Ultimate Cinnamon Rolls

To run a decent bed and breakfast, you have to nail the cinnamon rolls. These rolls are the products of years of research, experimentation, and improvement, and I don't think there's anything to improve on at this point!

This recipe will make 12 medium size rolls that you can bake in a 9 x 13 pan or bake individually on parchment on a baking sheet. For something like this, adding some whole wheat to the dough helps make for a richer, more complex flavor and there is plenty of sugar to balance any of the whole wheat's bitterness. I have tried a number of ingredients to make for a softer dough. Oat flour is just too sticky, corn starch to starchy. Mashed potatoes seem like the best dough softener.

I think the best filling incorporates a bit of invert sugar (corn syrup or agave) and to help keep it from running out of the rolls, I add a bit of corn starch. I haven't really found butter to help the filling much and now leave it out of the filling. If you have an extremely sharp or fresh Vietnamese cinnamon, you might want to back the amount of cinnamon down to 2 tsp. Finally, adding cream cheese to the icing helps balance the extreme sweetness found elsewhere in the roll.

The Dough (12 rolls)

2 cups (280 g) AP flour

1 1/2 (204 g) cups whole wheat flour

3/4 (7 g) Tbsp yeast

3/4 ( 11 g) Tbsp kosher salt

1/2 (100 g) cup sugar
1/4 (23 g) cup buttermilk powder

1/2 cup (33 g) instant mashed potato flakes

4 Tbsp (42 g) butter, melted

2 large eggs (96 g)

1 1/4 cups (296 g, 62%) water heated to 105-115 F

In a large bowl, stir together the flours, yeast, salt, buttermilk powder and instant mashed potato flakes. Make a cup in the middle then add the melted butter, eggs and warm water and stir until smooth, then stir vigorously another 30 seconds or knead with the mixer for 4-6 minutes. Cover and allow to rise at room temperature for 2 hours then refrigerate until ready to make the rolls.

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The Filling

1/3 cup corn syrup or agave nectar

1 2/3 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp corn start dissolved in 2 Tbsp cold water

1 Tbsp cinnamon

To make the filling, in a 2 cup glass measure, dissolve 2 Tbsp corn starch in 2 Tbsp cold water. Add corn syrup or agave nectar to the 1/2 cup mark, about 1/3 cup. Stir in the cinnamon and brown sugar until well mixed.

Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking pan or place parchment on two baking sheets.

On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a 14 x 21 or so rectangle. Spread the filling evenly over the dough to the edges then roll up the dough from the long side. Pinch the seam together then divide the log into 12 equal pieces. Place in the pan or on the parchment covered sheets, cover and allow to rise at room temperature for 45-60 minutes. Preheat the oven 425 F and place rolls into the oven. Turn the oven down to 375 F and bake for 28-30 minutes (pan), or 24-26 minutes (baking sheet). Cool to warm before icing.

The Icing

2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup cream cheese
2 Tbsp milk or water
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

In a glass measure, soften the butter and cream cheese in the microwave until melty, 45-60 seconds. Stir in the milk or water, vanilla, then powdered sugar and stir until smooth. Add in 1-2 tsp more water if icing is too thick to spread.