YIELD: 1 dozen
generously-sized rolls
PREP TIME: 20 minutes
COOK TIME: 22 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 5 hours
INGREDIENTS:
Dough
up to 4 1/4 cups
all-purpose flour (Start with 4)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons instant
dry yeast (one 1/4-ounce packet, I use Red Star Platinum)
pinch salt, optional and
to taste
6 tablespoons unsalted
butter, melted (3/4 of one stick)
3 large eggs, lightly
whisked
3/4 cup buttermilk
Filling
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1
stick), very soft - let it sit out while dough rises
1 to 1 1/4 cups light
brown sugar, packed
about 3 teaspoons cinnamon
(I used almost 5 teaspoons)
Cream Cheese Frosting
Stick of Butter (softened)
8 oz Package of Cream
Cheese (softened)
1 tablespoon vanilla
extract
3-4 Cups of Powdered Sugar
(I start with 2 and go up depending on my taste buds that day)
DIRECTIONS:
Dough - To
the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 4 cups
flour, 1/3 cup sugar, yeast, salt to taste; set aside.
Place 6 tablespoons butter
in a small microwave-safe bowl, and heat to melt, about 45 seconds; set aside.
Crack eggs in another bowl and whisk; set aside.
Add buttermilk to a small
pan and heat up over the oven, until the desired heat of your yeast. Red Star Platinum yeast calls for warmer
temperatures than most, 120 to 130F; other brands and yeast call for much lower
temperatures, about 95 to 105F. Taking the temperature with a digital
thermometer is highly recommended. If the milk separates or gets a little funny
looking after being warmed, whisk it to smooth it out.
To the dry ingredients in
the stand mixer, add the melted butter, eggs, buttermilk, and beat on
medium-low speed for about 1 minute, or until combined.
Switch to the dough hook
(the dough will have stuck to the paddle and just pick off what you can and put
it into the bowl) and knead for 10 to 12 minutes (15 to 18 minutes by hand). If
after 5 minutes more flour is needed, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour, 1
tablespoon at a time, until the dough clears the side of the bowl but sticks to
the bottom. This is a very sticky,
tacky, moist, and borderline sloppy dough; don't be tempted to over-flour it.
It's supposed to be that way. The more flour you add now, the less fluffy
and more dense the rolls will be. Dough should clear the sides of the mixer
while kneading but sticking to the bottom is fine.
Remove the dough from the
mixing bowl, spray a large mixing with cooking spray, and place the dough in
the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and
place it in a warm, draft-free place to rise for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or
doubled in size. I keep my bowl inside a powered-off oven. Every 45 minutes
or so, I power on the oven for 1 minute to 400F, as if I am preheating it, then
I power it off. Do not, repeat not, keep the oven on. These short bursts of 1
minute of heat create a stable 85F-ish warm environment, ideal for the yeast. If
your rising spot is cold, it will take longer than 2 1/2 hours.
Prepare a 11-by-17-inch or
similar sized jellyroll pan or sheet cake pan with a raised edge, or use a
9-by-13-inch pan. I prefer a jellyroll pan because it's slightly larger so the
rolls are less squished, have more room to rise, and bake more evenly. Line pan
with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
Rolling Out the Dough - After dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Turn
dough out onto a floured Silpat or floured countertop. Knead it lightly for
about 2 minutes. With a rolling pin, roll it out to a 16-by-12-inch rectangle;
just slightly larger than a standard Silpat.
Filling - With a knife,
butter the dough with 1/2 cup soft butter, leaving a 3/4-inch border around the
edges. Sprinkle the brown sugar over it. Sprinkle the cinnamon over the brown
sugar; I was very generous with the cinnamon and used almost 5 teaspoons and
recommend at least 3; just eyeball it and shake it on.
Slicing the Dough - Loosen the dough from the counter using a bench scraper (or metal
spatula), and starting with a long edge, roll the dough into a tight log. Pinch
the seam closed and turn log so seam side is down. Gently stretch the log to be
18 inches in length with an even diameter all the way around and pat the ends
to even them up. Don't fret if your log isn't perfect; it's okay.
Slice the cylinder into 12
evenly sized rolls (about 1 1/2 inches wide) using a bench scraper, serrated
knife, or plain unwaxed dental floss (works great to not squish and compact the
log). Arrange the rolls cut side down in the prepared baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap.
Decide to Make Straight Through - Let rise in a warm, draft-free place until the rolls
have nearly doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Or...Decide to Make as Overnight Rolls - Don't let rolls rise after they've been sliced and
placed in covered pan. Place pan in refrigerator for up to 16 hours. Before
baking, let the rolls sit at room temperature until they have nearly doubled in
size, about 1 hour.
Baking -For either
version, bake at 350F for 22 to 25 minutes, or until lightly golden on top and
cooked through but not overly browned. Immediately and generously, spread cream
cheese frosting on the warm rolls. Serve immediately. Rolls are best eaten
fresh, but will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5
days. Reheat leftover rolls for a few seconds in the microwave before serving.
If you have issues with cream cheese frosting at room temperature, then
refrigerate the leftover rolls; I don't. For long term storage, I recommend
making the rolls as directed and then freezing unfrosted rolls; allow to thaw
at room temp prior to serving and frost as directed. I prefer freezing finished
rolls rather than freezing uncooked dough.
Cream Cheese Frosting
I mix the butter, cream cheese, and
vanilla together first and then I add
the icing sugar a half a cup at a time until I achieve the taste desired, as
soon as the rolls are out of the oven I smear the icing all over them… enjoy…YUM!
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