The Ultimate Cinnamon Roll

This is not the easiest recipe ever, it takes some time and attention, and the dough is so sticky it’s a bit frustrating to work with, but if you persevere, I guarantee these are some of the best cinnamon rolls ever.  The dough is light but dense, the filling is sweet, but not overwhelming – to a 

Yield: makes about 24 - 30 bars, depending on size

Ingredients:

• for the dough:
• whole milk - 4 cups (1 liter)
• vegetable oil - 1 cup
• sugar - 1 cup
• yeast - 2 0.25 oz packets active dry, or 20 g fresh
• all-purpose flour - 8 cups + 1 cup, separated
• baking powder - 1 tsp, heaping
• baking soda - 1 tsp, scant
• salt - 1 tsp
• for the filling:
• butter - 1 1/2 cups, melted
• brown sugar - 1 1/2 cups
• white sugar - 1 1/2 cups
• cinnamon - 4 tbsp
• for the icing:
• cream cheese - 6 ounces (150 g), softened
• butter - 1/4 cup (60 g), softened
• powdered sugar - 1 1/2 cups
• vanilla - 1/2 tsp
• salt - 1/8 tsp

Instructions:

For the dough:

• In a medium saucepan, stir the milk, oil and sugar together and heat until hot, but not quite boiling.

• Remove from heat and let cool to warm.

• Mix in the yeast and wait for it to activate - when the top becomes foamy.

• Put the flour in a large mixing bowl, and make a well in the center, then pour in the milk/yeast mixture and stir until just combined, cover with a damp cloth and leave in a warm, draft-free place, for about an hour.

• After an hour, remove the towel and stir in the baking powder, baking soda, salt and remaining cup of flour.

(you can use the dough immediately, or keep it refrigerated for up to 3 days, punching it down if it rises over the top of the bowl - it is easier to work with chilled)

To make the rolls:

• Grease several baking dishes with butter or cooking spray, depending on size, you should fit about 6 - 8 rolls per pan.  (disposable aluminum pans work great for freezing extra rolls)

• Take half of the dough from the bowl and roll it out into a large rectangle, about 30 x 10" (76 x 25 cm). (the dough is very sticky, so be sure to flour your surface well, it should also be very thin)

• Using  a pastry brush, brush half of the melted butter all over the dough.

• Mix the two sugars and cinnamon together, and spread half of the mixture evenly over the dough.

• Starting from the long side of the dough furthest away from you and using both hands, begin rolling the dough tightly towards you - when you reach the end, pinch the seam together tightly, and flip the roll so the seam is on the bottom.

• Use a sharp knife and slice the roll into 1.5" (3 cm) pieces. (you can also use a piece of dental floss, slide it under the roll and cross it over the top, then pull quickly and tightly and the floss will make a clean cut)

• Place the sliced rolls in your prepared baking dishes, being careful to leave quite a bit of space between them, as they will spread out a lot when baking.

• Repeat the process with the remaining dough.

• Pre-heat the oven to 375 F (190 C).

• While the oven is heating, cover the pans with towels and leave on counter to rise for at least 20 minutes.

(at this point, you can leave the pans of uncooked cinnamon rolls in the refrigerator, and bake them the next day, or you can freeze them and bake them when you want - letting them thaw overnight in the refrigerator)

• Bake for about 15 - 18 minutes, or until golden brown, being careful not to let them brown too much.

To make the icing:

• Beat the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt together with an electric mixer until smooth.

• Spread the icing evenly over still warm rolls.

 You can find the original recipe here: http://comfortablefood.com/the-ultimate-cinnamon-roll/