Cinnamon Rolls

Photo by: Cooking at Home

Cinnamon Rolls are soft buttery dough filled with a cinnamon swirl and topped with icing. These classic and fluffy cinnamon rolls warm your soul on a cold winter’s day.

Making Cinnamon Rolls from scratch may seem daunting; however, this recipe comes together quickly, even for novice bakers. Fresh yeast gives the best rise in your cinnamon rolls, so make sure that the expiration date of your yeast container is within the date. Sprinkling the yeast with a bit of sugar feeds the yeast over the warm milk. You can use whole milk, 2% milk or non-dairy milk. I use 2% milk in this recipe. You can use salted or unsalted butter for this recipe, and I prefer using unsalted butter as it keeps the sodium down. When mixing the yeast dough, I recommend using a stand mixer with a hook to combine the ingredients to form a soft, sticky dough ball. The dough rises and doubles in size after an hour and is ready to roll out on a floured surface and the cinnamon filling is ready to spread. Roll the dough tightly and cut it into equal parts on a greased cast iron pan with a lid. All the magic happens in the oven when the rolls bake to golden brown with a warm cinnamon filling. Cool completely before topping them with icing. Store your cinnamon rolls in an airtight container for up to three days. Warm for 10–15 seconds in the microwave if desired.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Baking Time: 25 minutes

Yields: 12–14 rolls

Cinnamon Roll Dough

1 cup warm milk

2 teaspoons dry active yeast

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted

4 egg yolks

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Cinnamon Filling

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Instructions:

1. In a stand mixer bowl, combine the yeast, warm milk and sugar. Let it stand for 5 minutes.
2. Once the yeast has started to bloom, add melted butter, flour…