I've been debating even doing a post on this recipe because if I have one sacred recipe that I cherish above all others... it just might be this. A selfish part of me wants to keep it to myself. But, I hate when people don't share recipes so here it is.... my ultimate cinnamon roll recipe! It's two recipes put together so I linked them here to give credit. This is a long process--read the recipe first to make sure you have time and they need to rise overnight so this is not something you can make the day you want them. I like to make a batch and then freeze them individually. Then when I want a cinnamon roll, I just warm it up and plop some frosting on top!
Dough:
1 c milk
1/3 c butter
1 pkg dry yeast
1/2 c white sugar
4 1/2 c flour
1 t salt
3 eggs
Filling:
1-2 T melted butter
3/4 c brown sugar
1 T cinnamon
(Optional: nuts or raisins)
Frosting:
1-3oz package of cream cheese
1/4 c butter, softened
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 t vanilla
1/8 t salt
Heat milk in saucepan until it bubbles. Remove from heat and add butter. Let cool until temperature reads 110-115 degrees (you probably want to pour milk/butter mixture into a bowl so it cools faster). Add the yeast and whisk until dissolved (if it was added at the right temperature bubbles should appear after a couple minutes).
In a large mixing bowl, add milk/butter mixture, sugar, 3 c flour, salt, and eggs. Add remaining flour 1/2 c at a time, stirring after each addition.
At this point you can remove the dough from the bowl and hand knead or knead in your mixer with the dough hook attachment. It will take about 8 minutes and the dough should be smooth and stretchy when its ready.
Oil a bowl and the dough ball, place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp towel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 1-2 hours). Punch down the dough and let rise until doubled in size again.
Roll dough out on well-floured board into a rectangle (approx 10 x 14"). Brush melted butter on dough. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in bowl. Sprinkle onto dough rectangle. Roll up dough and pinch seam to seal. Cut into approximately 12 equal pieces.
If you are going to eat them at once you can place them into a greased baking pan (or two!). If you want to freeze them individually I recommend placing them on cookie sheets with some space between. Cover rolls in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, take out cinnamon rolls and let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 and bake 25-30 minutes. They are done when they are just golden brown.
While the rolls are baking you can start on the frosting. Beat together the cream cheese and butter. Gradually add the sugar, then add in the vanilla and salt. If I am freezing the rolls for later I keep the frosting separate. We don't have a microwave so when I heat up the rolls in the oven the frosting tends to burn on top. So I heat the rolls, then spread some frosting on top and cook just a minute or two longer. If you have a microwave though, you can heat the rolls with the frosting on top if you like.
The last time I made this recipe I actually separated the dough into two rectangles and made much smaller rolls. If you decide to do this, make sure to cook them much less and check them often because they will cook much faster... more like 15-20 minutes.
This recipe probably sounds crazy & difficult but once you do it once or twice it's not so bad!
Some trouble-shooting tips:
I tend to run errands or go workout while I am waiting for the dough to rise otherwise I get impatient and pull it out too soon. If you don't let the dough rise appropriately, your rolls will be very dense and not very yummy!
Make sure milk/butter is at the right temperature.... invest in a food thermometer!
Knead the dough for the full eight minutes. If you pull your dough and it snaps right away into two pieces... it's not ready.
Good luck!
