Gooey Cinnamon Buns

The smell, the texture, the balance. Everything you need in a cinnamon bun.

The perfect cinnamon bun recipe is about striking a balance between an easy recipe, minimal wait time and maximum cinnamon-sweet goodness.

INGREDIENTS

Dough:
3/4 cup warm milk
2 1/4 tsp active yeast
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt

Filling:
1 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened

Cream cheese frosting:
1 pack cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Microwave milk until warm to the touch. Drop yeast on top, let it sit until the yeast starts to foam, approximately 5-10 mins. Add in sugar, egg, egg yolk and melted butter to the milk and foamed yeast. Mix until well combined. Next stir in flour and salt with a wooden spoon until a dough begins to form. Be sure to avoid the salt coming in direct contact with the yeast.

Knead dough on a clean floured surface. Dough should form into a nice ball and be slightly sticky. Continue to sprinkle flour on the counter and on the dough while kneading to avoid the dough sticking to the counter.

Once the dough is springy, place dough ball in a well oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel. I like to turn my oven to the lowest setting with a dish of water, then turn off the oven and place the bowl in to allow dough to rise for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size.

After dough has approximately doubled in size, transfer dough to a well-floured surface and roll out into a rectangle, to 1/4 inch thick. Spread some of the softened butter over dough, leaving a 1/4 inch margin at the far side of the dough. Melt remaining butter and mix with cinnamon and brown sugar, sprinkle over the dough, use a spoon or spatula to smooth over and rub in.

Roll the dough starting from the shorted side of the rectangle. Seal the edge of the dough by pinching , and laying under the roll. Cut into sections with a serrated knife. You should get 9 large (~1”) pieces.

Place cinnamon rolls in a greased or parchment paper lined 9x9 inch baking pan or round 9 inch cake pan. Cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel and let rise again for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove plastic wrap and towel and bake cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes or until just slightly golden brown on the edges (not too dark, or they will dry up).

Allow them to cool for about 5 minutes before icing. Makes 9 cinnamon rolls.

To make the icing: In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Spread over cinnamon rolls and serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Ambitious Kitchen https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/best-cinnamon-rolls/