Ever since I saw Alton Brown make these on Good Eats years ago I have wanted to make them but, truth be told I have always been a little intimidated with anything using yeast. That’s really why I have waited this long to make these. But ever since I made my first homemade pizza, I have been ready to take on new challenges. I am working on a comfort food cookbook and what’s a comfort food cookbook without cinnamon rolls? I’ll tell you what it is, it’s an incomplete cookbook! So I had to give Alton Brown’s Cinnamon Rolls a try. I hope you will give these a try as well. You won’t regret it!
I have re-written the recipe to make it a little easier to understand without watching the video.
Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
Yield:
12
Ingredients
DOUGH
- 4 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 large whole egg, at room temperature
- 1/4 granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 6 ounces buttermilk, at room temperature
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 package instant dry yeast
- 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Vegetable oil or cooking spray
FILLING
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for buttering baking dish
ICING
- 1/4 cup cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
DOUGH
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter and buttermilk on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add approximately 2 cups of the flour along with the yeast, and salt, whisk until moistened and combined. It should look like cake batter. Remove the whisk attachment and replace with a dough hook. Add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour. Knead the dough on low speed for 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough. If the dough sticks to the bowl, add a little more of the reserved flour. Pull the dough off the hook and redistribute in the bowl. The dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky. Knead on low speed for another 5 minutes or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand for about 30 seconds. Lightly oil a large bowl with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Transfer the dough to the bowl and lightly oil the top of the dough. Cover and let double in volume 2 - 2 1/2 hours on the counter.
FILLING
- Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until incorporated. Set aside until ready to use.
- Butter a 9 x 13 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Shape the dough into a rectangle with the long side nearest you. Roll into an 18 x 12-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the 2 tablespoons melted butter, leaving about a 1/2-inch border along the top edge. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the top edge and gently press the filling onto the dough.
- Beginning with the long edge nearest you, with your finger tips, gently roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Gently squeeze the cylinder to create an even thickness. Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2 inch rolls, creating 12 rolls. Arrange the rolls cut side down in the baking dish and cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 16 hours.
- Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off. Fill a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan 2/3 full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the door and let the rolls rise until the look slightly puffy, about 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the baking pan of water from the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- When the oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown or until they reach 190 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 30 minutes.
ICING
- While the rolls are cooling, make the icing by whisking the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. Add the milk and whisk until combined. Pour the sifted powdered sugar in and whisk until smooth. Spread over the rolls and serve immediately.