Cinnamon Rolls
Photo by Tatijana Vasily
When I was beginning to bake professionally, one of the first yeasted pastries I mastered was the bakery-style cinnamon roll: huge, gooey in the center, and comforting AF. Bread baking was way too intimidating to me as a young baker, so I welcomed the ease and excitement of mixing and baking an enriched dough. A quick mix and a smear of butter, sugar, and cinnamon rewarded me with a beautiful, fragrant roll. As I’ve mentioned before, pastry is all about repetition. That means I’ve probably made at least several thousand cinnamon rolls in my lifetime! Trust me when I say this one of the best classic recipes in my notebook. I’ll provide some pointers in the recipe notes below to help you avoid some common mistakes.
The beautiful photos from this post were taken by Tatijana Vasily, an amazing food photographer who I recently had my first test shoot with! You can check her work out here.
Recipe Notes: Avoid scalding hot milk; too high of a temperature will kill your yeast. Do not roll the dough super thin, or your rolls will look kinda janky (but still taste amazing!). Proof for the proper amount of time -waiting 20 more minutes can make a huge difference. If your kitchen runs hot or cold, you may need more or less time. To test for a full proof, wet your finger and gently press into the side or top of a roll. If the impression stays and doesn’t rise back, you are ready to bake. If the dough springs back and fills the indentation, you need a little more time. Finally, a little salt will go a long way, balancing out some of the sweetness — do not omit or forget!
Photo by Tatijana Vasily
Cinnamon Rolls
Makes 8 big cinnamon rolls
For the dough:
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons butter
1 package instant yeast
2 eggs
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling
For the filling:
2 tablespoons cinnamon
3/4 to 1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons butter, softened
For the glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons milk, more as needed
Egg wash:
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
Tiny pinch of salt
In a small pot, warm milk and butter over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the butter is melted. Pour into a measuring glass and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, pour in the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. Mix on low speed to combine the dry ingredients. Stop the mixer.
Whisk the eggs into the milk and yeast mixture. Pour the mixture into the stand mixer’s bowl, on top of the dry ingredients, and begin mixing on low speed. Allow the ingredients to combine for 2 minutes, or until a rough dough begins to form. Increase the mixer speed to medium low and continue mixing for 5 minutes, or until a smooth dough forms and begins pulling away from the sides of the bowl. If your dough seems too slack or wet, add a little more flour, just a few tablespoons at a time.
Cover the mixing bowl with plastic and set aside for 1 hour.
Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured work surface. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rough rectangle, about 16” wide by 8” high. Do not roll the dough too thin! It should be about 3/4” to 1” thick.
Spread the softened butter onto the dough with an offset spatula or a pastry brush. Using your hands, spread the brown sugar over the butter, until the dough is evenly and generously coated. Sprinkle the cinnamon over the top, followed by the salt.
Lightly pick up one end of the dough and tuck it over onto itself. Continue rolling without applying pressure or stretching the dough. Once the roll is almost finished, brush the top of the roll with a little water and seal it shut. Turn the log onto the seam and allow it to rest for a minute or two and seal.
Slice the log into 2” rolls. Place on a lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap loosely. Allow to proof for 1 hour or more, until the rolls are doubled in size.
30 minutes into proofing, preheat the oven to 350º F.
Make the egg wash. Mix an egg, a tiny pinch of salt, and 2 tablespoons of milk until combined.
When ready to bake, brush each roll gently with the egg wash and place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown and set.
While they bake, make the glaze. Mix together the powdered sugar and milk, adding more if needed, to create a smooth but runny glaze.
Remove cinnamon rolls from the oven. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes, if you can wait, then glaze generously. Enjoy!