EXTRA FLUFFY CINNAMON ROLLS WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Photograph By Isa Zapata, Food Styling By Kaitlin Wayne, Prop Styling By Marina Bevilacqua

At first glance, these homemade cinnamon rolls may not look like anything out of the ordinary, with buttery, golden brown yeasted dough, delicious cinnamon–sugar filling, and decadent cream cheese icing. But I would wager that this particular recipe, thanks to a few choice and tactical twists, produces the best, most ooey-gooey, perfectly fluffy, from-scratch buns you’ll ever make.

The secret to the super-soft dough—which also happens to be incredibly easy to work with—is in the tangzhong starter. Tangzhong is the Chinese method of precooking a small portion of a recipe’s starch and liquid (usually flour and milk) to create a thick paste that then gets integrated with the rest of the dough ingredients. This results in a highly hydrated cinnamon roll dough that steams more as it cooks, yielding a puffier, pillowy-soft bread with a supple, tender texture. As an added bonus, because of the higher moisture content, these rolls won’t go dry by the next morning (assuming there are any left).

Browning the melted butter ups the ante on the typical cinnamon-sugar filling, accentuating its warming spiced toffee flavors, all while adding a nutty, toasty dimension of its own. A tangy cream cheese frosting offsets these deep, rich notes. And while we like it just as it is, feel free to add a few drops of vanilla extract for even more warmth or a touch of lemon zest for extra brightness.

And if all that hasn’t convinced you that this just might be the best cinnamon roll recipe—it uses 1 envelope of instant yeast (different from active dry yeast). But, if you’ve got a big jar at home and are in a hurry, don’t hesitate to increase the amount to 1 tablespoon for an even quicker rise that won’t affect the flavor—about 20 minutes less for the first dough rise and 10 minutes less for the second.

Or for overnight cinnamon rolls primed for morning baking, spread preparation across multiple days by refrigerating the dough, either after the first rise or after the unbaked rolls have been shaped and nestled in their baking pans, ahead of the second rise. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent the dough from forming a skin, and leave the chilled dough out at room temp for about an hour before proceeding.

8–12 SERVINGS / 4 HOURS

INGREDIENTS

For the dough:

2¼ cups whole milk, divided

5¾ cups (719g) all-purpose flour, divided, plus more

1 large egg

1 ¼ oz. (about 2¼ tsp.) envelope instant yeast

⅓ cup (67g) granulated sugar

1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces, plus more

For the filling:

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup (packed; 200g) dark brown sugar

2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

2 Tbsp. heavy cream

½ tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt

For frosting and assembly:

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1¼ cups (138g) powdered sugar, plus more if needed

1 Tbsp. heavy cream, plus more if needed

1 tsp. lemon zest, optional

¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt

METHOD

To make the dough, whisk ¾ cup whole milk and ¼ cup (31g) flour in a medium saucepan until smooth. Heat saucepan over medium and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture has thickened and whisk lines are visible on the bottom of the pan, about 2 minutes. Scrape the mixture, otherwise known as tangzhong, into the bowl of a stand mixer and let cool.

Add egg, instant yeast, granulated sugar, kosher salt, and remaining 1½ cups whole milk to tangzhong and whisk to combine. Add remaining 5½ cups (688g) flour. Fit bowl onto stand mixer fitted with dough hook attachment. Mix on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-low and mix, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally, until dough is smooth and elastic, 18–24 minutes. Pinch off a golf-ball-size piece of dough and stretch between your fingers as thin as possible without breaking. If you can see light through the dough, it’s ready. If not, continue mixing a few more minutes, then try again.

Add unsalted butter to dough and mix on medium speed until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Continue mixing until the dough pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl and is no longer tacky to the touch, an additional 5–7 minutes. Remove bowl from mixer and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Let sit in a warm spot until doubled in volume, 60–90 minutes.

While the dough is rising, make the filling. Cook butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until butter foams and milk solids turn dark amber, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and let cool slightly. Add dark brown sugar, ground cinnamon, heavy cream, and kosher salt to butter and mix to combine.

Butter 2, 9 inch cake pans. Punch down dough and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Stretch dough into a rough rectangle; if dough feels stiff, let sit for 5–10 minutes to allow gluten to relax. Arrange dough with its short side facing you and roll out to a 24x13 inch rectangle. Spread filling over dough in an even layer.

Starting at the edge closest to you, tightly roll up the dough into a log, seam side down. Using a sharp serrated knife and long sawing motions, trim ends of log; discard. Using serrated knife or, preferably, unflavored dental floss, cut log in half crosswise, then cut each half into 6 equal rounds. (If using dental floss, slide floss underneath dough, then cross over top and pull ends through.) Nestle 6 rounds, cut side down, in each prepared cake pan. Cover with damp kitchen towels and let sit in a warm spot until doubled in volume, about 30–50 minutes.

Center oven rack and preheat to 350°F. Bake rolls until golden on top and puffed (don’t be alarmed if they rise dramatically in the center), 25–30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. Using an electric mixer on medium speed or a whisk, beat butter and cream cheese in a large bowl, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, until combined. Add powdered sugar, heavy cream, lemon zest (if using), and kosher salt and beat until mixture is smooth and sugar is incorporated. Taste and beat in more powdered sugar (up to ¾ cup) if desired. Thin with more cream as needed, a teaspoonful at a time, until frosting is thick but spreadable.

Let cinnamon rolls cool in pan for 5 minutes; spread frosting over.

This recipe was originally developed for Bon Appetit.