Cinnamon Rolls

My Cinnamon roll recipe is my most viewed and most popular recipe on my YouTube channel! They are a sweet and delicious pastry perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert. They are made from a rich, buttery dough that is rolled out, spread with a cinnamon and sugar filling, and then rolled up and sliced into individual portions. The rolls are then baked until golden brown and topped with a creamy icing.

Here's a recipe to make my classic cinnamon rolls:

Ingredients for the dough:

• 1/2 cup lukewarm milk (110 degrees F)
• 1/2 cup lukewarm heavy cream (may sub all milk)
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 Tablespoon yeast (9 g-I use rapid rise but active dry works, too. You just need to activate it first by sitting in the warm milk for 5-10 minutes until bubbly)
• 1 teaspoon salt (5 g)
• 4 Tablespoons salted butter, softened (57 g)
• 1 egg
• 3-4 cups all-purpose flour (360-480 g)

Ingredients for the cinnamon filling:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1-1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2-3 tbsp ground cinnamon

Ingredients for the cream cheese icing:

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2-3 Tablespoons milk

Directions:

1. Pour milk/cream into a stand mixer. If using active dry yeast, let sit in milk for 5-10 minutes. If using rapid rise, you can skip waiting.

2. Add sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 1 cup of the flour. Mix well with whisk attachment.

3. Switch to dough hook attachment.

4. Gradually add flour a little bit at a time. Stop when the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball. If it's too sticky, add a little more flour.

5. Knead the dough on a floured surface for 5-10 minutes, until it becomes smooth and elastic and passes the windowpane test (you can stretch a piece of dough in front of a window or light and see light through the dough before it rips)

6. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.

7. In a small bowl, mix together the softened butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon to make the filling.

8. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out into a large rectangle. Spread the filling evenly over the dough.

9. Starting from the long end, tightly roll up the dough into a log. Slice the log into 12 equal slices. I like to use floss--it cuts clean, round circles.

10. Place the slices in a greased baking dish and let them rise for another 30 minutes.

11. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Bake the cinnamon rolls for 25-30 minutes, until they are golden brown.

12. While the rolls are baking, make the cream cheese icing by mixing together the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk until smooth.

13. Once the cinnamon rolls are done, let them cool for a few minutes before spreading the icing on top.

Enjoy your delicious cinnamon rolls and happy baking!