MILK BREAD CINNAMON ROLLS

• portions: 12

Ingrédients

INGREDIENTS

FOR RICE FLOUR PASTE:

158 g (2/3 cup) water

30 g (3 tablespoons) glutinous rice flour*

For milk bread dough:

183 g (¾ cup) whole milk, cold from fridge

11 g (3 ¼ teaspoons) instant yeast**

100 g (2 large) eggs, cold from fridge

103 g (½ cup) brown sugar, light

All the rice flour paste from above, about 180 grams

630 g (5 ¼ cups) bread flour***, unbleached

9 g (3 teaspoons) kosher salt

98 g (7 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes (one stick of butter is eight tablespoons, so save the extra tablespoon of butter and wrapper to grease your pan) I browned the 98 gm of butter in microwave for 4-5 minutes, then added the remainder of the stick of butter to the browned butter to make up the difference in lost weight by browning.

25 Gm Whole Milk Powder (optional)

FOR CINNAMON FILLING:

40 g (4 tablespoons) sweet rice flour

118 g (½ cup) water

160 g (⅔ cup + 2 tablespoons) brown sugar (I like dark)

6 g (4 teaspoons) ground cinnamon (Use more cinnamon)

FOR CREAM CHEESE ICING:

226 g (1 cup) full-fat cream cheese

196 g (14 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold from the fridge

280 g (2 ⅓ cups) powdered sugar, unsifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Instructions

Prepare the rice flour paste.

Microwave method:

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, stir the water and rice flour until no clumps remain. Wrap the bowl tightly in plastic wrap. Microwave on high power (1200 Watts) for 30 seconds, then carefully remove the bowl and plastic. Stir with a small spatula to evenly distribute the thickened rice flour. It will still be a little watery, so repeat this process 1 or 2 more times until the paste is thick and glossy when stirred. Immediately cover with plastic wrap to reduce water loss.

Stovetop method:

In a small pan, add the water and rice flour, and stir until no clumps remain. Cook on medium-low heat until the paste thickens into a pudding-like consistency. Pour the mixture into a small bowl and cover it to minimize moisture loss.

➡️ For both methods, ensure that the paste is at most room temperature before adding the dough in the next step. It doesn’t have to be cold, but it shouldn’t be piping hot. If I’m working through this recipe straight through, I’ll often just place the bowl of paste in some ice water to help it cool down faster.

Mix the milk bread dough.

To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the milk and instant yeast. Whisk (I just use the bread hook) to distribute the yeast granules. Add the eggs,  brown sugar,  and cooled rice flour paste. (Please ensure you have pretty close to 180 grams of paste; you can always add water back if too much water has evaporated from the paste.) Using the mixer with the bread hook, mix until everything is homogeneous. Add the flour and kosher salt, then, using the hook attachment, mix for 2-3 minutes on medium-low speed to work a little bit of gluten in and until the dough comes together into a shaggy mass.

On medium-low speed (around setting 2-3), add the chunks of unsalted butter one at a time. (Set the extra tablespoon of butter and wrapper aside for the pan in step 4.) Once all the butter has been mixed in, increase the speed to 4 (depending on your mixer's capabilities) and mix for about 10-12 minutes. Keep an eye on the dough and mixer to ensure everything is going ok. We need to build gluten, which takes some time since this dough contains fat and sugar.

➡️ To know when your dough is ready, stop the mixer, wet your fingers, and grab a grape-sized piece of dough. Gently and slowly flatten and pull the dough apart. The dough should have enough gluten so that it forms a translucent sheet of dough through which light can be seen. You may even be able to see the strands of gluten-forming dough. If the dough tears easily during this process, we need to strengthen it further and develop more gluten. Mix for another couple of minutes and retest.

Your dough should be slightly warm, smooth, and somewhat tacky.

Bulk ferment the milk bread dough.

Shape the dough into a rough, large ball. You can keep the dough in the stand mixer container or move it to another bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot at 75-80 °F/24-29 °C. A great spot is inside your oven (not turned on) or on top of your refrigerator.

Either take a picture with your phone or mentally note the size of your dough ball. We want it to double in size, which should take around 1 hour. Temperature is one of the factors that dictates the speed of fermentation and, therefore, the expansion or rise of the dough. If your temperature is warmer, it may take less than an hour. If your air temperature is colder, it may take longer to warm up/rise.

While your dough is fermenting, prepare the filling:

Make rice paste.

Microwave method:

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, stir the water and rice flour until no clumps remain. Wrap the bowl tightly in plastic wrap. Microwave on high power (1200 Watts) for 30 seconds, then carefully remove the bowl and plastic. Stir with a small spatula to evenly distribute the thickened rice flour. It will still be a little watery, so repeat this process one more time until the paste is thick and glossy when stirred.

Stovetop method:

In a small pan, add the water and rice flour, and stir until no clumps remain. Cook on medium-low heat until the paste thickens into a pudding-like consistency. Pour the mixture into a small bowl.

Add brown sugar and cinnamon.

Stir the paste vigorously to enhance its stickiness.

Stir in the brown sugar until it is combined, and the mixture is sticky, and you can no longer feel the sugar granules.

Stir in the cinnamon.

Let the paste cool slightly.

Cover back up with plastic wrap to prevent moisture loss, and let it cool slightly before spreading onto the dough.

It’s best to use this paste a bit warm, as it spreads more easily over the soft cinnamon roll dough. You may get some gaps and patches as you spread it - don’t worry, because instead of regular techniques where we bank on some of the filling dripping out of the rolls, almost all of the filling will live inside the rolls, giving it a strong spicy sweetness throughout.

Shape the cinnamon rolls.

(Note: if this is your first time making these rolls, it may be easier to watch me do this step; I have photographs in the section above the recipe card.)

a. Prepare the work surface + pan + dough.Take that tablespoon of butter and smear it all over the inside of the pan. It will seem thick, but it will also absorb into the dough while it bakes. Set the pan aside for now.

Lightly sprinkle some flour onto a clean work surface. Using a bowl scraper or large spatula, gently pour the dough onto the surface. Gently fold the dough in half, then press down with your fingertips along the surface to shape it into a thick slab.

b. Shape into a large flat rectangle.

We need a rectangle about 18 inches by 16 inches (46 cm by 41 cm).

This will require us to stretch and flatten the dough even further. Use a rolling pin and stretch the dough, trying to evenly distribute it to about ¼ inch (6.5 mm) thickness. If the dough tears, just squeeze it back together. The dough contains a lot of butter, which means it is typically easy to work with and won’t stick too much to the work surface. However, if you’re experiencing a bit of stickiness, sprinkle a tiny bit more flour.

Starting from the bottom, roll the dough away from you (or towards the non-cinnamon-sugar edge). Your dough is probably soft, so I start by moving it from one side to the center and then to the other side. Then I reverse that motion until all the dough is rolled into a single roll. Don’t go too tight; otherwise, your dough will rise in the centers while it bakes. I would actually err on the side of looser than tight. Remember, there are living, breathing organisms still in your dough, and as they prove in the next step, they’re going to expand your dough as they “breathe,” so give them room to grow!

d. Cut dough into 12 equal pieces.

Use a ruler to mark where to cut every 1.5 inches (3.8 cm). I take a blunt-edged object, such as a bench scraper or butter knife, and gently gently indent to mark every cut. To cut, you can either use a very sharp knife, a serrated knife, or a bench scraper.

Arrange the rolls in a half-pan sheet in 4 rows of 3 rolls each.

Proof the rolls in their pan.

Cover the pan with foil and leave it at room temperature ((about 75-80°F/24-29°C) for 45 mins to 1 hour and 30 minutes.

In the last half hour of the rise, move a rack to the center of your oven and preheat to 375°F (190 °C).

➡️ How do you know when your rolls are done proofing? I’ve given a large time span for this step because, again, it will vary based on many environmental factors. You’re looking for the rolls to be slightly puffy and possibly already touching the sides of each other, with the corner spots still open.

If you can identify a fatter piece of dough you can poke gently, it should leave an indentation for a few seconds before slowly puffing back up. During the baking, the rolls will puff up and rise even more! Keep this in mind while you watch them prove. I like my rolls to be moderately puffy at this stage - about halfway to 60% of where I’d like them to be for the final roll.

Bake and make the cream cheese frosting.

Recover the rolls with foil. Bake your rolls for about 15 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking for 8-10 minutes or until you like the browning. If you have an instant-read thermometer, you’re looking for an internal temperature of 190°F.

While your rolls are baking, you can make the cream cheese frosting:

Smooth out the cream cheese.

In a large mixing bowl (if using a stand mixer, use your paddle attachment), mix the cold cream cheese on low speed until creamy and until no lumps remain.

Smooth out the butter.

Cut the cold butter into chunks so it’s easier to work with, then add it to the same bowl (no need to clean the bowl or attachments). Cream until smooth, with no visible lumps.

Add the powdered sugar in increments.

Add about a third of the powdered sugar (no need to be exact) and mix on low. Once combined, add the next third and repeat. With the final addition, mix in the vanilla and a pinch of salt—cream cheese is already salted, so adjust to taste at the end. If using a hand mixer, this part takes the longest; I use a scraping motion to help it come together faster.

Add cream cheese and smooth out the buttercream.

Add the smooth, cold cream cheese to the butter-sugar mixture and mix on low just until the lumps disappear. Use a spatula to finish blending—it’ll thin out slightly as the cream cheese incorporates.

Glaze the rolls while slightly warm.

Spread the frosting over the rolls while they are warm, letting it ooze down the sides, or spread it individually just before serving.

If you have leftover buns, store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days (in the fridge if frosted). Oh man, what until you pop those babies in the microwave (for about 30 seconds) the next day for breakfast. So, so good.

Notes

https://www.sugarologie.com/recipes/no-leak-brown-sugar-cinnamon-filling

https://www.sugarologie.com/recipes/cinnamon-rolls

Try adding 4-5% Whole Milk Powder to the dough. (25 Gm)