5 Tips for Making the Perfect Cinnamon Buns

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Here in the kitchen at Gravatt, one of our favorite things to make for breakfast is homemade cinnamon rolls. Who doesn’t love a warm, gooey treat slathered with icing for breakfast? Here are some tips we have learned on how to make the some of the best cinnamon rolls around:

  1. Take time and be patient. I’m not sure about anyone else, but this is one of the hardest things for me when it comes to making different breads and pastries. Once the dough comes together, it is incredibly difficult to have to sit and wait for it to double in size. But the wait is worth it! Letting your dough rise for the full amount of time improves the texture and overall flavor of it.
  2. Take care of your yeast! Yeast is a finicky thing and can be hard to figure out, but with the right temperature it can be mastered! An accurate temperature allows the yeast to activate and ferment properly. If the temperature is too low, it will create a sticky dough and if it is too hot, the yeast will die. So an ideal temperature would be between 105 F and 125 F.
  3. Thinner dough = more flavor. When rolling out the dough, don’t be afraid to make it thin. The thinner the dough, the more cinnamon and sugar swirls there will be after you roll and cut it. So they will be even more delicious!
  4. “More butter, more better!” This applies to the filling, and all the ingredients that go into it! Don’t be afraid to add too much of anything – adding a “Paula Deen amount” of butter will keep the rolls moist and tender and some extra cinnamon and sugar never hurt anybody, right? The key here is to make a mess. When rolling up the dough, you definitely want to see butter oozing out the sides. Another tip for the filling is to just make it your own. Add pecan pralines, chocolate chips, or dried fruit for some delicious and different flavor complexities.
  5. A yummy icing/glaze makes the cinnamon roll. I think the icing may be one of my favorite parts about cinnamon rolls. There are lots of different kinds that you can make, like complicated cream cheese frostings or fancy maple and coffee cream glazes, but I just prefer a simple vanilla icing. All it takes is a little vanilla extract, heavy whipping cream, and powdered sugar. Whisk them all together and drizzle it over hot cinnamon rolls right out the oven and you can’t go wrong.

Here is an awesome recipe from the Food Network

Yummy cinnamon rolls ready to go into the oven!

that we use here in the kitchen for you to try at home!

Cinnamon Roll Recipe:

½ cup milk

1 ¼-ounce packet of active dry yeast (or 2 ¼ teaspoons)

¼ sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 large egg yolk

1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract

2 ¾ cups All Purpose Flour, with more for dusting

¾ teaspoon of salt

Filling: 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup of sugar

2 tablespoons of cinnamon

  1. Warm ½ cup of water and the milk in a saucepan over low heat until a thermometer reads 105 F to 110 F. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the yeast on top, then sprinkle with a pinch of sugar; set aside, undisturbed, until foamy (about five minutes).
  2. Whisk the melted butter, egg yolk, and vanilla into the yeast mixture until combined. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, the remaining sugar, and the salt together. Make a well in the center, then add the yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon to make thick and slightly sticky dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until soft and elastic, about 6 minutes. Shape into a ball.
  3. Brush a large bowl with melted butter. Add the dough, turning it to coat lightly with the butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature until the dough has doubled in size, about an hour and fifteen minutes.
  4. Turn the dough out of the bowl and knead briefly to release excess air; re-form into a ball and return to the bowl. Lightly butter a large piece of plastic wrap and lay it directly on the surface of the dough. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least four hours – overnight.
  5. To make the rolls: Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish. Whisk together the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a 10×18 inch rectangle. Spread the butter over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on one of the long sides. Top with the cinnamon and sugar. Tightly roll the dough into an 18 inch log, then slice with a serrated knife. This should make approximately 12 rolls. Place the rolls in the prepared pan and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Set them in a warm place to rise until they are doubled in size  (about an hour and ten minutes).
  6. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Uncover the rolls until they spring back when touched, ~25 – 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes in the pan before serving. Don’t forget to drizzle them with the glaze!