Overview
Coffee pairs well with a savory treat and stretchy pants. For many, cinnamon rolls hold a special place in the heart as a holiday tradition. How many of us have spent Christmas morning devouring rolls from Cinnabon, or anxiously awaiting the homemade variety with the scent of this sweet bread wafting from the oven? The experience of enjoying a good cinnamon roll is often as exciting as opening Christmas presents.
If coffee has a best friend, it's cream. But a solid third wheel is cinnamon rolls. Here is a recipe we have tried in multiple ways, resulting in this delicous breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, or midnight snack option.
Step 1
Warm the milk to approximately 110 degrees (reference the yeast instructions to make sure this does not need to be warmer or cooler). Pour the milk and yeast into a stand mixer.
Step 2
Mix eggs, butter (softened, but not quite melted), and sugar until combined. Keeping the ingredients warm or room temperature provides the proper setting for the yeast to rise. Too hot or too cold will change the results.
Step 3
Add 4 cups of flour to the mixture (save the last half cup for later, if needed). Blend ingredients and let rest for approximately five minutes. This will allow an appropriate time for the flour to soak up the liquids.
Step 4
Knead the dough for about five minutes, then add the remaining flour, if needed. (We like to use a stand mixer with a dough hook.) The dough will be tacky — that's good! Do not add too much flour so that the dough is no longer tacky. Spray a bowl with cooking spray, then place the dough in the bowl. Let the dough rise until it has doubled in size (about 30 minutes).
Step 5
In a medium bowl, mix the cinnamon-sugar fillling ingredients. This should resemble wet, slightly clumpy sand.
Step 6
After the dough has doubled in size, generously flour a cutting board or pastry mat and place the dough on it. Roll the dough out into a rectangle until it is approximately 1/4-inch thick and 25"x16" in dimension. Spread the cinnamon-sugar filling across the entire dough surface.
Step 7
Roll the dough tight into one long strand. Slice the cinnamon rolls into 12 to 14 pieces and place in a greased 9x13 cooking pan or casserole dish. (If you have twine, this works well at cutting the dough.) Cover the pan or dish and allow the dough to rise again (approximately double). This usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 8
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. After the dough has risen, pour warm (not hot) heavy cream over cinnamon rolls. Cook for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown. (Cooking may take an upwards of 25 minutes, but we like to start at 20 minutes and check.) A knife should come out clean-ish — expect some of the sugar filling to stick to the knife, but none of the dough should come off on it.
Step 9
While the cinnamon rolls are cooling, mix the cream cheese, softened butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract for the icing. Once the cinnamon rolls have cooled, spread the icing over the cinnamon rolls.
Step 10
Grab some stretchy pants, make yourself a cup of coffee (see our recommendation), and enjoy this tasty pairing.
Adapted from Tastes of Lizzy T.