Cinnamon Rolls

Description:

The American cinnamon roll is a thick pastry with a gooey cinnamon-sugar center, topped with generous amounts of cream cheese icing. This dish originated in the areas that are now modern-day Sweden and Germany, and was brought to America by immigrants from these regions. The first recipe for American cinnamon rolls appeared in the 17th century, when German settlers in Philadelphia created a recognizable version of the dish, containing brown sugar, honey and raisins. A variation of this recipe, called “Sticky Buns” is a local favorite in Philadelphia to this day, and perhaps I will post a recipe for them in the future. While American cinnamon rolls are similar to their counterparts in Europe, the American rolls differ in that they are larger in size and are smothered in cream cheese icing. Cinnamon rolls are popular throughout the United States, and are particularly integral to the food scene in US states that have a large proportion of German and Scandinavian ancestry, primarily in the Midwest.

Ingredients:

(Makes 6 rolls)

• 1/2 cup milk (120 ml)

• 2 1/4 cups flour (280 g)

• 1 large egg

• 2/3 tsp yeast (4 g)

• 3 tbsp butter, melted (42 g)

• 1/4 cup sugar (60 g)

• 1 tsp salt

Filling

• 4 tbsp room-temperature butter (56 g)

• 1/2 cup brown sugar (90 g)

• 1 tbsp cinnamon (17 g)

• 1/2 tsp salt (3 g)

Icing

• 2 oz room-temperature cream cheese (56 g)

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar (60 g)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract (5 ml)

Preparation:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt & yeast. Mix in the milk, butter & egg, and mix until roughly incorporated. Cover and let rest 30 minutes. Then, knead the dough on a floured board until it is smooth and elastic, about 5-10 minutes. Cover and allow to rise at room temperature for one hour.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl combine all of the filling ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until well incorporated and a smooth paste is formed.

Place the dough on a lightly-floured cutting board. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle that is about 1/8 of an inch (0.3 cm) thick. The dimensions of the rectangle should be roughly 12 x 18 inches (30 x 45 cm). Using a rubber spatula or your hands, evenly spread the cinnamon-sugar filling on top of the dough rectangle. Then, roll the dough over itself into a cylinder. Using a knife, cut the dough cylinder evenly in half. Then, cut each of those halves into even thirds. Place each roll onto a parchment-lined baking tray.

At this point, you can cover the tray with foil and refrigerate for 24-48 hours. You can choose to skip this step if you want; I personally think that the fridge fermentation makes the finished product taste better and is more digestible, but again this is optional. Remove the rolls from the fridge and allow them to proof at room temperature for 2 hours.

In a bowl combine the icing ingredients and mix together until thoroughly combined.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180 C) and then bake the rolls for around 20 minutes. The outside should be lightly golden. After removing from the oven, immediately spread the icing over top each individual roll. Enjoy warm.

Notes:

• Other variations of this recipe also include chopped nuts and raisins in the filling.