Cinnamon Rolls
Warm cinnamon rolls are available at every airport, every mall, and many fast-food outlets. So why make your own? Because YOU control what's in them, using your own butter, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and other natural (not chemical-laden) ingredients. And besides, there's nothing like pulling warm rolls right out of your own oven!
- Prep time
- 25 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 16 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 3 cups (360g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4 cup (28g) King Arthur Baker's Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
- 1/4 cup (46g) potato flour or 1/2 cup (43g) dried potato flakes (instant mashed potatoes)
- 3 tablespoons (35g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons (8g) table salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast or active dry yeast
- 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 7/8 to 1 1/8 cups (198g to 255g) water, lukewarm*
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoons milk, to brush on dough
- 1 1/4 cups (142g) confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon King Arthur Pure Vanilla Extract
- 4 to 5 tablespoons (57g to 71g) heavy cream or 2 to 3 tablespoons (28g to 43g) milk, enough to make a soft, spreadable icing
Instructions
- 1
To make the dough: Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Combine the flour, dry milk, potato flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and lesser amount of water then mix and knead everything together—by hand, mixer or bread machine set on the dough cycle—to form a smooth, elastic dough, adding more water if necessary. If you're kneading in a stand mixer, it should take 7 to 10 minutes at second speed, and the dough should barely clean the sides of the bowl, perhaps sticking a bit at the bottom. In a bread machine (or by hand), it should form a smooth ball.
- 2
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise, at room temperature, until it's nearly doubled in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours. Rising may take longer, especially if you've kneaded by hand or if your kitchen is cool. Give it enough time to become quite puffy.
- 3
While the dough is rising, lightly grease two 9" round cake pans.
- 4
Transfer the risen dough to a lightly greased work surface, and pat or roll it into a 16"x12" rectangle. It's a nice, soft dough, and pats out easily.
- 5
To make the filling: Combine the sugar, cinnamon, and flour.
- 6
To assemble the rolls: Brush the dough lightly with milk. Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough, covering the entire surface
- 7
Roll the dough into a log the long way; it'll stretch to about 20" long as you roll. Using a bench knife or a serrated knife, cut the log into 16 slices.
- 8
Space eight rolls in each of the prepared pans. Cover the pans and let the rolls rise until they're noticeably puffy, about 1 to 2 hours; they should spread out and start to crowd one another.
- 9
While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 375°F.
- 10
Bake the rolls until they're brown around the edges and beginning to turn golden brown across the center, about 20 minutes.
- 11
Remove the rolls from the oven and place the pans on a rack. Wait 5 minutes, then transfer the rolls from the pans to a rack.
- 12
To make the glaze: When you're ready to serve the rolls, combine the sugar, vanilla, and enough cream or milk to make a spreadable glaze.
- 13
Spread the glaze on top of the warm rolls and serve immediately.
- 14
Store rolls, well wrapped, at room temperature for a couple of days; freeze for longer storage.