
I thought when you have a baby people bring you, like, casseroles and stuff. But that never happened. Not that it mattered because my mother spoiled us with her cooking for over a month straight. And I'm never really one to take people up on those offers because why trouble them? I can cook. But of course I have this one friend who can bake like no one else. So when she was coming over for brunch and said "well, I always make my friends who have had babies something homemade" I responded, unabashedly "excellent, make it something sweet". And so she did. But it was so much more that just that, it was swirls of homemade dough with cinnamon goodness and cream cheesy sweetness, piping hot with perfection. I was making us all crepes while the rolls baked in the oven and I stared at my pan and said "ugh, I don't even want these anymore". There we all sat, bellies full, diving in with our eyes as the tray was pulled out of the oven. The chatter stopped as we watched her drizzle cream cheese icing all over the steaming hot buns. We quickly pulled them apart (I think we used plates?) and as we took our first bite you heard a muffled groan followed by 'ohwmaaaghawth". And then I think I yelled something like "SERIOUSLY?!". OH man oh man are these some kind of special. We all need an excuse to bake cinnamon rolls. I need one soon. The recipe comes from Alton Brown. It's not the quickest thing to whip up (prep is done the night before), but of course my friend, the expert baker, thinks "eh, they were nothing".
Dough:
- 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 1 large whole egg, room temperature
- 2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/4 cup
- 3 ounces unsalted butter, melted, approximately 6 tablespoons
- 6 ounces buttermilk, room temperature
- 20 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 cups, plus additional for dusting
- 1 package instant dry yeast, approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- Vegetable oil or cooking spray
Filling:
- 8 ounces light brown sugar, approximately 1 cup packed
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch salt
- 3/4-ounce unsalted butter, melted, approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons
Icing:
- 2 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened, approximately 1/4 cup
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 5 1/2 ounces powdered sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
For the dough: in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter, and buttermilk. Add approximately 2 cups of the flour along with the yeast and salt; whisk until moistened and combined. Remove the whisk attachment and replace with a dough hook. Add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough, add more flour if necessary; the dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky. Knead on low speed 5 minutes more or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead by hand about 30 seconds. Lightly oil a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl, lightly oil the top of the dough, cover and let double in volume, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until well incorporated. Set aside until ready to use.
Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently shape the dough into a rectangle with the long side nearest you. Roll into an 18 by 12-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the 3/4-ounce of melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch border along the top edge. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the top edge; gently press the filling into the dough. Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Very gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness. Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2-inch rolls; yielding 12 rolls. Arrange rolls cut side down in the baking dish; cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 16 hours.
Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off. Fill a shallow pan 2/3-full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; approximately 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
When the oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown, or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, approximately 30 minutes.
While the rolls are cooling slightly, make the icing by whisking the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. Add the milk and whisk until combined. Sift in the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth. Spread over the rolls and serve immediately.
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