Sheet Pan Cinnamon Rolls Food

THE BEST CINNAMON ROLLS

Steps:

• Whisk together the whole milk and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit 10 minutes to dissolve; you will see a few bubbles, but the mixture won't be foamy. Whisk together the granulated sugar, eggs and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt in a small bowl.
• Add the bread flour, whole-wheat flour, milk powder and beaten eggs to the yeast and mix with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Fit the bowl in place on the stand mixer and fit the mixer with the dough hook. Mix on medium speed until the dough comes together but is still slightly tough, about 3 minutes. Increase the speed to high and add 10 tablespoons of the butter a tablespoon at a time (the dough will look broken after each addition, but it will eventually come together) and beat until the dough is smooth, elastic and very tacky but pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 12 minutes. (This may seem like a long time, but the texture of the bread improves with a long knead time.) Alternatively, knead the dough on a surface lightly dusted with bread flour, adding 1 tablespoon of butter at a time, until smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free area until it has a buttery, yeasty smell and has doubled in volume, 30 to 45 minutes. (If your kitchen is warm, check it at 35 minutes. It should smell buttery and yeasty, and if it's doubled, it's done. If not, check again in 10 minutes.)
• Meanwhile, whisk together the dark brown sugar, cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl until no lumps of sugar remain. Smash in the remaining 12 tablespoons butter with a rubber spatula and stir until completely combined.
• Place a large sheet of parchment paper on a clean work surface and heavily dust with bread flour. Gently deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall back into the bowl, turning the bowl and repeating if needed. Place the dough on the paper. Roll the dough into a 12-by-15-inch rectangle, pushing the edges towards the center to make straight sides. Spread the brown sugar mixture over the dough in an even layer, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edges. Starting from a long end and using the parchment to help you, tightly roll the dough into a log, pressing the sides occasionally to keep them flush. Transfer to a baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes to firm up the dough.
• Butter the bottom and sides of a 13-by-9-inch baking pan. Cut the dough crosswise into 12 pieces and arrange them cut-side up in the pan in a uniform 3-by-4 grid. There will be about 1/4 inch between each roll and that's ok, the rolls will fill in the gaps as they proof and bake. Let rise, uncovered, in a warm, draft-free area, 40 to 50 minutes.
• Meanwhile, arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Bake the cinnamon rolls until golden brown on top and baked all the way through, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for about 30 minutes before glazing.
• Meanwhile, whisk the confectioners' sugar, cream, vanilla and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl until smooth and creamy, adding more cream if necessary to make a thick glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the cinnamon rolls and serve warm.

CLASSIC CINNAMON ROLLS

Steps:

• Make the rolls: Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Whisk the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a 10-by-18-inch rectangle. Spread the butter over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on one of the long sides. Top with the cinnamon sugar. Brush the clean border with water. Tightly roll the dough into an 18-inch log, rolling toward the clean border; pinch the seam to seal.
• Slip a long taut piece of thread or unflavored floss under the roll, about 1 1/2 inches from the end. Lift the ends of the thread and cross over the roll, pulling tightly to cut off a piece. Repeat, cutting every 1 1/2 inches, to make 12 rolls. Place the rolls in the prepared baking dish.
• Cover the rolls loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour, 10 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover the rolls and bake until they spring back when pressed, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes in the pan. (You can freeze the baked rolls for up to 2 weeks. Cool completely before freezing, then thaw, warm up and glaze before serving.)
• Make the glaze: Whisk the confectioners' sugar, melted butter, milk, vanilla and salt in a bowl until smooth. Drizzle over the warm rolls.
• Warm 1/2 cup water and the milk in a saucepan over low heat until a thermometer registers 100 degrees F to 110 degrees F. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the yeast on top, then sprinkle with a pinch of the sugar; set aside, undisturbed, until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk the melted butter, egg yolk and vanilla into the yeast mixture until combined. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, the remaining sugar, the salt and nutmeg. Make a well in the center, then add the yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon to make a thick and slightly sticky dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until soft and elastic, about 6 minutes. Shape into a ball.
• Brush a large bowl with butter. Add the dough, turning to coat lightly with the butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until the dough is doubled in size, about 1 hour, 15 minutes.
• Turn the dough out of the bowl and knead briefly to release excess air; re-form into a ball and return to the bowl. Lightly butter a large piece of plastic wrap and lay it directly on the surface of the dough. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

OOEY-GOOEY CINNAMON BUNS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar and yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter and salt; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.
• In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture, milk mixture, eggs and 1 1/2 cup flour; stir well to combine. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
• Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• While dough is rising, melt 3/4 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 3/4 cup brown sugar, whisking until smooth. Pour into greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Sprinkle bottom of pan with 1/2 cup pecans; set aside. Melt remaining butter; set aside. Combine remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup pecans, and cinnamon; set aside.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, roll into an 18x14 inch rectangle. Brush with 2 tablespoons melted butter, leaving 1/2 inch border uncovered; sprinkle with brown sugar cinnamon mixture. Starting at long side, tightly roll up, pinching seam to seal. Brush with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. With serrated knife, cut into 15 pieces; place cut side down, in prepared pan. Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in volume. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool in pan for 3 minutes, then invert onto serving platter. Scrape remaining filling from the pan onto the rolls.

EASY NO-YEAST CINNAMON ROLLS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch round cake pan.
• Make the filling: In a medium bowl, using a flexible spatula or wooden spoon, mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the pecans. Set aside.
• Make the rolls: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Add the oil and, using a flexible spatula or wooden spoon, mix until incorporated. (It might be a little lumpy. That's OK!) Stir in the buttermilk until just blended. Gather the dough into a ball and knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth, about 1 minute. Roll out the dough into a 15-by-8-inch rectangle.
• Gently spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a ¼-inch border all around. Starting from one of the long sides, roll up the dough into a tight cylinder. Rotate the roll so that the seam is against the work surface. Using a serrated knife, cut the roll crosswise into eight equal slices. Transfer the rolls to the prepared pan, spacing them evenly. (At this point, you can wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a day or 2, or freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to come to room temperature before proceeding.)
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden.
• While the rolls bake, make the glaze: In a medium bowl, using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, beat the cream cheese until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat well. Add the milk and vanilla, and beat until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
• Remove the rolls from the oven and allow to cool for 3 to 4 minutes before coating with the glaze. Serve warm.

CINNAMON ROLL BREAD

Steps:

• Grease a 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with a parchment paper sling, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the long sides.
• Pour the milk into a small pot and heat over low until it's just warm to the touch (about 95 degrees). If needed, let cool to the correct temperature before using.
• While the milk heats, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix the flour, granulated sugar, yeast and salt to combine. Add the warm milk, butter and egg and mix on low speed until the dough comes together, about 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl well, and mix on medium speed for another 3 minutes.
• Transfer to a lightly greased medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until puffy and almost doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• While the dough rises, make the filling: In a medium bowl, whisk the butter and brown sugar until well combined. Whisk in the flour, cinnamon, vanilla and salt until well incorporated.
• When the dough has risen, roll it out into into a rectangle (about 12 by 20 inches) on a lightly floured surface using a lightly floured rolling pin. Spread the filling over the dough in an even layer all the way to the edges. Starting on one of the long sides, tightly roll up the dough crosswise into a 20-inch log. Gently stretch the log to make it about 24 inches long.
• Use a sharp or serrated knife to cut the dough into 16 1 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Arrange the cinnamon rolls in the loaf pan: Place two rows of six pieces each at the bottom of the pan, side-by-side, seam-side down and tightly packed with the swirls facing the ends of the pan. Arrange the remaining four pieces in the center on top of those on the bottom.
• Loosely cover the loaf with plastic wrap and let rise until the dough comes about 1 inch over the top edge of the pan, about 1 hour (it can be more if your room temperature is cooler). Toward the end of the rise time, heat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Make an egg wash by lightly beating 1 egg and 1 tablespoon water together. Brush the loaf with the egg wash, then bake until the loaf has an internal temperature of 200 degrees, about 50 to 55 minutes. The loaf will brown quickly; tent it with foil after 20 to 25 minutes for the remainder of baking time.
• While the loaf bakes, make the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk the confectioners' sugar, cream and vanilla to combine. The mixture should be thick, more like a frosting than a glaze. Add more cream if needed to achieve a smooth texture. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap into the surface of the frosting so the surface doesn't harden.
• Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Use a small offset spatula to loosen the loaf from the short edges of the pan, then lift out the loaf using the parchment paper and cool for at least 30 minutes on a cooling rack before applying the frosting. Spread the frosting in an even layer over the surface of the loaf.