Brown Butter Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls

• annokset: 8 servings
• aktiivinen aika: 1 hour 10 minutes
• kokonaisaika: 3 hours 25 minutes

Ainekset

3/4 cup (180ml) buttermilk, warmed to 110F (I place in the microwave for ~45 seconds; it should feel like a warm bath, but not too hot); substitution: 3/4 cup (180ml) milk of choice mixed with 1 1/2 tbsp (22ml) apple cider vinegar or lemon juice OR you can just use 3/4 cup (180ml) of your milk of choice if you don’t want buttermilk!

1/2 cup (110g) granulated sugar, divided

2 1/2 tsp (9g) active dry yeast (substitution: instant yeast)

1/2 cup (120g) Greek yogurt (any percentage) or sour cream, at room temperature

1/2 cup (113g) salted butter, browned and slightly cooled

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp (4g) vanilla bean paste or extract

4 1/2 cups (540g) bread flour (substitution: all-purpose flour); see notes section below on how to properly measure

1 tsp (6g) salt

1 cup (226g) salted butter, browned and cooled until soft and at room temperature (it should still be in a solid form, but still very soft)

1 1/2 cups (360g) brown sugar, light or dark (I use light)

3 tbsp (18g) cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp (6g) vanilla bean paste or extract

1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream, for pouring over the rolls

8oz (250g; 1 block) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup (58g) salted butter, browned and slightly cooled

1 3/4 cups (210g) powdered sugar

1 tsp (4g) vanilla bean paste or extract

Ohjeet

Before starting the process of making the cinnamon rolls, I recommend browning ALL of the butter needed in the recipe, it will make the process go a lot smoother! To do this, I measured out each individual amount needed for the dough, filling, and frosting and browned the butter for each, one at a time. This takes some time prior, but it is far worth it.

Brown Butter for Dough: Add the 1/2 cup (113g) of butter to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Allow to melt and brown, while stirring continuously (~5-8 minutes). As the butter continues to cook, you’ll notice that it starts to foam up across the surface (after about 2 minutes). Stir frequently to prevent the milk solids from burning. Continue cooking, stirring with a spatula, until the milk solids begin to brown (the brown specks at the bottom of the pan) and the color starts to deepen. Once the brown butter reaches a deep golden amber color and smells nutty, remove from the heat and immediately pour into a small bowl. Set aside to cool slightly before mixing the dough.

Brown Butter for Filling: Repeat the process of browning the butter [1 cup (226g) in this case]. Once it reaches the golden color, remove from the heat and immediately pour into a medium bowl. Place this bowl aside and allow it to cool and come to room temperature to where it is at a soft solid state (you can place the bowl in the fridge to expedite the process if needed).

Brown Butter for Frosting: Repeat the process of browning the butter [1/4 cup (58g) in this case]. Once it reaches the golden color, remove from the heat and immediately pour into a small bowl. Set this bowl aside at room temperature until ready to use for the frosting.

Pour the warm buttermilk into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Add 1 tbsp (13g) of the granulated sugar and sprinkle the yeast overtop. Stir and allow to sit for 5-7 minutes, until frothy and activated. If using instant yeast, no need to wait for it to bloom; go straight into mixing the dough together!

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.

Once activated, pour the yeast mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl if mixing/kneading the dough by hand). Add the rest of the sugar (1/2 cup minus the 1 tbsp that was used to activate the yeast), Greek yogurt or sour cream, butter, eggs, vanilla, and the flour mixture.

With the dough hook attachment (or with a wooden spoon if mixing by hand), mix on low speed for 1 minute, until barely combined. Allow to rest for 5 minutes so the flour can soak up the liquids.

Then, mix on medium speed for 5-7 minutes, until the dough is elastic, smooth, and is pulling away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough seems a little too sticky, you can add 1 tbsp more flour at a time, until it starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Don’t be tempted to add too much, you want the dough to be slightly sticky! I ended up adding about 2 tbsp more flour. If you are mixing and kneading by hand, pour the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5-7 minutes by hand.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover and allow to rise in a warm environment for 30-45 minutes. Don’t let the dough rise for too long, or your cinnamon rolls will turn out a little too airy. NOTE: This dough won't double in size in that timeframe, and that's what we want!

While the dough is rising, prepare the cinnamon filling by mixing together the room temperature brown butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla until well combined. The mixture should have the consistency of a thicker paste (thicker than my classic cinnamon roll recipe). Set aside. NOTE: If you would like your filling to be easier to spread, you can add 1/4 cup (58g) of regular softened butter and mix it in. This will not change the brown butter flavor, but will make the filling easier to spread.

Grease a 9x13” baking pan with butter.

Once the dough is done rising, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface.

If you are making 8 larger cinnamon rolls, roll the dough out to a 16x15” rectangle. For 12 smaller cinnamon rolls, roll it out to a 24x15” rectangle.

Disperse the cinnamon filling all over the surface of the dough, and spread/smooth it out evenly, leaving a very small border around the edges.

On the long end, use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into 8 or 12 equal strips (depending on if you’re making 8 larger or 12 smaller cinnamon rolls), each strip should be 2” in width and 15” long. Then starting on the short end for each strip, tightly roll them up into a coiled roll, and tuck the last 1” of the strip under the bottom side of the roll.

Alternatively, you can tightly roll the dough up into a log and use a sharp knife or unflavored floss to cut the dough into 8 larger or 12 smaller rolls total. Each roll should be ~2” in width.

Place the rolls into the prepared baking pan. Cover the pan and allow to proof for another 25-30 minutes while the oven preheats, until puffy.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Once the cinnamon rolls are proofed, warm the heavy cream in the microwave for 15 seconds, and pour all over the rolls.

For 8 larger rolls, bake at 350F for the first 22-24 minutes. Then, turn the oven temperature up to 375F and bake for another 5-7 minutes, until the tops are golden and the rolls are cooked through.

For 12 smaller rolls, bake at 350F for the first 20-22 minutes. Then, turn the oven temperature up to 375F and bake for another 5-7 minutes. The change in temperature allows the rolls to cook fully through without getting too dark on top and drying out in the middle.

While the rolls are baking, prepare the brown butter cream cheese frosting. In a large bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese and brown butter until smooth and fluffy. Then, beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla until well combined and smooth.

Remove the rolls from the oven and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes.

Then, spread the brown butter cream cheese frosting all over the rolls.

Serve and enjoy!