Name: Frosted Cinnamon Rolls
Yield: 24
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 cups cups flour (I used all-purpose even though the original recipe calls for cake flour); 3/4 cup cup milk; 2/3 cup cup granulated sugar; 1/4 cup cup butter; 1/2 oz oz fresh yeast (a little more than half a cube); 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; 1 egg; 1/3 cup cup brown sugar; 1/6 cup cup butter; 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (8-10 g); 3/4 cup cup powdered sugar; 1/6 cup cup fresh liquid cream

Let me introduce you to my frosted cinnamon rolls.

My version (just a bit lighter — and it couldn’t be otherwise 😌) of the all-American Cinnamon Rolls.

If you are not too busy today with preparations for tomorrow or frantic last-minute shopping, get your hands in the dough right away! These frosted cinnamon rolls are delicious.

Moreover, your house will be filled with a cinnamon aroma that makes everything feel so Christmasy. And your Christmas breakfast will have an extra touch! 🤩

Do you remember the gingerbread cookies from last Christmas? And do you remember that they were inspired by a Christmas movie full of good feelings and Christmas recipes overflowing with sugar, ginger, and cinnamon? (The movie is called The Sweetest Christmas: a title that says it all 😍).

Well, if you had the patience to read the introduction of that recipe, perhaps you didn’t miss the promise I made there: to try to make the other recipes mentioned in the movie. Or at least, if not all, at least two: the gingerbread cinnamon buns and the coffee cake (the breakfast dunk cake, which we’ll talk about in due time).

So, when a few days ago Lucius Etruscus asked me to participate in the new blog tour dedicated to Christmas, I dived headfirst into finding the perfect recipe for gingerbread cinnamon buns.

This search led me to discover a detail I was unaware of: cinnamon buns and cinnamon rolls are the same thing.

This is because they are, in fact, buns, meaning leavened rolls, specifically sweet rolls (not the buns we usually think of, like those for hamburgers).

And so, after ‘investigating’ the coffee cake and the origins of its name, I now know why cinnamon rolls are also cinnamon buns. I love discovering these details!

Historically, the term bun referred to a leavened dough enriched with butter, sugar, and eggs (so, practically, a brioche dough), divided into individual portions. Therefore, the fact that cinnamon buns are rolled and not filled like a classic sandwich is irrelevant to the original meaning of the term. The idea that buns are sandwiches to be filled is a modern attribution.

Then I discovered another detail: the cinnamon rolls we commonly see on American blogs (and that I’ve recently seen in bakeries in Germany) almost always appear stuck together in the baking pan. This is because they are made to rise very close together, resulting in a more squared shape during baking, while still maintaining a visible spiral inside (so they are rolls even if not perfectly round).
The next question was: do they have to be this way?
No.
I’ve discovered that the ‘attached’ version is typical of the United States. The one baked with spaced rolls, where the rolls remain rounder and more similar to our rolls, is more common in Europe and artisanal bakeries. In both cases, though, they are authentic cinnamon buns.

The rules to follow, therefore, are few: leavened dough, rolled, with a filling of butter, sugar, and cinnamon, and a glaze recommended but not mandatory.
In the end, I breathed a sigh of relief! 😃 Since my cinnamon rolls turned out more round, smaller, a bit lighter, and less glazed than the ones that made Lucius get cavities watching The Sweetest Christmas… 😁😂 …Lucius! Here you can bite in with peace of mind! 😃

Come on, have one! 🤩

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Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Economical
Rest time: 3 Hours
Portions: 24
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: American
Seasonality: All seasons, Christmas

Ingredients

4 cups cups flour (I used all-purpose even though the original recipe calls for cake flour)
3/4 cup cup milk
2/3 cup cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cup butter
1/2 oz oz fresh yeast (a little more than half a cube)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1/3 cup cup brown sugar
1/6 cup cup butter
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (8-10 g)
3/4 cup cup powdered sugar
1/6 cup cup fresh liquid cream

Tools

Rolling Pin
Bowl
Bowl proofing
Spatula

Steps

👉 All the recipes I consulted use a stand mixer, but I preferred to knead by hand. Both for personal challenge and to offer an alternative to those who don’t have a stand mixer. 😌
Pour the milk into a large bowl.
Dissolve the fresh yeast in the milk (at room temperature) and let it rest for about ten minutes.
Pour 2 cups of flour into the bowl containing milk and yeast and briefly mix with a spoon.
In a small bowl, beat the egg (whole) with a fork, then add it to the mixture.
Mix.
Cut the butter into pieces and let it soften.
👉 To speed things up, you can soften the butter by microwaving it for 10-15 seconds.
Work butter and sugar with a spoon until you achieve a creamy consistency.
Gradually add the butter and sugar cream, mixing well after each addition to incorporate it thoroughly before adding more.
Pour the vanilla extract into the mixture (I used a tablespoon of homemade vanilla macerate).
Mix well.
At this point, add the remaining 2 cups of flour (I didn’t pour it all at once but 1 cup + 1 cup).
Knead by hand, directly in the bowl or transferring the dough onto the work surface. Work the dough for a few minutes until it is well combined.
Form a ball and let it rise in a sheltered place (I always put the bowl inside the microwave). Let it rise until doubled (about 3 hours).
While the dough is rising, prepare the filling.
Work with a spoon 1/6 cup of butter, previously softened, with 1/3 cup of raw brown sugar and a tablespoon of cinnamon.
You’ll get a buttery brown-colored mixture.
Cover it with a lid or plastic wrap and let it rest until ready to use.
Roll out the risen dough with a rolling pin to obtain a rectangle (not too thin).
☝ Usually, all the dough is rolled out to form a large roll from which 12-15 large rolls are obtained. I preferred to divide the dough into two parts (450 g each) from which I made two smaller rolls, and consequently, smaller rolls.
Spread the cinnamon filling over the entire surface of the dough using a spatula.
👉 The filling is compact and grainy and requires a bit of patience to distribute all over; the important thing is to cover the whole surface.
Roll the dough.
Cut the roll into slices, possibly of the same thickness, using a sharp knife.
👉 Do not press the blade to avoid deforming the rolls. You can also cut using kitchen twine.
Place the rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover them with a cloth, or put them in the oven, and let them rise until doubled (I did 40 minutes, but it can be extended up to an hour).
Bake at 350°F and cook the cinnamon rolls for 20 minutes.
Check the browning; it may be useful to cover the rolls with aluminum foil halfway through baking.
A few minutes before taking the rolls out, you can prepare the glaze.
It’s a very simple glaze derived from water glaze. It is made simply by using liquid cream instead of water.
In a small bowl, pour 3/4 cup of powdered sugar and 1/6 cup of cream and mix well with a spoon until the sugar is dissolved.
You can vary the consistency of the glaze to taste by adjusting the amount of cream.
Spread the glaze on the warm rolls using a spoon.
The amount of glaze can be increased (or decreased) to taste. American Cinnamon Rolls are usually well-covered with it — enough to hide the rolls 😃 — so if you want to be generous, just double (or more) the glaze. But I assure you that even with the layer you see in the photo, they are sweet enough, and the sugar doesn’t overpower the good cinnamon flavor.
Wishing you a Sweet Christmas! 🎄✨