Cinnamon Rolls

⏱️ Prep Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes

⏱️Cook Time: 20-25 Minutes

⏱️Total Time: 2 hours, 50 minutes

⏱️Yield: 10-12 Rolls

Ingredients

Dough

  • 1 and 1/2 cups or 350 ml Lukewarm Water

  • 2 tbsp Honey

  • 2 and 1/4 grams Dried Active Yeast

  • 630 grams Strong White Bread Flour

  • 65 grams Caster Sugar

  • 75 grams Melted Butter

  • 1/4 tsp Fine Salt

  • 125ml Single Cream

Filling

  • 50 grams Dark Brown Sugar

  • 1 and 1/2 tbsp Sweet Ground Cinnamon

Soft Cheese Icing

  • 200 grams Soft Cheese

  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

  • 80 grams Icing Sugar

Method

Making cinnamon rolls isn’t about being perfect, it’s about being patient. Dough has its own timeline, so expect some waiting, a little mess, and maybe not getting it right the very first time. That’s completely okay. Take each step slowly, trust the process, and most importantly, enjoy the journey.

Step 1:
Fill a jug with 1 ½ cups (350ml) of lukewarm water (think of the temperature of a warm puddle sitting in the sun, not hot, not cold, just cozy). Add in 2 tablespoons of honey and give it a good stir with a fork until the honey has fully disappeared into the water.

Next, take a spoon and gently sprinkle the yeast evenly over the surface. Give it a quick mix, then cover the jug with a clean tablecloth and let it sit for about 10 minutes until it becomes foamy and bubbly. I like to pop this into my top oven with just the light on, which creates a warm environment for the yeast to wake up and rise/foam.

Step 2:
Once you can see a bubbly layer of foam on top of your yeast mixture, you’re ready to start your dough.

Add 600g of strong white bread flour, 65g of caster sugar, and ¼ teaspoon of fine salt to a large bowl. Give the dry ingredients a good mix so everything is evenly combined. While you’re doing this, start melting your butter.

Once the butter has melted, pour 70g of it into your dry ingredients. Keep the extra 5g aside because you will need that later. Add in your foamy yeasty water and mix everything together using a dough hook, spoon, or spatula until you have a rough dough ball. It might look a little sticky at this stage, and that is completely normal.

If the dough feels too sticky to turn out onto the counter, slowly add in a little of your extra 30g of flour, bit by bit. You might not need all of it, and that is fine. Sometimes I only use 10g. You are just looking for a texture that you are happy to handle.

Once you have a dough ball that does not stick badly to your hands, sprinkle some flour onto your work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Knead the dough until it looks smooth and springs back when you gently press it with your finger.

Lightly oil a clean bowl, place your dough inside, and cover it to rise for about 1 hour. I pop mine back into the top oven with just the light on to keep things warm, though in the summer you may not need to do this.

Step 3:
Before your dough has finished rising, mix 50g of dark brown sugar and 1½ tablespoons of sweet ground cinnamon together in a small bowl and set aside.

Once your dough is ready, lightly flour your work surface. Take the dough out of the bowl and roll it into a square shape until it is about 5mm thick.

Using your leftover melted butter, lightly spread a layer over the surface of the dough. You will not need all of the butter. Just make sure there is enough for the cinnamon sugar mixture to stick. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the dough, making sure the whole surface is covered.

Next, take a sharp knife or a pizza cutter and cut the dough from top to bottom into strips about 1 inch thick. Once all the strips are cut, roll each one up into a cinnamon swirl and place them into the baking tray you will be using.

Cover the tray and leave the rolls to rise for another 30 minutes or so, until they have puffed up nicely.

Pre-heat oven at 180°C.

Step 4:
Once the cinnamon rolls have finished their second rise, remove the cover and slowly pour 125ml of single cream evenly over the top, ensure you’re covering every bun. This helps keep the rolls soft and stops them from becoming sticky, especially on the bottom.

Place the tray into a preheated oven at 180°C and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the rolls are golden on top and smell irresistible.

Step 5:
While the cinnamon rolls are baking, add your soft cheese, vanilla extract, and icing sugar to a bowl. Whisk everything together until smooth and creamy, then pop it into the fridge while the rolls finish cooking and begin to cool.

Once the cinnamon rolls are baked, remove them from the oven and leave them to cool slightly. Spoon the soft cheese topping over the warm rolls, then serve and enjoy.