Mom's Cinnamon Rolls
Flaky and sweet, this breakfast treat is easy to make and perfect for sharing.
Ingredients
Cinnamon Filling
- 1 cup butter melted
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons cinnamon
Dough
- 1 ½ cups half-and-half (can substitute 3/4 cup cream and 3/4 cup milk)
- 2 tablespoons instant yeast
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 6 tablespoons butter (room temperature)
- 2 eggs
- 4¼ cups flour (may need up to 4 ½ cups)
Instructions
- Make cinnamon filling by combining the melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon; set aside.
- Pour half-and-half into heatproof measuring cup; microwave until lukewarm (~45 seconds)
- Add warmed milk mixture and sugar to bowl of stand mixer; mix with whisk attachment until incorporated. Once incorporated, stop mixing and sprinkle yeast over mixture.
- Add salt, butter, and eggs to bowl; mix with whisk attachment until butter is incorporated. (Pieces of butter may still be present - this is fine.)
- Add 1 cup of flour and whisk on low, until incorporated.
- Switch to bread hook attachment and 3 cups of flour, one cup at a time, stopping as necessary to scrape sides of bowl. Stop mixing once it is just incorporated.
- Assess dough texture - if it pulls cleanly off the dough hook, move on to the next step. If not, add ¼ to ½ cup of flour and mix. Your ideal dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl as you mix.
- Allow mixer to knead dough for 8 minutes. (For extra fun, you can knead by hand for the final 5 minutes, but this is optional.)
- Lightly grease a large bowl and place kneaded dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm area of your home to rise. The dough should double in size within 40 minutes.
- After this first rise, divide dough in half.
- Roll half of the dough on a clean, floured surface, until it is a rectangle roughly ⅓ inch thick. Cover rectangle in half of your cinnamon filling.
- Tightly roll the long edge of your rectangle until you have a log. Using a serrated knife, cut log into slices roughly 1 inch wide (wider if you prefer taller rolls). Place sliced rolls into a greased 9" by 13" pan.
- Repeat steps with second half of risen dough.
- Cover pans of rolls in greased plastic wrap or a tea towel, and allow to rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 325℉.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes, until tops of rolls are slightly golden.
- Allow to cool briefly before adding your choice of frosting, to avoid the frosting melting completely into your rolls.
- Enjoy!