (115 F) milk. ( I will let you a conversion table at the end of the recipe).

4. You can use a stand mixer to kneed or just do it by hand. Of course by hand will take more time and strength but hey just think it this way, you can skip arm day haha.

5. Heavy cream. Nop, it won't change anything if you don't use it but your rolls wont be as gooey. So if you can i recommend to used it. Also you can use half cream, I did it one day that my budget was tight and I noticed there wasn't a big difference.

This past weekend I decided to make some to share with you and also I took advantage of pride day, so I got this beautiful rainbow cinnamon rolls photos for you. Perfect for pride month (day, year, etc.. because everyday is pride haha) and also perfect for kids!

So let's get started:

Cinnamon rolls

Yields 12 rolls

Recipe

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 4 1/2 cups (563 gr) all purpose flour

• 1 cup (244 ml) warm milk

• 2 1/2 tsp instant yeast

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 eggs

• 1/3 cup (76 gr) melted butter

• 1/2 cup (100 gr) sugar

For the filling:

• 1/2 cup (130 gr) room temperature butter

• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 2-3 tbsp. cinnamon

• 1/2(119 gr) cup warm heavy cream

For the Frosting:

• 190 gr cream cheese

• 1/2 cup of cream (it can be heavy or even sour cream)

• 2 cups (240 gr) powdered sugar

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tsp of lemon

• Lemon zest to taste

Instructions:

For the Dough:

1. Combine the warm milk and instant yeast together, let it sit for 5 minutes. You know its activated when it foams.

2. After the 5 minutes add to a bowl of a stand mixer the, milk& yeast mixture, eggs, butter, sugar and salt.

3. With the dough hook start mixing until combined. Start adding the flour 1 cup at the time, leave out 1/2 cup out and add if needed. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes.

4. Beat on medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic. It can take 5-10 minutes. If needed add the 1/2 cup of flour. Don't be tempt to add more flour, you don't want to end with a too heavy cinnamon roll. Its okay if the dough is tacky and a little bit sticky.

5. Grease a large bowl and place the dough. Cover with a towel paper and let it rest in a warm place for 30 min to 1 hour or until it doubles its size. ( Don't over proof it) *It should look like the photo.

For the filling:

1. Combine the butter, 3/4 cup of brown sugar, cinnamon together. You will end with a paste.

2. The rest of the sugar will be added when assembling the rolls.

For the Frosting:

1. Combine all ingredients and set aside.

Assembly:

1. Sprinkle your surface with a little bit of flour. Once your dough is has risen, turn it out into the surface and sprinkle with extra flour.

2. With a flour rolling pin, start rolling the dough into a rectangle. ( sometimes I get a different shape, but don't worry it doesn't affect a lot. You can see it in the next photo haha)

3. Using a spatula, add your filling over the dough rectangle and then sprinkle the rest of the sugar.

1. Starting on the long end, roll the dough until you end up with a "tube". ( Like a swiss roll)

2. Placed them in a greased baking pan. Leave them spaced one from another, because with the 2nd proofing and the baking they will get bigger.

1. Cover the pan and allow the rolls to proof (2), about 20- 30 minutes or until it doubles it size.

*In this photo you can see what I mean it doubles it size.*

Bake:

1. Preheat the oven at 180 C.

2. Once the rolls has double, pour the warm heavy cream over.

1. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until lightly golden. ( The cooking time can change depending on the sides of the rolls, on how many rolls you have in a pan, etc.) Don't let them get to brown.

1. Once baked and cooled, spread the frosting on top.

2. Store it in an airtight container.

Hope you all like them, pls let me know!

With love,

Montserrat Castillo.

Notes:

1. Find the yeast conversion table.

1. If you want to do the rainbow rolls, do everything the same. Only when the 1st risen end, dived the dough into 6 pieces and add the colors you want.