Jumbo Muffin-Tin Cinnamon Rolls
What’s better than a cinnamon roll? A jumbo-size one with a brown sugar–cinnamon filling and a rich cream cheese glaze on top! To prepare these giant beauties, we bake the dough in an extra-large muffin pan—the rolls emerge beautifully puffed up and golden brown. Served warm for breakfast or brunch, our decadent treats will get rave reviews from kids and grown-ups alike. The rolls are made with a yeast dough that needs to rise twice before baking, so plan accordingly.
Ingredients
- For the dough:
- 3/4 cup (6 fl. oz./180 ml) warm whole milk (110°F/43°C)
- 1 package (2 1/4 tsp.) active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup (1 3/4 oz./50 g) plus 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
- 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) (2 oz./60 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 3 cups (12 oz./340 g) plus 2 Tbs. bread flour, plus more as needed and for dusting
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- Vegetable oil for greasing
- Unsalted butter for greasing
For the filling:- 8 Tbs. (1 stick) (4 oz./125 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature
- 1 cup (7 1/2 oz./213 g) firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 2 1/2 Tbs. ground cinnamon
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) heavy cream
For the cream cheese glaze:- 3 oz. (90 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (6 oz./170 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 3 Tbs. heavy cream
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
- Pinch of kosher salt
Directions
To make the dough, in the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together the warm milk, yeast and the 1 Tbs. granulated sugar. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
Add the 1/4 cup (1 3/4 oz./50 g) granulated sugar, whole egg, egg yolk and melted butter to the bowl. Fit the mixer with the flat beater and beat on low speed until just combined, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and salt and beat until a wet dough forms, about 10 seconds. Switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic and only slightly sticky, about 10 minutes. If the dough is too sticky and not releasing from the sides of the bowl, add up to 2 Tbs. more flour.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, knead a few times and shape the dough into a ball. Grease a large bowl with vegetable oil. Add the dough to the bowl and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Butter the wells of a 6-cup extra-large muffin pan.
To make the filling, in a medium bowl, stir together the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll out into a 12-by-16-inch (30-by-40-cm) rectangle, with a short side toward you. Spread the filling evenly over the dough.
Starting at the short end that is closest to you, roll the dough into a tight log, pinching the ends to seal. If it stretched out during the rolling process, reshape the log so it is 12 inches (30 cm) long. Cut the log crosswise into 6 pieces, each 2 inches (5 cm) thick. Place the rolls, cut sides up, in the prepared muffin wells. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Alternatively, cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, then let the rolls rest at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours before baking.
Preheat an oven to 375°F (190°C).
Remove the plastic wrap and brush the tops of the rolls with the cream. Place the muffin pan on a rimmed baking sheet in case any cinnamon sugar spills over during baking. Bake until the rolls are puffed up and deep golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a roll registers 190°F (88°C), 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, cream, vanilla and salt until smooth.
Invert the rolls onto the rack and let cool slightly, then spoon on the glaze and serve. Makes 6 jumbo rolls.
Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen