Giant Cinnamon Rolls

Giant and floofy, sticky on the inside, warm and comforting on the whole.

Yeah, they're huge, but at least you can tell your waist line you only ate one piece.

Pictured above: proof of floof.

I've been baking cinnamon rolls and losing their recipes since 2016. I got fed up with trying to recall the ingredients and steps from the countless scraps of recipe screenshots and half-complete written down notes, so I made my own.

And it's a definite keeper. My neighbor's son loves it, and so does my cousin, who said she could eat a whole cinnamon roll at 9.30am in the morning although she never wants to eat breakfast before 11am...

GIANT CINNAMON ROLLS RECIPE:

Makes 8 rolls and some leftover dough for 1-2 sweet brioche buns.

I fit 6 rolls in a 10" x 7" glass baking dish, 2 rolls and buns made from the leftover dough in two 5"x 5" glass baking dishes.

INGREDIENTS:

Bun

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

35g unsalted butter

55g granulated white sugar

2 1/4 tsp instant dry yeast

1 regular egg

408g (3 cups) bread flour

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Filling

45g unsalted butter, softened to rtp

1/2 cup dark brown sugar*

1 tbsp granulated white sugar

1 1/4 tbsp cinnamon powder

1/4 tsp ginger powder (optional but i like the kick)

A tiny pinch of nutmeg (optional but it does upgrade your rolls)

A pinch of salt

Sugar drizzle (makes enough for 2 batches of rolls)

3/4 cup icing sugar

2 tbsp milk (or according to your desired consistency)

Pinch of salt

Dash of vanilla bean paste

BUN INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a saucepan, heat milk, water and butter together till the butter is just melted and the mixture is warm to the touch. . Make sure it’s not too hot or it will kill the yeast. You should be able to stick your finger in without scalding it.

2. Pour the mixture into your mixing bowl. Add in white sugar and the yeast. Stir a little and let the mixture sit for 5-10min till you see little bubbles. That’s when you know your yeast is activated.

3. Add in the 3 cups of flour, salt, egg and vanilla to your mix. Beat with a dough hook attachment on low speed until the ingredients are more or less incorporated, and then crank it up to medium speed (Kitchen Aid #4-5) for another 8 min. Your dough will look like a hot mess at first-- sticking to the sides of the bowl, tearing apart, etc. But trust the process. By the 8 min mark the sides of your bowl will be clean and your dough should've formed a cohesive ball.

4. In the mean time, oil a large bowl (I prefer olive oil).

5. When the dough is done, tip it out into the oiled bowl. The dough will be a little tacky but that’s how it is. Do not be tempted to dust more flour on top of your dough. Flip your ball of dough in the large bowl so that the oiled bottom is now facing up. Cover bowl with a damp cloth and let the dough sit in a warm corner of your house for 50- 60 min, till it doubles in size (see Notes for pics).

6. In the mean time, prepare your filling.

FILLING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Put out 45g of butter and let it sit at room temperature till your dough is proofed. This will ensure it’s of a spreadable consistency.

2. In your measuring jar or a large bowl, use a fork to toss together the brown sugar, white sugar, salt and spices.

ASSEMBLY:

(Some helpful pics in Notes at the end)

1. Dust your table top and rolling pin with bread flour.

2. After your dough is proofed and doubled in size, deflate it with 2-3 satisfying punches. Tip the dough out onto your table top and fold the sides in like an envelope to form a rough rectangle.

3. Use your fingers to press the dough out into a larger rectangle. With a rolling pin, roll your dough out into a 14x9 inch rectangle. It shouldn’t be more than 1/3 inch thick. Trim the sides to form straight lines. Keep the trimmed dough for later.

4. Using the back of a spoon, spread the top of your rectangle with a generous amount of butter, leaving some behind for greasing the baking pans and brushing the tops of your buns.

5. Scatter the sugar-spice filling on top, using a spoon to even the filling out. Leave a slight border on the top long edge to seal your roll later.

6. Butter your baking dish with some of the remaining butter.

7. From the bottom longer edge, start rolling the dough upwards, as tight as you can. Use both hands or even your forearm! When you get to the end of your roll, press the bottom long edge up to seal the roll.

8. Cut away the two ends of your roll. These are uneven bits that don’t deserve a spot in the dish! Then, cut your roll into 8 pieces (halve it, and then halve the halves). Try not to cut in a sawing motion, just slice down and come up as cleanly as possible.

9. Place the rolls (cut side up) gently in to your baking dish. Cover with a damp cloth and let it proof for another half an hour or till somewhat double in size.

10. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 185C, top and bottom setting.

11. After your rolls have risen, gently brush the tops of your rolls with some of the remaining butter so that it’ll come out golden brown. Using your pastry brush, gently press the centres of your rolls down to deflate it a little. This ensures that the centres don't stick out like a sore thumb as your rolls bake.

12. Into the oven! Bake for 20 mins**, rotating the pan halfway through. In the meantime, prepare the drizzle.

**I use a Pyrex glass baking dish for a more even heat distribution. If you are using a metal baking pan, you might want to reduce the oven's temperature by 10C but increase baking time to prevent over browning, or simply reduce the baking time by 5-10min. I've never tried, so just keep an eye on your rolls and adjust as you see fit. Once the tops turn an even, light-golden-brown, they should be done.

SUGAR DRIZZLE INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a medium sized bowl, use a spoon to mix together icing sugar, milk, pinch of salt, and vanilla till there are no more lumps. It should reach a condensed milk- like consistency. Add more milk if needed.

PRESENTATION:

1. When your rolls are hot out of the oven, brush the tops with more leftover butter for a glorious glossy finish.

2. Let your rolls cool down a little, ~10 min, then use a spoon to drizzle the icing over in a crosshatch pattern. There should be quite a bit of icing left over. Keep them in the chiller for your next batch of rolls!

3. Best devoured warm.

Giant Cinnamon Rolls are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature, and eaten within 24 hours (if you have that much self-control!). Simply warm them up in a toaster oven before consumption.

Enjoy!

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Notes:

• Dark brown sugar gives the gooey-est centre. You could use light brown but the results will be less satisfying.

• As seen in the first picture, the dough will look like a mess at first, sticking to the sides, tearing apart. But by the 8 min mark the sides will be clean and your dough, a cohesive lump.

• As seen in the last picture, you can roll your left over dough into plain sweet brioche buns, and save the cut-off edges for smaller cinnarolls. Bake them together with your giant cinnamon rolls.