10 Simple Steps to Baking Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

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Cinnamon rolls are one of those dishes everyone loves, but we tend to grab a pre-make package to save the hassle. Instead of eating a processed product, try these homemade rolls that will be filled with love and whole foods.

Photo from Voyageur Press

Iced Cinnamon Rolls

These cinnamon rolls use an old-fashioned but time-honored method of first making a sponge dough, which allows the dough to ferment and build extra flavor before being combined with the rest of the ingredients. These are large, bakery-style rolls, and the buttermilk icing is irresistible.

A decidedly modern trick for slicing the dough roll: Use unflavored, unwaxed dental floss to cleanly cut the dough into rounds. It’s light enough to allow you to slice through the soft dough without squeezing out the filling. Yields 12 rolls

Ingredients

2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups lukewarm water
8½ to 9½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup lard or unsalted butter, chilled
1 egg plus 2 egg yolks
½ cup cold water
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Icing

3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons buttermilk or sour milk
1½ cups powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a large bowl, combine the yeast, salt, lukewarm water, and 4 cups of flour. With a large rubber spatula, mix together thoroughly; the dough will be very sticky. Cover with plastic wrap or a lintfree cotton or linen tea towel (terry cloth will stick and leave lint on the dough) and set in a warm place to rise for 2 hours. (This is the sponge.)

2. In a separate large bowl, cream together the sugar and lard (or butter); add 2 cups of flour, one at a time, stirring well after each addition; mixture will resemble pie dough.

3. In a small bowl, beat the egg and yolks with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Add the cold water to the eggs and stir to combine. Combine the 3 mixtures all at once in the sponge bowl and beat on low speed until smooth. Add enough additional flour (up to 2½ cups) to make the dough similar to the consistency of bread dough. Cover with plastic wrap or a lint-free cotton or linen tea towel and set in a warm place to rise, about 1½ to 2 hours.

4. When doubled in size, turn dough onto a floured board and knead until soft and pliable, about 10 minutes, adding up to 1 cup more of flour.

5. Roll out the dough to a 16 x 12-inch rectangle 1?3 inch thick with a long side facing you. Using a rubber spatula, spread the softened butter evenly over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border at the far end. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix with a fork. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the butter layer.

6. Grease two 13 x 9-inch baking dishes with lard or butter.

7. Starting with the long side closest to you, roll up the dough like a jellyroll, pinching with your fingertips as you roll. Moisten the top edge with water to seal the roll.

8. Using a sharp knife (or dental floss, see recipe introduction), cut the roll into 12 equal slices; place 6 rolls, cut side down, close together in each dish. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a cotton or linen tea towel and set in a warm place to rise until doubled, about 1½ to 2 hours.

9. Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake both dishes at the same time for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown; switch positions of the dishes halfway through the baking time. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

10. To prepare the icing, place the cream cheese, buttermilk, and half the sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and free of lumps. Add the remaining sugar and the vanilla and beat. Using a tablespoon, drizzle the icing evenly over the rolls. Serve warm.

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