Cinnamon Rolls

Whenever I smell the sweet and festive scent of rolls, the things that come to my mind are: winter storms, cold mornings, and snuggling up in my softest robe near the fireside with a cup of tea in-hand.

These cinnamon rolls are the perfect thing to keep you and your loved ones feeling warm and cared for this holiday season. I've been thinking about my goals for 2019 - the end of year festivities often have a knack for getting me into a reflective mood. I want to focus more on community, on sharing with others, and appreciating the little things in life, so I've decided to launch a series of hands-on cooking classes.

Authentic Pasta Making will be the first one offered!Just like with these cinnamon rolls, working with dough can feel so satisfying - so tactile - and both are the perfect group cooking activities. I have great memories of making both pasta, as well as cinnamon rolls, together with family and friends, chatting and laughing while we work. Those communal cooking experiences are what I love the most, and I want others to have them too.The hands-on pasta making class will be focused on this communal way of cooking.

It's a chance for us to come together as a community and really appreciate the entire cooking process, with all its sensory joy.If you have someone in your life who would enjoy the Authentic Pasta Making Class, I'm happy to say that you can now purchase the class as a gift! Just include a note when ordering and we will send you a printable class certificate for them to "open" this holiday season! For all the details, including class dates and times, head to my online shop.

Now, without further ado, let's get to my tried-and-true Cinnamon roll recipe!

Cooking Notes

If you find that the centres of your roll have popped up, place a piece of waxed paper over the roll tops and press gently press down. Hold for 5 seconds. Repeat with any other unruly ones.

Ingredients

Cinnamon Rolls

• 1 cup warm milk, warmed to 110℉

• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast 

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 4 large eggs

• 4 ½ to 4 ¾  cups all purpose flour, plus more for kneading

• ½ cup unsalted butter,   cut into cubes and at room temperature

Filling

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Cream Cheese Icing

• 4 oz cream cheese

• 4 oz unsalted butter

• 2 tablespoons milk

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

1. For dough, in bowl of stand mixer, add warm milk and sprinkle with yeast.

2. Let mixture sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. In medium bowl. beat together eggs, sugar and salt.

3. Add to milk mixture. Add flour, one cup at a time leaving a ½ cup until later. Knead on low speed until dough starts to come together. Stop and scrape sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

4. Slowly start to add butter and knead on medium speed until dough is smooth and stringy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of the bowl midway. Slowly add the remaining flour until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Knead 7 to 8 minutes longer.

5. Remove dough from bowl (it’s going to be a bit stuck on the bottom, so pull.) Use a bit of flour on your hands to grab it or a large spatula.

6. Shape dough into a ball and place in a large buttered bowl, cover bowl with plastic wrap and drape with a clean dish cloth. Let dough double in size at room temperature, about 2 hours.

7. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Punch dough and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll out dough into a large rectangle about 22 by 14 inches. You are going to have to keep stretching dough for a few minutes to form the shape. Have patience! You will eventually get the right shape.

   For Filling

   1.Spread butter evenly over dough and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll from long end into log. Cut into 12 equal slices.

   2.Arrange slices, cut side down in pan, making sure to leave some space between each one.

   3.Cover pan loosely with plastic wrap and let rise 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator. Bring back to room temperature before.

   For icing,

   1. beat together cream cheese, butter, and milk. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth, scraping sides of the bowl. Cover and chill until ready to use.Position the baking rack to the bottom third of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Bake rolls for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden in colour. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Frost generously with cream cheese icing. Makes 12