Indri's Ceylon Cinnamon Rolls
An overnight recipe
There may be no more perfect application for fresh ground Ceylon Cinnamon than in an ooey-gooey, warm and sticky Cinnamon Roll! We love topping ours with Cream Cheese Frosting, but the photos of the cinnamon rolls with the frosting were hard to tell what was underneath, so you get a photo pre-frosting!
Dough:
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 1 T. yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup shortening
- 2 eggs
- 1 medium potato, mashed (about 1 cup's worth)
- 6-7 cups flour (can use 2 cups whole wheat and about 4-5 cups white)
Dissolve yeast in water. Add salt, sugar, shortening, eggs, mashed potato, and 3 cups of flour. Mix well to combine. Slowly add the rest of the flour, kneading as you go, until the dough sticks together and is smooth and elastic. Knead for 5-10 minutes. Let rest for 15-20 minutes while you prepare the filling.
Filling:
Filling:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 TBSP vanilla powder or vanilla paste
- 3 TBSP fresh ground Ceylon Cinnamon
- 1 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
- Optional (but yummy!): Chopped pecans, raisins, or craisins
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add sugar, brown sugar, and spices to the mix. Stir to form a thick paste.
To assemble: sprinkle a large, clean surface with flour to prevent sticking. I like doing this on a large cutting board. Roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 15 inches x 22 inches. If it's really springing back on you, let it rest for 5 minutes before attempting to roll again. Spread the entire surface of the dough with the filling mixture. Sprinkle with optional chopped nuts or dried fruit as desired. Starting on one edge of the long side of the rectangle, begin rolling the dough up so the filling is on the inside of the roll. Go slowly and wrap as tightly as you can, until the whole roll has formed a big log. Spray a 15x11 cookie sheet with sides (jelly roll pan) with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper. Cut the log of cinnamon rolls into 16 equal slices. Arrange the rolls on the baking sheet so they have about 1-2 inches between each roll. Lay the rolls on their sides so that the spiral of cinnamon sugar is facing up. Cover the tray with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
To bake: Bring the rolls out of the fridge and set on the counter to warm and rise for 1 hour. You can accelerate this step by boiling some water, adding it to a baking dish in the bottom of a cool oven, and placing the cinnamon rolls on the rack above the hot water. Close the door for 30 minutes. When the cinnamon rolls are puffy and pleasantly proofed, remove from the oven if they were proofing in there, remove the plastic wrap, and top each roll with 1 TBSP of heavy cream (optional, but divine). Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F. Bake rolls for 15-20 minutes until the sides and tops are golden brown, the filling is bubbly, and the dough is baked through in the middle. An internal temperature should hit 190-200 degrees F. Slather with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting and serve warm!
To assemble: sprinkle a large, clean surface with flour to prevent sticking. I like doing this on a large cutting board. Roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 15 inches x 22 inches. If it's really springing back on you, let it rest for 5 minutes before attempting to roll again. Spread the entire surface of the dough with the filling mixture. Sprinkle with optional chopped nuts or dried fruit as desired. Starting on one edge of the long side of the rectangle, begin rolling the dough up so the filling is on the inside of the roll. Go slowly and wrap as tightly as you can, until the whole roll has formed a big log. Spray a 15x11 cookie sheet with sides (jelly roll pan) with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper. Cut the log of cinnamon rolls into 16 equal slices. Arrange the rolls on the baking sheet so they have about 1-2 inches between each roll. Lay the rolls on their sides so that the spiral of cinnamon sugar is facing up. Cover the tray with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
To bake: Bring the rolls out of the fridge and set on the counter to warm and rise for 1 hour. You can accelerate this step by boiling some water, adding it to a baking dish in the bottom of a cool oven, and placing the cinnamon rolls on the rack above the hot water. Close the door for 30 minutes. When the cinnamon rolls are puffy and pleasantly proofed, remove from the oven if they were proofing in there, remove the plastic wrap, and top each roll with 1 TBSP of heavy cream (optional, but divine). Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F. Bake rolls for 15-20 minutes until the sides and tops are golden brown, the filling is bubbly, and the dough is baked through in the middle. An internal temperature should hit 190-200 degrees F. Slather with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting and serve warm!
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- 1 TBSP vanilla paste or 1 tsp vanilla extract and the caviar of one vanilla bean
- 2-4 cups powdered sugar
Place butter and cream cheese in a large bowl. Use a stand mixer or a handheld electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and butter together for 30 seconds, until they are well incorporated and smooth. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, whipping and blending as you go, until the frosting is fluffy and as thick or thin as you prefer. Whip for one minute more to make sure the frosting is nice and fluffy. If it accidentally gets too thick, you can add a tablespoon or two of heavy cream or milk and whip it to combine.