Cooking with Rae and Helen: Soft and Giant Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe. Oh my gosh. I really don’t think I’ve ever had a cinnamon roll like this one.

Joy the Baker is a true genius. Although this recipe requires your whole morning, I love that Joy says, “It takes about 5 hours to make these rolls, and 8 minutes to eat 3 of them. It’s worth every moment.” Might I add that her prediction stands extremely correct. I’m pretty sure I ate 3 within at least 7 minutes.

This recipe is very easy to follow! It is the rising of the dough that takes time. BUT-is a soft, buttery, sugary, giant cinnamon roll worth that wait? Joy thinks so, and so do I!

FOR THE DOUGH:

2¼ tsp. (1 pkg) active-dry yeast
½ tsp. + ¼ c. granulated sugar
¼ c. water, lukewarm (~115° F)
½ c. whole milk, at room temp.
2 Tbs. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2¾ c. all-purpose flour + more for kneading
¾ tsp. salt
4 oz. (1 stick/½ c.) unsalted butter, softened

FILLING:

½ c. granulated sugar
½ c. packed light brown sugar
½ c. finely chopped pecans
¼ c. golden raisins
1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
pinch ground cloves
3 Tbs. pure maple syrup
4 oz. (1 stick/½ c.) unsalted butter, melted

GLAZE:

2 c. powdered sugar
¼ c. buttermilk

Instructions

DOUGH
Combine yeast, ½ tsp. of sugar, and water in the bowl of a mixer. Stir and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.

Add remaining sugar, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk. Beat until well combined. Using a dough hook, add flour and salt to bowl and mix at medium speed until dough just begins to come together. Turn mixer to medium-high and knead for 4 minutes.

Add the softened butter and continue to knead for 6 minutes. The dough will be wet and sticky. Place the dough on a well-floured surface and knead another ⅓-½ cup of flour into the dough. Dough should be just slightly sticky and very soft, but it should not stick to your hands.

Place in a large, greased boil. Cover with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1½-2 hours.

FILLING
While dough is rising, combine sugars, pecans, raisins, cinnamon, salt, and cloves in a medium bowl. Stir in the maple syrup and set aside.

DOUGH
When dough has doubled in bulk, tip it out of the bowl onto a heavily floured work surface. Gently knead the dough until it is no longer sticky, adding 3 Tbs of flour or so. Let it rest on the counter for 5 minutes.

Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a large rectangle. Position dough so that the short sides are parallel to you (you’ll be rolling from the short side). Brush about half of the melted butter over the top of the dough.

Dump all of the filling onto the buttered dough and spread evenly, leaving a 1″ border at one of the short edges of the dough so the roll can be properly sealed. Lightly press the filling into the dough.

Roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Pinch all along the edge to seal. Place dough, seam side down, on a cutting board. Cut into 8 equal slices.

Arrange slices in a greased 9″x13″ pan. Each roll will have a bit of space on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest in a warm place for 1 ½-2 hours, until they are nice and big and are touching. Place oven rack in upper ⅓ of oven and preheat oven to 375° F during last 15 minutes of rise time.

Slide into preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbling. Drizzle with remaining half of melted butter just after you’ve pulled the rolls from the oven.

GLAZE
While the rolls are cooling slightly, whisk together the powdered sugar and buttermilk until smooth. Drizzle over warm rolls.

-Rae