Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls

Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

Servings: 14

Dough

½ cup unsalted butter, melted

2 cups whole milk, warm to the touch (110–115˚F)

½ cup granulated sugar

1 pack active dry yeast

5 cups flour, divided

1 egg beaten

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

Filling

¾ cup butter, softened¾ cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup powdered sugar

Directions

Generously butter two disposable foil pie/cake pans. In a large bowl, whisk together warm milk, melted butter, and granulated sugar. The mixture should be just warm, registering between 100–110˚F. If it is hotter, allow to cool slightly. Sprinkle the yeast evenly over the warm mixture and let set for 1 minute. Add 4 cups of all-purpose flour to the milk, add the beaten egg and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350˚F/180˚C

After 1 hour, the dough should have nearly doubled in size. Remove the towel and add an additional ¾ cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt. Stir well, then turn out onto a well-floured surface. Knead the dough lightly, adding additional flour as necessary, until the dough just loses its stickiness and does not stick to the surface. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about ½-inch thick. Fix corners to make sure they are sharp and even. Spread the softened butter evenly over the dough. Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. Press the mixture into the butter. Roll up the dough, forming a log, and pinch the seam closed. Place seam-side down. Trim off any unevenness on either end. Cut the log in half, then divide each half into 7 evenly sized pieces (about 1½ inches thick each). Place 7 cinnamon rolls in each cake pan, one in the center, six around the sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes.

Remove plastic wrap. Bake the cinnamon rolls in a preheated oven for 25–30 minutes, until golden brown. While the cinnamon rolls are baking, prepare the frosting. In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together cream cheese, butter, vanilla, whole milk, and powdered sugar, until smooth. Remove the cinnamon buns from the oven. While still warm, drizzle evenly with frosting.