There is nothing better than waking up on Saturday morning to fresh-baked cinnamon rolls that warm the house with intense cinnamon aromas and the cozy smell of a yeast dough. Baking with yeast can seem complicated or intimidating, but once you try it for the first time, you will be hooked.
These Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls are worth learning and the patience to wait for them to get out of the oven. Soft, fluffy and chewy dough is rolled tightly to secure the sweet and buttery cinnamon sugar filling. If it could get any better than that, smooth and decadent cream cheese frosting swirls on the top of each roll while they are warm to create the perfect glaze.
How to bake with yeast:
Don’t run when you read a recipe that uses yeast. Take the time to understand how yeast is used and what causes yeast to react, and then you will be creating bakery-style desserts in your own home. There are a variety of types of yeast, and each one is used in different ways.
Active Dry Yeast is a yeast that is dissolved (or “activated”) in a warm liquid before it is added to the dry ingredients. Adding the yeast to the liquid will activate the yeast and will allow it to start the proofing process. Active Dry Yeast will typically take a longer time to rise and will cause the process to be more time-consuming, but worth it. There are definitely flavor benefits when using Active Dry Yeast, because the longer the dough takes to rise, the more the flavor develops. This type of yeast is much less stable and can easily be damaged if added to a liquid above 115 F. If you are planning to make the dough and prep the cinnamon rolls the night before but do the second rise and baking the next morning, Active Dry Yeast is the perfect option.
Instant Yeast does not need to be activated by a warm liquid and instead can be added directly to the dry ingredients. This type of yeast is less fickle and will guarantee great results.
Rapid Rise Yeast, also known as fast-acting yeast, does not need to be added to a liquid either. This type of yeast can be added directly to the flour and will result in a much faster rising and baking time. If you are wanting to make your cinnamon roll dough the night before and allow it to do the second rise in the morning, do not use this yeast.
Fresh Yeast is harder to find, but some swear by it. Seasoned bakers say it provides a stronger flavor, but I have not experienced it to be much different than using Active Dry Yeast. Fresh yeast is much more perishable and more expensive, but might be fun to experiment with if you have never baked with it before.
Kristen Massad of Dallas, a pastry chef and graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York, blogs at joyoliver.com.
The Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
3/4 cup whole milk
2 ¼ teaspoons (¼-ounce package) active dry yeast
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 whole eggs
3 cups bread flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cinnamon Sugar Filling (recipe follows)
Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
Warm the milk to 105-110 F in a microwave-safe bowl.
Place the milk in a bowl of an electric mixer attached with dough hook and sprinkle the yeast on top of the warm milk; allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes until it becomes foamy.
Add the light brown sugar, melted butter and eggs to the yeast mixture and mix until fully combined.
Add the flour and salt and, using a dough hook, knead the dough for 5 minutes on medium speed. The dough will come together and form a ball (add flour if it is still very sticky), it will still be slightly sticky to the touch but will come together easily.
Remove the dough from the bowl and gently knead on the counter to form a smooth ball.
Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it proof (rise) until it is double the size; approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Shape the dough and bake:
Once the dough has doubled in size, remove the dough from the bowl and place onto a floured surface.
Roll the dough out to 9x15-inch rectangle.
Spread the Cinnamon Sugar Filling to cover the entire rectangle.
Roll the dough into a log starting on the 9-inch side, and trim the edges.
Using a serrated knife or unscented dental floss, cut the cinnamon rolls into 1-inch pieces (9 pieces total).
Place the rolls into a buttered baking dish or pie plate, cover with plastic wrap and allow them to proof for 20-30 minutes or until doubled in size.
Heat the oven to 350 F while the cinnamon rolls are proofing.
Bake the cinnamon rolls for 20-22 minutes or until they start to turn a light golden color.
Remove the cinnamon rolls from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes.
Spread the Cream Cheese Frosting on top of the cinnamon rolls while they are warm.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Cinnamon Sugar Filling: Mix together 3/4 cup light brown sugar, 6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons cinnamon to form a paste; set aside.
Cream Cheese Frosting: In a bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, cream 6 ounces softened cream cheese, 4 tablespoons softened unsalted butter, 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth and creamy; set aside until ready to use.
