Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnabon may have left London but you can bring that delicious Cinnabon waft to your own kitchen in no time at all! These warm cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting are the perfect snack in between iftar and sehri and go well with a hot cup of tea. 

It is a little tedious the first time you make it but you’ll be a pro by the second time and it won’t take long to put together at all. You can even mix and match the flavours once you’ve got the hang of things e.g. adding orange zest to the icing or cocoa powder into the cinnamon sugar butter to make a choco roll! 

There is a handy little trick to help make these cinnamon rolls super moist and that is to add a teaspoon of cream on each one halfway through the bake. I tried this initially before baking the rolls, but found it just gathered in pools and didn’t add much to the cinnamon rolls. Doing this half way through is a game changer and is something I will continue to do going forward. 

Right, I won’t keep your cinnabon dreams waiting. Here is the recipe. 

CINNAMON ROLLS RECIPE

MAKES 12-18 ROLLS 

INGREDIENTS
250ml warm milk
7g instant yeast
100g caster sugar
2 eggs
75g unsalted butter, melted
500g plain flour
¾ tsp salt
150ml double cream, optional

Cinnamon Sugar Butter:
113g unsalted butter, softened
165g brown sugar
2-3 tbsp cinnamon powder
Pinch of cardamom or nutmeg powder

Cream cheese icing:
115g cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla essence
60ml milk
28g unsalted butter, melted
120g icing powder

METHOD

1. In a large mixing bowl, add yeast and 1tsp of the caster sugar to the warm milk and mix well. Leave for 5 minutes. 
2. Add in the remaining sugar, eggs, and melted unsalted butter and whisk together. 
3. Add in the flour and stir in using a wooden spoon, until the dough comes together. 
4. On a floured surface, knead the sticky dough until it becomes smooth and less sticky – around 10-15 minutes. Place in a well-oiled bowl, cover, and leave to rise in a warm place until the dough doubles in size. Whilst waiting for the dough to rise, make the cinnamon sugar butter.
5. Cinnamon Sugar Butter: In a bowl, add the softened unsalted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and cardamom/nutmeg powder. Keep mixing this until it has all blended together and become a dark brown paste. Put this to the side. 
6. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (fan assisted). On a floured surface, roll out the risen dough into a rectangle shape, about 1cm thick. 
7. Spread the cinnamon sugar butter evenly all over the dough, leaving a 1cm gap around the edges, and starting from one short end, roll the dough up (like a swiss roll) and pinch the seam shut. Place it on the surface with the seam side facing down. 
8. Using a knife/string/dental floss, cut out even pieces of dough. You can make more rolls, the thinner you cut them or fatter rolls using more dough. Using a piece of string/floss helps to cut the dough without squishing the spiral shape in each roll. 
9. Place them in a large baking tray or two smaller trays, leaving 1 inch between each roll, cover in cling film and leave to rise for 40 minutes.Whilst waiting for the rolls to rise, you can make the cream cheese icing.
10. Cream cheese icing: In a bowl, whisk together the room temperature cream cheese, unsalted butter, milk, and vanilla essence. Add in the powdered sugar slowly, making sure to whisk between each addition to ensure there are no lumps. 
11. The rolls will have risen at this point. Remove the cling film and place the trays in the middle shelf of the oven. Optional: Half way through the bake, pour 1tsp of double cream on each roll, and place back in the oven. 
12. Remove the tray after 20-25 minutes, until the rolls have become golden brown, and leave to cool for at least 10 minutes. Once slightly cooled, spread the frosting all over the rolls, making sure that every little nook and cranny is covered. 
13. Serve immediately. If not serving immediately, you can warm this up in the oven for a few minutes on a low heat.