Milk Bread Cinnamon Rolls
These Milk Bread Cinnamon Rolls are the softest, squidgiest rolls you'll ever eat! They're topped with a luscious vanilla bean cream cheese frosting, and they'll make your entire house smell heavenly.
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale plus a dough hook attachment and whisk attachment (optional)
- Oven Thermometer
- Small Saucepan
- Stand Mixer
- Rolling Pin
- Small Offset Spatula
- 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) Baking Dish
- Electric Hand Mixer optional
Ingredients
Tangzhong:
- 30 g (¼ cup) bread flour spooned and leveled
- 160 ml (⅔ cup) whole milk
Dough:
- 160 ml (⅔ cup) whole milk room temperature
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 450 g (3 ¾ cups) bread flour spooned and leveled
- 9 g (2 ¼ tsp) active dry yeast
- 67 g (⅓ cup) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 113 g (½ cup) unsalted butter softened and cut into 8 pieces
- Extra-virgin olive oil for greasing
Filling:
- 113 g (½ cup) unsalted butter softened, plus more for greasing
- 150 g (¾ cup) light brown sugar packed
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 125 ml (½ cup) warm heavy cream for pouring over the rolls
Icing:
- 113 g (4 oz) cream cheese softened
- 57 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter softened
- 120 g (1 cup) powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
Instructions
Tangzhong:
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the flour and milk until no lumps remain.
- Place over medium heat and whisk constantly until it forms a thick paste, 4-5 minutes. It should look a bit like gelatinous mashed potatoes.
- Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer and let it cool for 5 minutes or until it's no longer hot, but still warm to the touch.
Dough:
- Add the dough ingredients (minus the olive oil) to the bowl with the tangzhong in the order listed.
- Attach a dough hook to the stand mixer and mix on low speed for 2 minutes until a dough ball starts to form.
- Increase to medium-low and mix for 8-10 minutes until a smooth, elastic dough forms. While the mixer is running, lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil.
- Remove the dough from the stand mixer and shape into a ball. Place in the oiled bowl then cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm spot for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until doubled in size.
Filling and Baking:
- Make the filling by mixing together the softened butter, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon until well combined and spreadable.
- Grease a 9x13 inch (23x33 cm) baking dish with softened butter.
- Punch the dough down then tip out onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle the top of the dough with a bit of flour and roll into a 12x21 inch (30.5x53 cm) horizontal rectangle. If the dough starts to stick, sprinkle a bit of flour on it.
- Place dollops of the filling onto the dough then use an offset spatula to gently spread it all over.
- Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 12 equal sized strips (about 1 ¾ inch or 4.5 cm). Roll up each strip then evenly space them out in the prepared baking dish.**(see notes)
- Cover with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise for 60-75 minutes or until puffy and touching each other. During the last 15 minutes of rise time, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Pour the warm heavy cream over the puffed, pre-baked rolls. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until lightly golden brown. You can also check the centers with a thermometer which should reach 190°F (88°C).
- Let the rolls cool for 10 minutes before frosting.
Icing:
- Add the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean paste to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or you can use an electric hand mixer and a bowl).
- Mix on low speed for 30 seconds then increase to medium-high speed, mixing for 1-2 minutes until light and creamy. Scrape down the bowl if needed.
- Spread the vanilla bean icing all over the cinnamon rolls and enjoy!
Notes
- **Once you've rolled the cinnamon rolls and placed them in the baking dish, you can store them covered in the fridge overnight or up to 24 hours. When you're ready to bake, let them rest at room temperature for 2-2.5 hours until puffy and touching each other. Pour the warm cream over the top and bake as normal.
- If you have any leftover cinnamon rolls, they should last up to 1 week in the fridge when placed in an airtight container or covered with foil.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cinnamon roll | Calories: 520kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 28g | Sodium: 298mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 30g
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