Soft and Sweet Cinnamon Rolls

By Tom421

Ingredients

• Dough:
• 1 1/4 cups warm milk (no hotter than 120°F)
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast, or 2 1/4 teaspoons quick-rise yeast
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 3 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• Egg wash:
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon water
• Filling:
• 1 1/2 cups lightly packed light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 large egg
• Icing:
• 1 cup powdered sugar, or a little more if needed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons water

Details

Servings 10
Adapted from surlatable.com

Preparation

Step 1

Makes 10 rolls

Warm, tender cinnamon rolls, fresh from the oven, make a delectable
treat any time of day. Freshly glazed, chock-full
of cinnamon with a sticky, sweet topping, these spiral buns will leave
your stomach cheering for more.

To make the dough, pour ¼ cup of the warm milk in a small
bowl. Add the yeast and granulated sugar and stir to dissolve.
Set the bowl aside for 8 to 10 minutes, until the mixture looks
foamy. If the yeast isn't foamy after 15 minutes, start with a new
package.

Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and whisk to blend. Make
a well in the center, and pour the yeasted milk into the well.
Then add the remaining 1 cup warm milk and melted butter.
Stir together the ingredients until you get big, shaggy clumps of
dough that start to stick together.

Sprinkle a little flour on your work surface. You can always
add more later, so don't sprinkle too much. Dump the dough
clumps out of the bowl onto your work surface. Dip your hands
in flour and start kneading the dough. Using the heel of both
hands, firmly push the top of the mound away from you. Fold
the far side of the dough toward you, then rotate the mound of
dough a quarter turn and push again. Keep
kneading until you get a smooth, springy
dough. It usually takes 8 to 10 minutes. To
know if you have kneaded enough, press
your hand into the dough and remove it
quickly. Your handprint should bounce back
and disappear quickly. If it doesn't, keep
kneading.

While the bread dough finishes rising, make
the filling. Put the brown sugar and cinnamon
in a medium bowl and whisk together until
well blended. Smash any brown sugar lumps
to break them up. Crack the egg into a small
bowl and beat with a fork until blended.

Brush any excess flour from the top and
bottom of the dough with the large brush,
and clean up any extra flour from around the
dough with the bench scraper. Position the
rectangle so you are facing a long side. Mix
the egg yolk with the water and then, using
a small pastry brush, brush a thin coating of
the egg mixture all over the top of the dough.
(You won't need all of it.) Use your fingers to
scrape the filling onto the dough and spread
it evenly over the surface, leaving a 1-inchwide
border uncovered along the long side
opposite you. Starting at the long side closest
to you, roll up the dough into a log, keeping
it fairly tight as you go. When you reach the
opposite side, roll the dough right on top of
the uncovered border. Roll the log backward,
so the seam is on top, and pinch all along the
seam to seal it.

Cover the pan with plastic wrap and set in
a warm place. Let the rolls rise for about 1
hour, or until they are nearly twice as big
and fill almost all of the open spaces in the
pan. After the rolls have risen for about 30
minutes, position an oven rack in the center
of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.
That way the oven will be ready when you are
ready to bake.

To make the icing, put 1 cup powdered sugar
in a small bowl. Add the water and whisk
until well blended and completely smooth.
The icing should be thick, because it thins
out when it hits the warm rolls. If it is thin
and runny, add a little more sugar. Using the
spoon, drizzle the icing over the tops of the
warm rolls in any pattern you like. Eat them
while they are warm.