Christmas Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients:
ROLLS:
466.5 grams/16.45 onces/half of a 32 oz bag + 1 tablespoon of gluten free King Arthur’s bread flour. I’ve also tested with Cup4Cup multipurpose flour, results come out similar.
2 1/4 teaspoons Fleichmann’s Rapid Rise Instant Yeast OR Fleichmann’s Bread Machine Instant Yeast
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 + 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 + 1/4 cup whole milk, warm (I warm mine in the microwave to 106F)
2-3 drops red gel food coloring (if using red
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted (I warm mine in the microwave for 40-45 seconds)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs, room temperature
Heavy cream (for drizzling on top of the rolls before baking)
Christmas sprinkles (linked in my amazon storefront)
FILLING:
1/2 + 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
FROSTING:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2-4 tablespoons whole milk (add more for desired consistency)
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Steps:
In bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, yeast, sugar, baking powder, & salt. Using the dough attachment , knead on low speed for a minute until mixed.
Add the warm milk, red gel food coloring, unsalted butter, vanilla extract, & eggs to the bowl. (Make sure both the warm milk & unsalted butter are not too warm, as it will kill your yeast!). If you’re adding liquid red food coloring, the consistency of the dough can change depending on how much you add. It’s better to use red gel coloring as that won’t change the dough’s consistency much.
Knead on medium low for 5-6 minutes while occasionally gently scraping the sides and under the dough for loose flour.
Let the dough sit for 5 minutes as you’re preparing the filling by mixing all of the filling ingredients in a medium bowl until combined.
Sprinkle a small amount of flour well over cleaned counter space, and gently take your dough out onto the floured surface. Again, sprinkle a small amount of flour onto your dough.
With a rolling pin, begin to roll out your dough into a large rectangle 9x13 inches roughly. The dough’s thickness should be around 1/2 inch.
Next, sprinkle the filling mixture all over the dough’s surface, ensuring the surface is fully covered in the brown sugar cinnamon mixture.
Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut about 1.5 inch thick long strips. Gently, take the top of the first strip, and gently fold it up onto itself, rolling downwards to form your cinnamon roll. Continue same process for each strip.
After you have your cinnamon rolls rolled, spray a 9x13 inch pan with butter spray & place the rolls evenly in it. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, & set on a warm surface for 1 hour. You can heat your oven to 200F, then turn the oven off, & place the rolls in the turned off oven for 1 hour, OR I use a proofing mat at 86F for 1 hour.
20 minutes before the 1 hour mark ends, preheat your oven to 350F. When the rolls are proofed, drizzle a small amount of heavy cream on top and around each roll. Bake the rolls for 21-25 minutes or until rolls reach a temperature of 160F.
Prepare the frosting by mixing all frosting ingredients in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium low. Mix until creamy & smooth. Drizzle over rolls immediately out of the oven so they get nice and gooey! Wait until rolls cool for about 30 minutes before putting any Christmas decorative sprinkles on top. ENJOY!