Cinnamon rolls
These are based on a recipe by Well Made by Kiley, but I’ve tweaked them to be exactly how I like them 🙂 The dough is made with Greek yogurt for extra softness, and the secret is pouring heavy cream over them before they go in the oven—it makes them so fluffy and gooey. I changed the frosting to a mascarpone version because it’s way silkier and not as sweet as original recipe. It’s the perfect weekend treat.
Ingredients
Method
- Activate the Yeast: Pour the warm milk into a small bowl. Add 1 tbsp of the sugar and sprinkle the yeast on top. Stir and let it sit for 5–7 minutes until it looks frothy and bubbly.
- Mix the Dough: In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and salt. To the yeast mixture add the rest of the sugar, Greek yogurt, butter, eggs, vanilla and the flour mixture. Mix on low with a dough hook attachment for about 1 minute until just combined. Rest for 5 minutes.
- Knead: Knead it by mixer for 5–7 minutes (if kneading with hands, put it on a floured surface and knead it for approx. 10-15 minutes) or until it’s smooth, elastic, and pulls away from the bowl. If it’s too sticky, add 1 tbsp of flour at a time (I only needed 1 extra tbsp, but feel free to add up to 3 if your dough is still sticking to the sides of the bowl). But we still want the dough to be a little bit sticky (be careful not to add to much).
- First Rise: Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl (i used butter). Cover and let it rise in a warm spot for 30–45 minutes (for ex. in a turned off oven). It doesn't need to double in size, as we will let the rolls rise one more time later on.
- Prep the Filling: While the dough rises, mix the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth. Grease a 9×13” baking pan with butter (or any you have on hand but the bigger the better).
- Shape the Rolls: Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll it into a large rectangle (mine was approx. 40x56cm). Spread the cinnamon filling evenly all the way to the edges, leaving just a tiny border (only a couple millimeters).
- Cut & Proof: Roll the dough tightly into a log. Cut it into 11 equal rolls (about 2 inches wide), or feel free to adjust—you can make 10 larger rolls or even 15 smaller ones, just keep in mind that the baking time will change slightly. Place them in the prepared pan, cover, and let them proof for 25–30 minutes until they look puffy.
- The Frosting: While the rolls are proofing, whisk together the mascarpone, powdered sugar, vanilla, and butter until smooth. Set it aside so it's ready to be spread over the warm rolls later!
- The Secret Cream Pour: Preheat your oven to 175°C. Warm the heavy cream in the microwave for 15 seconds and pour it all over the rolls right before they go into the oven (i did 1 tbsp for each and split the rest evenly).
- The Two-Step Bake: Bake at 175°C for 20–22 minutes. Then, turn the heat up to 190°C and bake for another 5–7 minutes until the tops are golden brown. (If you made more than just keep an eye on them :).
- The Best Part: Spread your prepared frosting over the rolls while they are still slightly warm and enjoy ;).
Stellka’s Tip: For perfectly round rolls, skip the knife! Use a piece of unflavored dental floss or thin sewing string. Slide it under the dough log, cross it over the top, and pull quickly—it "snaps" through the dough without squishing the air out. Check out my video below to see exactly how I do it!
Stellka’s Tip: To check if they’re ready, poke a toothpick into the center of a middle roll. If it comes out clean with no raw dough, they are perfectly baked and ready for frosting!
Notes
The Gooey Secret: Pouring heavy cream over the rolls creates steam in the oven, making the bottoms gooey and caramelized while keeping the tops soft!
Nutritional values for one huge cinnamon roll (120-125g):
440kcal
Proteins: 7,3g
Carbs: 63,6
Fats: 17,7g
Fiber: 1,9
STRING TRICK FOR CUTTING THE ROLLS: