Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Cinnamon rolls.
Every year, when starts to get colder, I immediately start collecting recipes with lots of cinnamon. There is something about cold weather and that spicy smell that just goes perfectly together.
Call it cinnamon roll, swirl, bun, snail or danish, it doesn’t matter, if it has cinnamon in the name, it is definitely going in my mouth.
Cinnamon rolls are one of my favorite things, and instead of buying insane amounts, like I do it every year, I thought I would try my hand at baking some this year.
The recipe makes 12 large rolls or 24+ of mini rolls (mine yielded about 27). I like the mini ones for parties ’cause they’re gone in two bites, no need for plates. Plus, you can totally make them in advance, they freeze beautifully in an airtight container. All you have to do is warm the cinnamon rolls in the oven before serving.
I should point out I used this yeast, that doesn’t require refrigeration and can be added directly to the dry ingredients, no muss no fuss. And the woolies brand sour cream, which is the only one I could find with exactly 300ml, so yay for no waste.
I absolutely loved how they turned up. So soft and yummy, perfect with vanilla ice cream or hot cocoa. Next time, I might even try a cream cheese icing to make it even more indulgent.
Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Rolls
- 15 g dry yeast
- 4 cups flour 600g
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup sugar 50g
- 300 ml warm sour cream
- 1/4 cup warm milk
- 2 tbsp melted butter 30g
- 1 egg (lightly beaten)
Filling
- 2 tbsp room temp. butter 2 tbsp
- 1 cup brown sugar 200g
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg optional, but highly recommended
Icing
- 1 tbsp butter 15g
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 cup icing sugar 125g
- 1 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients (including yeast) in a large bowl
- Add sour cream, milk, butter and egg and mix well to form a soft dough
- Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic
- Transfer dough to a greased bowl, cover with a tea towel and put it in a warm place to double in volume (1 hour)
- To check if dough is ready, gently press two fingers in the middle, if an indentation remains, dough has not risen enough
- Once dough has risen, make a fist and gently punch dough right in the centre to deflate it, then knead for a minute
- Roll out dough onto a lightly floured surface into a rectangle the size of a cookie sheet (50cm x 30cm)
- Spread room temp butter all over the dough, leaving a 2cm gap on one of the narrow sides
- Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and sprinkle evenly over the butter
- Starting opposite of the butterless strip, roll the dough tightly to form an spiral, then gently pinch the seam down to seal, trim the ends for even slices
- Cut the dough into even slices around 2cm to make 24 mini rolls or around 4cm to make 12 large ones
- Place the rolls in a greased baking dish not touching each other and allow them to rest in a warm place for about 30 minutes for a final rise
- Bake at 180*C for 25 minutes or until golden brown, cool on a wire rack
- To make the icing, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in milk
- When rolls are cool, ice and sprinkle cinnamon to decorate