Cinnabon-Style Gourmet Cinnamon Rolls

if there's anything thing good about the annoyingly hot & humid weather in singapore, its that the weather is perfect for making bread. i'm not exactly a fan of sweet buns and sandwich loaves (i'm really more of a ciabatta/baguette person) but when they're made with my favorite cinnamon sugar its a different story entirely. so while browsing foodgawker the other day, i came across this recipe and immediately set out to make it. looking at the title makes me wonder about the difference between gourmet and non-gourmet cinnamon rolls, and since its said to be a replica of cinnabon's, the famous bakery chain specializing in cinnamon rolls, i just didn't wanna miss it.

despite the lengthy recipe, its actually really simple to make - just dump everything together and mix. using my kitchenaid also made the kneading task so much simpler. tastewise, it was SO GOOD i actually made a second batch on the next day. the recipe uses a lemony cream cheese frosting for the topping but i don't fancy frosting something thats already so sweet, so i skipped it. however, i believe it should be quite good with the frosting. the only complaint i hv is that there's just too much cinnamon for the filling, a good whole 5 tablespoons of it! being slightly overwhelmed with the cinnamon, it also made the filling grainy and sandy. if i make this again (which i'm very sure i will again soon), i might just cut down the proportion of cinnamon by half.

also, i'm now buying ground cinnamon from the indian spice stall coz its really so much cheaper compared to the masterfoods or mccormick ones i used to buy from the supermarket. a 100g pack just cost me $1! i bought ten packs at a go coz i forsee i'll be making these really often from now on :) the following instructions is for making the rolls using standmixer. for the bread machine's method, pls follow author's instructions on her blog.

recipe source : grace's la mia vita dolce

ingredients (makes abt 12 large or 15 small rolls) :

for the bread dough :

59 ml (¼-cup) water

237 ml (1 cup) whole milk

113.5 g (½-cup) unsalted butter

1¼ large eggs, room temperature, well beaten

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

½ tsp salt

112.5g (½ cup) sugar

572g (4½-cups) unbleached white bread flour

7 g (1 envelope or 2½ teaspoons) Fleischmann’s quick rise yeast

for the cinnamon sugar filling :

200 g (1 cup) golden yellow sugar (light brown sugar), firmly packed

32g (5 tablespoons) cinnamon (preferably “Makara” cinnamon – available at some Cinnabon franchises)

108.5 g (½-cup) margarine, room temperature

for the cream cheese frosting :

125 g (4 ounces) cream cheese

108.5 g (½-cup) margarine

227 g (1¾-cups) sugar fondant or 10X powdered sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, preferably alcohol free

1/8 teaspoon pure lemon extract, preferably alcohol free

directions :

1. to make the dough, in a small-sized saucepan, gently melt the butter over low heat (do not let it boil!). add the water and milk. before continuing to the next step, allow the butter mixture to cool so that it is between 49°C and 54°C (120° F and 130°F). pour the butter mixture into the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. add the remaining ingredients, in the order listed above. beat on low speed for 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. switch from paddle attachment to dough hook attachment and knead on medium speed until smooth, 8 to 9 minutes. the dough should no longer stick to your fingers or to the sides of the bowl. form a ball. lightly oil a large bowl with vegetable oil or non-stick spray. transfer dough to bowl, turn to coat. cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and then a kitchen towel. let dough rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1-2 hours.

2. once you’ve started the dough cycle, remove the margarine from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature (if using stand mixer to prepare dough, remove the margarine from the refrigerator once the dough is prepared and you have set it aside to rise).

3. in a small-sized bowl, using a whisk, combine together the brown sugar and cinnamon (use clean hands to break up any clumps in the brown sugar), set-aside.

4. once the dough cycle has completed, remove the dough from the baking pan and place on a clean, lightly floured work surface. let rest for 10 minutes. if using stand mixer preparation, punch down the dough, transfer dough to a clean, lightly floured work surface. line 3 20-cm (8-inch) square baking tins with non-stick baking paper, set aside. roll out dough to a 38 cm X 61 cm (15 inch X 24 inch) rectangle. mark off a 2.54-cm (1-inch) border along the 61-cm (24-inch) edge of the dough, closest to you. using a large offset spatula spread margarine over dough, making sure not to spread margarine on the 2.54-cm (1-inch) border edge (so that you can seal the roll). sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over margarine, making sure not to sprinkle on border edge, keep the border clean. using your rolling pin, lightly roll the cinnamon sugar mixture. starting at the far edge of the dough, roll the dough (towards you) tightly into a log, pinching gently to keep it rolled up, stopping just shy of the border edge. using a pastry brush, brush a bit of water or milk on the border edge and then continue to roll dough (helps to seal the log).using a sharp knife, trim the left and right ends of the log (so you have a flush end at each end of the log). the result will be a 61-cm (24-inch) log.

4. using the tip of a sharp paring knife, mark the log every 3.8-cm (1½-inches) (for small rolls) or 5-cm (2-inches) (for larger rolls). with the seam side down, cut the log into 3.8-cm (1½-inch) long portions or 5-cm (2-inch) long portions with a sharp knife. divide rolls between baking tins, arranging cut side up, spacing 1.27-cm (½-inch) to 2.54-cm (1-inch) apart. cover baking tins with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. let rise in a warm, draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, about 30 mins - 1 hour. after rising, rolls should be touching each other and the sides of the pan. this is important for best results as this will give the rolls the soft, moist outer edge that is preferred.

5. prepare cream cheese frosting. remove the cream cheese and margarine from the refrigerator. place in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitter with the paddle attachment. let come to room temperature, ½ hour. beat the cream cheese and margarine together at low speed for 6 minutes. switch to whip attachment and mix the cream cheese and margarine mixture for 10 minutes on medium speed. add 125 g (1-cup) of the sugar fondant (or powdered sugar) and mix for 1 minute on low speed. add the remaining sugar fondant (or powdered sugar) and mix on low speed for an additional minute. add the vanilla and lemon extracts and mix for 1 minute at medium speed. transfer cream cheese frosting to a container, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

6. position rack in centre of oven; preheat oven to 170° C (335° F). bake, one tin at-a-time (to obtain uniform results), until the rolls are lightly browned, about 20 minutes. transfer baking tin to a wire rack. frost the rolls while they’re still very warm and serve immediately.