This is the absolute best cinnamon roll recipe and it’s King Arthur Baking Company’s 2021 Recipe of the Year! https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/perfectly-pillowy-cinnamon-rolls-recipe
Ingredients:
Tangzhong
- ½ cup whole milk
- 3 tbs bread flour
Dough
- 2/3 cup whole milk, cold
- 2 ½ cups bread flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbs granulated sugar
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 4 tbs unsalted butter, softened
Filling
- 1 tbs butter, melted
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tbs bread flour
- 3-4 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
Icing
- 3 tbs butter, melted, divided
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 to 2 tbs milk
Equipment:
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Small saucepan
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Stand mixer with dough hook attachment
- Large mixing bowl
- Plastic wrap
- 2 Medium bowl
- Baking sheet, lined with parchment paper or silicone mat
- Sharp knife or unflavored dental floss
- Pastry brush
Instructions:
Tangzhong – Combine the milk and flour in a small saucepan and whisk until no lumps remain. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook the mixture, stirring regularly, until thickened, paste-like, and the spoon or spatula leaves lines on the bottom of the pan. This should take 1 to 3 minutes, depending on the strength of your burner. Remove from heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl (whatever you plan to knead the dough in).
Dough – To the large mixing bowl with the Tangzhong, add the cold milk, flour and remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl in the order listed. Either on low speed of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment or by hand, mix to bring the dough together. Next, knead the dough until its smooth, elastic and tacky. This will take up to 10 to 12 minutes on medium-low speed of a mixer or 15 minutes by hand. Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until puffy but not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 60-90 minutes (depending on the warmth of your kitchen).
Filling – In a medium bowl, add melted butter and remaining ingredients, stirring until the mixture is the texture of damp sand. Set aside.
Assemble the Rolls – Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and press it into a 10” by 12” rectangle that’s about ½” thick. For evenly shaped rolls, try to pat the dough into an actual rectangle (with corners), rather than an oval. Sprinkle the filling over the dough, covering all byt a ½” strip along one long side. Starting with the filing-cvered long side, roll the dough into a log.
Score the dough lightly into eight equal 1 ½” to 2” pieces to make large, saucer-sized cinnamon rolls. Cut the dough at the score marks. Dental floss (be sure it’s unflavored) will give you the cleanest cut or a sharp knife will work as well. Pkace the rolls onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them so there’s at least 2” between each one and they’re 2” away from the edges of the pan. To prevent them from unraveling while they rise and bake, tuck the ends of the spirals underneath the rolls so that they’re held in place.
Cover the rolls with lightly greased plastic wrap and let them rise for 30 to 60 minutes. The rolls should be puffy and the dough shouldn’t bounce back immediately when gently pressed. About 20 minutes before you’re read to bake, position a rack in the top third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Bake the rolls for 14 to 18 minutes, until they’re a light golden brown. Remove the rolls from the oven, place the pan on a rack and brush the hot rolls with 1 ½ tbs of melted butter. Let the rolls cool for 10 to 15 minutes before icing.
Icing – Combine the remaining 1 ½ tbs melted butter with the remaining icing ingredients in a medium bowl, mixing with a spatula until smooth. Ice the rolls and serve immediately. If you’re planning to serve the rolls later, wait to ice them until just before serving. Store icing at room temperature, tightly covered, until you’re ready to use it. Store completely cooled rolls, un-iced and well wrapped, for a couple of days at room temperature.