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A note from Carolyn: I now have a new favorite cinnamon roll recipe that uses the tangzhong method. You can find it here.
Tender, flavorful brioche cinnamon rolls are a best-in-class version of an American classic.
Why we love this recipe
I hardly think cinnamon rolls need a fancy marketing campaign. When you’re craving one, there’s no substitute. This gorgeous brioche version is my absolute favorite. It’s got:
- Tender, pillowy, enriched yeasted dough
- A generous hint of cardamom
- The perfect amount of cinnamon sugar
- A sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting
- Tons of flavor and comfort without an excess of cloying sweetness
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
For the dough
- This dough is based on bread flour, which has a higher protein content than all-purpose. It yields a superior structure.
- I’ve pictured active dry yeast. You can use instant yeast interchangeably in this recipe.
- Whole milk enriches the dough and is my strong preference for these buns. If you like, you can use your favorite plant-based milk instead.
- Use a really good-quality butter if you can. Here and virtually everywhere, I start with a cultured butter from grass-fed cows ‚ the flavor is unbeatable. This sounds fancy but doesn’t have to be. Kerrygold, for example, is sold in most supermarkets at a reasonable price.
- Ground cardamom makes this dough extra cozy and warm and special. The measurement in the recipe is based on pre-ground, bottled cardamom. If grinding your own from pods, it will be much stronger, so you’ll use only 1/3 as much.
- Safflower oil is my neutral-tasting vegetable oil of choice. You can substitute another oil that has similar properties, such as canola, sunflower, peanut, corn, or vegetable oil blend. It’s just a tiny bit to coat the bowl so the dough doesn’t stick while rising.
- Not pictured: I like to brush the rolls with a few tablespoons of heavy cream before popping them into the oven. This helps keep the tops a little more supple when the pan hits the heat.
For the filling
To this day I’m still charmed and amazed every time by the magic of warm, buttery cinnamon sugar. The filling has just three ingredients.
- I like to use light brown sugar in these rolls, but granulated sugar works too if that’s what you’ve got.
- Plenty of ground cinnamon provides tons of flavor.
- If you like, you can add finely chopped walnuts or pecans.
For the icing
A small batch of our popular not-too-sweet cream cheese icing makes the perfect topping for your brioche cinnamon rolls.
- Use good-quality, full-fat, block cream cheese.
- I tend to use good old powdered sugar from the grocery store and give it a sift. (You’ll only use half the amount pictured for one batch of this frosting.) However, if you like, you can use organic powdered sugar. It tends to be processed with tapioca starch instead of cornstarch and have a smoother, more powerful thickening capacity.
- I always recommend a good-quality pure vanilla extract. In addition to vastly superior flavor, it adds a pretty tinge of color to the frosting, giving it a soft, organic off-white look.
How to make it
Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a dreamy batch of brioche cinnamon rolls. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- You’ll start by combining gently warmed milk, the yeast, and a pinch of sugar. After five minutes or so, the yeast will get all foamy. This is good insurance — it’s proof that the yeast is alive. Then you’ll add the other ingredients to the dough and knead for 10 minutes.
- Let the dough double in size — depending on temperature, this will probably take between 60 and 90 minutes. Then you’ll roll out the dough and spread it with the filling.
- Roll it up and slice. Arrange the slices in the pan and let them rise again. Brush with cream and bake in the center of a 375°F oven for about 22 minutes.
- Let cool somewhat and then spread with icing. That’s it!
Expert tips and FAQs
You sure can, and in fact a slow, cold rise improves the flavor of yeasted dough. After arranging the sliced dough in the pan, cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the fridge an hour before baking to let the dough finish rising. (Depending on the temperature of your fridge, they’ll have risen a tiny bit or nearly all the way overnight.)
Once rolls have risen, proceed as directed. You don’t need to make any further changes.
It is. After slicing the dough, arrange slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet and pop into the freezer right away. Once frozen solid, transfer to an airtight container and keep frozen for up to a year. When ready to use, arrange frozen slices in a baking pan as directed. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature, then let rise for an hour or so before proceeding.
You can refer to the answers above to see your options for advance prep. I like to bake these rolls shortly before serving. Once cooled completely, leftovers will keep in an airtight container at cool room temperature for a day or two.
More favorite cinnamon rolls
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Brioche Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 cup (237 ml) warm milk (105° to 110°F)
- 4 teaspoons (12 grams) active dry yeast
- ¾ cup (150 grams) sugar
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 8 tablespoons (112 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cardamom, see note 3
- 4 cups spooned and leveled, (480 grams) bread flour (see note 4)
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) neutral-tasting oil, such as safflower
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) heavy cream
For the filling
- 8 tablespoons (112 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup (100 grams) brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (120 grams) finely chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
For the icing
- 2 cups (240 grams) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 6 tablespoons (84 grams) good salted butter (such as Kerrygold)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 8- ounce 225-gram package cream cheese
Instructions
Make the dough
- Warm milk to between 105°F and 110°F. This takes about 30 seconds in my microwave when milk is straight from the fridge, but your mileage may vary.
- Pour milk into the bowl of a stand mixer (don't attach bowl to mixer just yet) and sprinkle with yeast. Add a pinch of the sugar. Stir to dissolve. Let stand in a warm spot until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Add remaining sugar, egg, melted butter, salt, and cardamom. Give it a stir.
- Add the flour.
- Connect bowl to mixer fitted with dough hook. Turn machine to speed 2 and knead for 10 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic.
- Pour the teaspoon of oil into a clean bowl. Add dough and turn to coat lightly but completely.
- Place a kitchen towel over the bowl and set it in a warm spot to rise until doubled, an hour or more.
Roll out, fill, and slice the dough
- Lightly flour a work surface and rolling pin.
- Turn dough out onto work surface and and gently shape into a rough rectangle with your hands.
- Roll out the dough to an approximately 14-inch by 18-inch rectangle.
- In a small bowl, combine the butter, sugar or brown sugar, and cinnamon. Mash it up with a fork (or even with your fingers) until well-combined.
- Spread the filling evenly over surface of the rolled out dough.
- If using nuts, sprinkle them on evenly and press gently to adhere.
- Starting with one of the shorter edges, roll the dough into a log shape.
- Use a piece of dental floss or a bench scraper to slice the log crosswise into 12 even slices.
- Spray two 9-inch round cake pans or two 8×8-inch square pans with cooking spray and line with parchment.
- Arrange half the slices in each pan, with plenty of room between them.
- Cover rolls with kitchen towels and place in a warm spot for their second proof, about an hour.
Bake the rolls
- Preheat oven to 375°F with a rack in the center.
- Brush the tops of the rolls evenly with the cream.
- Bake until lightly browned on top and just cooked through, about 22 minutes.
- Place pans on cooling racks and cool at least partway before proceeding. You can serve the rolls directly from the pan or use the parchment to lift them out.
Make and spread the icing
- Have ingredients at cool room temperature — an hour max out of the fridge.
- Sift powdered sugar into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle.
- Cut the butter into approximate 1-tablespoon pieces and add to the mixer.
- Beat, on low at first, and increasing speed to medium eventually, until well-incorporated. It's okay if the mixture is still crumbly rather than smooth at this point.
- Beat in vanilla extract.
- Add cream cheese and beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
- Spread icing over rolls.
Notes
- Whole milk enriches the dough and is my strong preference for these buns. If you like, you can use your favorite plant-based milk instead.
- You can use active dry yeast and instant yeast interchangeably in this recipe.
- I use ground cardamom from a spice jar and find it's the perfect amount. If you are grinding your own cardamom from pods, it will be much stronger, so use one teaspoon instead of one tablespoon.
- Weighing your ingredients when baking is the best method. If you're measuring by volume, watch my video about measuring flour and use the spoon and level method.
- If you don't have a stand mixer, you can mix the flour into the dough with a wooden spoon and then knead the dough by hand for 10 minutes on a lightly floured work surface. It's a sticky dough, so I prefer to use the mixer.
- Bake rolls shortly before serving. Once cooled completely, leftovers will keep in an airtight container at cool room temperature for a day or two.
- For overnight cinnamon rolls: After arranging the sliced dough in the pan, cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the fridge an hour before baking to let the dough finish rising. (Depending on the temperature of your fridge, they'll have risen a tiny bit or nearly all the way overnight.) Once rolls have risen, proceed as directed.
- To freeze dough: After slicing the dough, arrange slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet and pop into the freezer right away. Once frozen solid, transfer to an airtight container and keep frozen for up to a year. When ready to use, arrange frozen slices in a baking pan as directed. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature, then let rise for an hour or so before proceeding.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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