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–+ servings
Cinnamon Rolls in a Pan
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Winning at Life Soft Cinnamon Rolls

Course brunch, Dessert
Servings 12 rolls
Author Sarah Mir

Ingredients

Dough

  • 1 cup very warm milk (hot to touch but not boiling)
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 ¼ tsp instant/active dry/ traditional yeast
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup melted butter
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 3.5 cups all purpose flour
  • grating of nutmeg (optional)

Cinnamon Filling

  • 5 tbsp melted butter
  • ¾ cup brown sugar (packed, dark brown works best)
  • 2.5 tbsp cinnamon (if you're a cinnamon fan then you can go up to 3)
  • 2 tsp cardamom powder (optional)
  • ¼ tsp salt

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 4 oz cream cheese
  • 1.5 tbsp butter
  • 1 cup icing sugar
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp milk

Instructions

Making the Dough

  • Mix your warm milk and sugar in a large bowl, scatter over the yeast and let it stand for 5-10 minutes or until very foamy (it'll smell like you're baking bread)
  • Add in your egg (whisked) and melted butter
  • Stir in your remaining dough ingredients to make a craggy dough
  • Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead it for 5-8 minutes until smooth and form into a ball. You can also do this with a dough hook in a stand mixer.
  • Place the ball in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel.
  • Put it somewhere warm to rise - I like to preheat my oven for a few minutes (just to 250F) and then turn it off and put it in there
  • For instant or active dry yeast your dough will double in an hour and if you press it gently it will bounce back. Traditional yeast can easily take two.

Cinnamon Filling

  • Combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Shaping the rolls

  • Roll it out in to roughly an 14*18 inch rectangle - the shape doesn't have to be perfect but if yours is very uneven then simply trim the edges
  • Spread the cinnamon filling over top - it will be a thin layer
  • Roll the dough into a tight spiral starting from the 18 inch side and then cut into 12 even pieces
  • Place them in a lightly greased 13*9 pan and leave covered in a warm place to double - mine usually takes half an hour
  • Bake at 350F for 20-22 minutes or until golden

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Mix 4 oz cream cheese and 1.5 tbsp room temperatue with an electric mixer till smooth
  • On low speed add in 1 cup icing sugar, ½ tsp vanilla, and 2 tbsp milk until well combined.
  • Let the rolls cool for a few minutes then slather with cream cheese frosting, you should get a generous layer on top