These cinnamon rolls have an unexpected twist in their swirls

By Claire Saffitz, The New York Times

After making and tasting dozens over the course of my baking career, I had pretty much accepted that cinnamon rolls, like scones and madeleines, are good only when eaten fresh from the oven. A roll that is tender, moist and delicious when warm turns brittle, dry and lifeless just hours later at room temperature.

But with all of the techniques to produce soft, supple dough textures, I was convinced that a cinnamon roll with a longer shelf life was possible.

I set out to develop one that not only maintained much of its moisture and softness after cooling, but one that also has a distinctive, classic-looking swirl and traditional cream cheese icing that wasn’t too sweet.

To achieve the pillowy texture I was going for, I turned to an old-fashioned technique that helps enriched doughs (like the kind used to make cinnamon rolls) develop lots of gluten: scalding milk. “Scalding” refers to heating milk to just under a boil and maintaining this temperature until specific proteins denature. Without scalding, these same proteins inhibit the development of gluten, the stretchy strands that give bread its bounce and chew, so the dough is likely to lack structure and elasticity. While it may seem counterintuitive, developing lots of gluten is actually critical here, since gluten traps the gas produced by the yeast, producing a light, airy texture in the finished baked good.

Then, to extend shelf life and increase moisture and softness in the dough, I added a cooked rouxlike mixture of flour and milk, called a tangzhong. Used in many Asian breads, such as Japanese milk bread, to create a pillowy texture, tangzhong increases the dough’s ability to hold moisture, making the baked rolls fluffier, springier and less likely to dry out. It also gives them a satisfying pull-apart texture, so they shed thin, silky threads of dough when separated.

You’ll need a stand mixer to make the dough, since the high proportion of liquid makes it a bit too sticky to work by hand. But resist the urge to turn up the speed, since a slow mix helps to develop a stronger gluten network. The dough then takes a long, cold rest in the refrigerator, which improves flavor and allows the flour to further absorb the liquid ingredients, making it less sticky and easier to handle during rolling and filling.

While I wanted a substantial cinnamon swirl, I didn’t want to achieve it just by adding lots and lots of cinnamon-sugar, which would undoubtedly make the buns too sweet. The answer was to add finely crushed speculoos cookies, as they contribute bulk as well as a lightly spiced, molasses-y flavor without too much added sugar. If you can’t find speculoos cookies, crispy, wafer-style gingersnaps or graham crackers also work well.

To prevent moisture loss in the oven, I cover the rolls with aluminum foil for the first half of baking, which traps steam, keeping the buns supple and helping them achieve maximum expansion during baking. If you can, try to bake in a light-colored metal pan, since you’ll get more even results than baking in glass. The finishing touch, a vanilla-flavored cream cheese icing, further seals in moisture.

While the rolls will dry out eventually, they can sit uncovered for an entire day and suffer only minimally, thanks to a few important techniques and ingredients. Make them in advance if you like, but I would still encourage you to serve them as soon after baking as possible — if they’re still exceptionally good after sitting, just think how good they are warm.

Recipe: Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

By Claire Saffitz

A few techniques produce these ultra-pillowy and lightly bready cinnamon rolls: The first is scalding the milk, which leads to improved gluten development in the dough; the second is cooking a portion of the liquid and the flour into a rouxlike mixture called a tangzhong, which, when added to the dough, increases its ability to hold onto liquid; and the third is a long, slow mix, which fully develops the gluten network and allows the buns to trap air as they bake in the oven.

Yield: 15 buns

Total time: 2 1/2 hours, plus about 10 hours’ chilling and resting

Ingredients

For the dough:

1 cup/240 grams whole milk
1/4 cup/34 grams plus 4 cups/540 grams all-purpose flour
1/4 cup/58 grams ice-cold water
3 large eggs (150 grams), cold from the refrigerator
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/4 cup/50 grams granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or 3/4 teaspoons coarse kosher salt (such as Morton)
8 tablespoons/116 grams unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, at cool room temperature, plus more for the bowl

For the filling:

4 ounces/116 grams speculoos cookies, such as Lotus brand (about 15), lightly crushed
1/2 cup/100 grams Demerara sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1/2 teaspoon Morton kosher salt
12 tablespoons/170 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the icing and assembly:

Room-temperature unsalted butter, for the pan
All-purpose flour, for rolling
4 ounces/113 grams cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup/110 grams powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons/85 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature

Preparation:

1. Scald the milk: Warm the milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, swirling once or twice, until it’s steaming, small bubbles appear along the sides, a skin has formed on the surface and you see light rippling, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue to heat the milk for 1 minute, making sure not to let it boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Measure 1/3 cup/80 grams of the hot milk and transfer it to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.

2. Make the tangzhong: To the saucepan with the remaining milk, add 1/4 cup/34 grams of the flour, and whisk vigorously to combine and eliminate any lumps. Return the saucepan to medium heat and cook, whisking constantly and making sure to scrape along the sides, until the mixture has thickened and looks like smooth mashed potatoes, about 1 minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat and scrape the mixture into the stand mixer bowl.

3. Mix the dough: Add the cold water to the stand mixer bowl and whisk to combine, then add the eggs and whisk to break up the whites and yolks. Touch the sides of the bowl — if it’s still warm, pop the bowl in the refrigerator and chill until the mixture is room temperature. Add the yeast and remaining 4 cups/540 grams flour to the bowl and turn the mixer on low speed. Mix until you have a coarsely textured dough, about 5 minutes, then turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Cover the dough and let it rest at room temperature for 5 minutes. Add the sugar and salt, and mix on medium-low speed until incorporated and the dough is very smooth and elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, another 15 to 20 minutes. (This dough requires a long, slow mix so be patient with this step.)

4. Add the butter: Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the butter one piece at a time, waiting for the dough to absorb each piece before adding more, until you have a soft, supple dough, 10 to 15 minutes.

5. Let the dough rise and chill overnight: Lightly butter the inside of a clean, large bowl. Scrape the dough out of the mixer bowl onto the work surface and work it into a ball. Place the dough inside the buttered bowl, seam side down. Cover and let sit at room temperature until it has expanded in size by about 50%, 1 hour to 1 hour, 30 minutes. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator and chill for at least 8 hours and up to 24 (the dough will continue to rise in the refrigerator).

6. The next day, make the cinnamon filling: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cookies, Demerara sugar, cinnamon and salt, and pulse until you have very fine, dry crumbs, about 1 minute. (Make sure not to process so much that the mixture starts to look wet.) Transfer the crumbs to a medium bowl and add the butter, then use a flexible spatula to work the crumbs into the butter until you have a smooth paste. Set the filling aside.

7. Prepare the pan: Lightly coat the bottom and sides of a metal 9-by-13-inch pan with room temperature butter, then line the bottom and two longer sides with a piece of parchment paper. Smooth the parchment to eliminate air bubbles, then butter the parchment. Set the pan aside. Lightly butter one side of a piece of aluminum foil large enough to cover the pan and set aside.

8. Roll out the dough: Lightly flour the work surface, then remove the dough from the refrigerator and scrape it out onto the surface. Flatten the dough with the heel of your hand, pressing out some of the built-up gas and working it into a rectangular shape, then use a rolling pin to roll it out, dusting over top and underneath with more flour as needed to prevent sticking, until you have a 3/8-inch-thick rectangle measuring about 20 inches long and 12 inches wide.

9. Fill and roll: Dollop the filling across the surface of the dough, then use a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon to spread it in an even layer all the way to the edge closest to you, leaving a clean 1/2-inch border on the two shorter sides and the longer side that’s farthest away from you. Try to work reasonably quickly so the dough doesn’t soften too much at room temperature. Starting at the long end closest to you, roll the dough into a snug spiral and rest it on the seam. Starting in the middle, squeeze along the length of the dough to even out the thickness and lengthen it so it’s about 22 inches long. If the dough feels soft and slack (which may happen if your kitchen is warm), slide it onto a piece of parchment paper and then slide the parchment onto a large baking sheet. Refrigerate it until the dough is firm, 10 to 15 minutes, then return to the work surface.

10. Cut the buns, fill the pan and proof: Slide a piece of unflavored dental floss, fishing line or baker’s twine underneath the dough on either end and cut through the spiral, removing a 1-inch-long piece of dough from the ends. Use the floss to cut the dough crosswise into thirds, then cut each third into 5 equal pieces. Arrange the pieces cut sides up in the prepared pan in a 3-by-5 grid. Cover the pan with the foil, buttered side down, and let the buns sit at room temperature until they’re not quite doubled in size, 30 to 60 minutes (peek beneath the foil to check).

11. Meanwhile, heat the oven: Arrange an oven rack in the center position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.

12. Bake and cool: Make sure the pan is tightly covered with the foil, then transfer to the oven and bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Pull out the pan from the oven slightly and use tongs to remove the foil, then continue to bake until the buns are golden brown all over, another 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Use a paring knife to cut down between the pan and the buns along the shorter sides to loosen them, then use the parchment paper to lift the buns out of the pan and set them on the wire rack to cool completely.

13. Make the icing and ice the buns: In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla, and work with a flexible spatula until the mixture is completely smooth. Add the butter and mix with the spatula, working it against the side of the bowl, until you have a smooth mixture, then switch to a whisk and beat until the icing is light and thick. Dollop the icing over top of the cooled buns and spread with the back of a spoon to cover the surfaces.

14. DO AHEAD: The buns will keep, covered at room temperature, for several days but will begin to stale after a day or two. Revive stale buns in the microwave.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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These cinnamon rolls have an unexpected twist in their swirls

Recipe: Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

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