Your family will absolutely LOVE these delicious, enormous cinnamon rolls that can be prepared the day before or baked immediately after it's proofing, and the cream cheese frosting that goes with it is oh so yummy!
Waking up to the smell of fresh cinnamon rolls is extraordinarily nostalgic to me, and I imagine to many of ya'll as well. Paired well with bacon and eggs.. or literally anything, these cinnamon rolls are sweet, sticky, gooey, cinnamony ( yeah that's right, we are making up words for these rolls folks and I'm not sorry! ) and down right DELICIOUS! While they are incredible with the cream cheese icing, you can create many new icings to try yourself! Test your skills by making a coffee icing or a caramel glaze, add some nuts or fruit, make it your own... just don't forget to share with everyone else 😉.
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Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
For the Dough
1 cup warm milk ( 110F - 115F )
2 1/2 tsp instant yeast ( or preferred yeast )
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour ( can substitute all-purpose flour )
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
** If you are substituting your yeast be sure to allow for extra time to rise, and understand that not all rise times are equal. Your dough may need more or less time to rise depending on the conditions in your kitchen. Check my baking notes under the instructions for more tips on how to create good rising conditions for your dough.
For the Filling
1 cup light brown sugar, packed ( for a richer flavor use dark brown sugar )
2 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
For the Icing
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened ( NOT melting )
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar ( powdered sugar )
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt ( about 1/8 tsp )
Instructions
** I mix my dough in a stand mixer and that is how I will instruct you to make this recipe, but you can make this dough mixing by hand as well.
Grease a medium - large sized proofing bowl ( I use butter and a glass bowl ) and set aside
Dissolve your yeast into the warm milk until slightly dulled in color and smooth in texture. Be sure the temperature of the milk is not too hot or you will kill the yeast and your dough will not rise
Add your eggs, butter, salt, and sugar to the stand mixer and combine until completely mixed
Pour your yeast, milk mixture into the stand mixer and combine with the other ingredients
Add in your flour 1 cup at a time until fully incorporated and then let it knead the dough for 4 - 5 minutes until it sticks slightly to the bottom of the mixer and is smooth in texture ** OR knead your dough by hand for 5 to 6 minutes until ideal texture is achieved
Ball your dough and place in your greased bowl, lightly coat the top of your dough with melted butter or oil to prevent it from drying out
Cover with plastic wrap or a warm, damp cloth and allow to rise for 1 - 2 hours or until doubled in size
After your dough has risen turn it out onto a large, floured area and allow it to rest for 5 - 10 minutes
While your dough is resting, combine your brown sugar and cinnamon, and grease a baking pan or sheet to set your cinnamon rolls on
Roll out your dough into a rectangle, it should be nearly 2 feet across and a little over 1 foot in length
Spread your melted butter over the dough evenly, then coat your dough with the cinnamon, sugar mixture
Tightly roll your dough the long way and cut your uneven ends with either unflavored dental floss or a very sharp, serrated knife ( if this bothers you like it does me )
Cut your log into 12 equal rolls ( to learn more about how to get perfectly even rolls check out my photo at the bottom of the instructions )
Place your rolls on your greased pan, cover them, and allow them to rise a second time for about 30 minutes or until nearly doubled in size, if you are storing them place them in the refrigerator and bake within the next 24 hours
Allow your rolls to come to room temperature before placing them in the oven
Preheat your oven to 350F
Bake your rolls for 20 - 28 minutes or until lightly golden brown in color
White the rolls are in the oven, make your icing
Soften your cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl by heating it for 15 - 30 seconds until just tender ( not melting )
Cream together with the butter, salt and vanilla
Add in your confectioners sugar 1 cup at a time until fully incorporated
When the rolls are done, immediately spread your icing over the top and enjoy!
Baking notes
When I proof my dough I fill a microwave safe glass half way with water and microwave it for about 2 minutes until boiling. This creates a humid environment that the yeast will love you for. Leave the class in the microwave and place your dough along side it, allowing as little of the heat as you can to escape to microwave.
Bread flour is what I use for my cinnamon rolls because I enjoy the slightly stickier texture it gives it, but using all-purpose flour is 100% okay and will not change the outcome of your rolls. Your texture will have slightly less "chew" to it due to in protein content being slightly different ( higher in bread flour than in all-purpose flour ).
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