You won't want to venture to the mall again after eating these clone of a Cinnabon cinnamon rolls! They're ooey gooey, melt in your mouth delicious and packed with the cinnamon flavor and tenderness that you expect and crave.
In a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the bread hook attachments, combine the warm milk with the yeast and let rest for 5 minutes.
Make the Dough
Add in the eggs, melted butter, salt, and sugar. Mix until combined.
Slowly add in the flour, working in 1 cup of flour at a time until it’s all been combined. You may or may not need all of the flour.
Mix the flour until the dough is barely combined and looks shaggy. Let rest for 5 minutes.
Knead Dough
Scrape the dough off the sides of the bowl and dough hooks (or wooden spoon).
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface.
Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes or until it’s elastic and smooth. You can knead the dough with your dough hooks in the bowl on medium speed if desired, but note that it’s easier to overwork the dough this way.
Rise Until Doubled
Spray a large mixing bowl with nonstick cooking spray, and then place the ball of kneaded dough inside. Cover with greased plastic wrap and allow to rest in a warm spot until doubled in size.
Assembly
In a small bowl, combine your brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
Roll the dough out into a thin rectangle about 14x18 inches and ¼ inch thick.
Spread your softened butter or margarine evenly over the top of the dough.
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the dough and then spread it out with your hand to get it to cover the entire surface of the dough.
Starting from one long side of the log and working your way towards the other, form a tightly rolled log.
Slice off both of the ends of the log and then slice the log of rolled dough into 9 or 12 evenly sized pieces, depending on how many rolls you want from this batch.
Rise Until Doubled
Place the cut rolls into a greased 9x13 baking dish.
Cover with a greased piece of plastic wrap and place into a warm location to rise until doubled in size.
Bake Cinnamon Rolls
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Warm your heavy cream until it’s slightly warmer than room temperature and gently pour it over the top of the rolls, trying to get as much coverage as possible. Pour slowly so it doesn't go over the sides of the baking dish. You may not need all of it.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the cinnamon rolls are golden brown.
When the cinnamon rolls are removed from the oven, begin making the frosting.
Make the Frosting
In the bowl of the stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer and beaters, add all of the frosting ingredients together and beat on high for 8-10 minutes. Don't skimp on the time!
Spread your whipped cream cheese frosting over the tops of the warm cinnamon rolls.
Wait a minute or two and then dig in and enjoy!
Bread Machine Instructions
Add everything for the dough to your bread machine in the order of your bread machine manual. My machine does liquids, dry, and then yeast last but yours could be yeast first. Double check so that you do it accurately.
Set your bread machine to DOUGH setting and let the machine do the work, wait for it to finish. If needed add 1 tablespoon of water while it's mixing to help remove loose flour from the sides.
Turn out your proofed dough onto a lightly floured surface. Cover with a towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes then follow along with the instructions starting from rolling the dough out into a rectangle.
Notes
Watch the cinnamon rolls around the 14-minute mark to prevent excessive browning, and use foil if needed.
For a more authentic flavor, use margarine and Makara Cinnamon in the filling.
Bread machine yeast or active yeast can be used.
Adding heavy cream to the pan before baking makes the rolls gooier.
You can use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour but may need additional water.
Whipping the frosting creates a light, fluffy texture.
Store the rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheat in the microwave for 30-45 seconds.
Prepare rolls up to the second rise and refrigerate them overnight for an 8-hour slow rise or freeze for up to three months.
If freezing unbaked rolls, thaw them in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a few hours before baking.
If baking from chilled, allow the dish to sit on the counter for 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking to avoid shattering in a heated oven.