Description
This overnight cinnamon roll recipe features a tangzhong starter for extra softness, a rich, buttery cinnamon filling, and a luxurious cream topping. The dough is slow proofed in the refrigerator to develop flavor and texture, then baked to golden perfection and finished with a smooth vanilla icing. Perfect for a cozy breakfast or dessert treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Tangzhong
- ½ cup whole milk (118 ml)
- ¼ cup water (59 ml)
- ¼ cup bread flour (35 g)
Dough
- 4⅓ cups bread flour (574 g), spooned and leveled, plus extra if sticky
- ¼ cup powdered milk (35 g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (56 g)
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast (8 g)
- ½ teaspoon salt (4 g)
- 1¼ cups whole milk (290 g), room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 additional large egg yolk, room temperature
- 6 tablespoons salted butter (84 g), softened
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil for coating proofing bowl
Filling
- ½ cup salted butter (113 g), softened
- 1 cup dark brown sugar (215 g), packed
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Topping
- ¾ cup heavy cream
Icing
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ tablespoon vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- Prepare Tangzhong: In a small saucepan, whisk together ½ cup whole milk, ¼ cup water, and ¼ cup bread flour over medium heat until smooth. Cook while whisking until thick and gelatinous, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine 4⅓ cups bread flour, ¼ cup powdered milk, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon instant yeast, and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add 1¼ cups whole milk, 2 large eggs, and 1 egg yolk to the dry ingredients and mix briefly for 15 seconds until combined.
- Incorporate Butter and Tangzhong: Mix in the softened 6 tablespoons salted butter and the cooled tangzhong until the dough is sticky but combined.
- Rest Dough: Cover the dough and let it rest for 20 minutes to allow gluten development.
- Knead Dough: Knead the dough using a stand mixer at medium-high speed for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Avoid adding extra flour; the final dough should be tacky but not sticky.
- First Rise: Coat a large bowl with 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil, place the dough inside, turning to coat all sides. Cover with cling wrap and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Shape Dough: Punch down dough and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Shape into a rectangle and roll out into a 16×18-inch rectangle.
- Prepare Pan: Line a 12×17-inch rimmed baking pan with parchment paper.
- Apply Filling: Partially melt ½ cup salted butter for 15 seconds and brush evenly over the dough surface. In a bowl, mix 1 cup dark brown sugar, 2 tablespoons corn starch, and 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture over the buttered dough, leaving a ½ to 1-inch border at one short edge. Use a rolling pin to press the sugar into the dough.
- Cut and Roll: Cut the dough into 12 strips about 1⅓-inch wide from the shorter side. Roll each strip tightly starting at the sugared end, sealing the edge with more butter if necessary.
- Arrange Rolls: Place the rolls in the prepared pan snugly but with a little space between them.
- Add Topping and Second Rise: Pour ¾ cup heavy cream evenly over the rolls just before covering. Cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a slow second rise 8 to 12 hours until rolls are puffy and touching.
- Preheat Oven: Heat oven to 350ºF (175ºC).
- Bake Rolls: Bake on the lowest oven rack for 28 minutes or until golden brown and center temperature reaches 190ºF. Remove and cool on wire rack.
- Prepare Icing: Melt 2 tablespoons salted butter, then whisk in 1 cup powdered sugar, ¼ cup heavy cream, and ½ tablespoon vanilla bean paste until smooth.
- Ice Rolls: Spread icing over warm cinnamon rolls before serving for a gooey finish.
Notes
- Use bread flour for better gluten development and softer rolls.
- Partially melting the butter for filling helps it brush evenly without being too thin to hold the sugar.
- Chilling overnight enhances flavor and texture for tender rolls.
- Check rolls at 28 minutes to avoid overbaking and drying out.
- You can increase icing quantities by 1.5 times for extra gooeyness.
- Use a kitchen thermometer to check the internal temperature for perfectly baked rolls.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 roll
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 220 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
