Perfect {Overnight} Cinnamon Rolls

Picture this:

It’s Sunday morning, which you’re embracing to the fullest by keeping your sleepy self all snuggled up in your cozy bed. All the while, though, something magical is happening in your house – in the kitchen, to be exact. Someone thoughtful and lovely and all-around wonderful has placed a pan of lovingly-made cinnamon rolls (because you can’t make cinnamon rolls without love, in case you didn’t know) in the oven, which are now puffing up into little cinnamon-swirled mountains and permeating the kitchen with the most deliciously cinnamon-sweet scent. Even as this heavenly smell wafts its way into each and every corner of the main floor, you still remain completely unaware of the warm and gooey smile-inducing Sunday morning treat that awaits you. Until, of course, it finds its way up the stairs and, before you know it, you’re being gently wakened by the deliciously sweet scent of cinnamon, sugar, and freshly baked yeast dough (and cream cheese frosting, if your sense of smell is THAT good).

THIS COULD BE YOU.

And in all honesty, is there really a better way to wake up on a weekend morning than the aforementioned scenario?? This, of course, is a rhetorical question. Any sane person knows the answer to this question is a big, fat NO.

Sorry to those of you who have given up sweets like this for Lent (inconvenient timing to post a recipe like this? Perhaps.), but to everyone else out there – treat yourself (and your roommates/family/loved ones/anyone else you think is deserving) with these fabulous rolls this weekend.

I’ve probably tried dozens of different cinnamon roll recipes over the years, and while none of them were bad, none really stood out as a great standby recipe to use time and time again, either. Leave it to my mom to find the recipe I’ve been searching for all this time! When she told me these are the only cinnamon rolls she’ll make from here on out, I knew I had to give them a try myself.

So, the weekend before Lent rolled around and I decided to get the recipe for the allegedly perfect cinnamon rolls from my mom to make for my roommates as one of their final sweet hurrahs.  I learned that day something I probably should have learned earlier in my life: my mom does in fact know best (at least when it comes to fantastic recipes such as this one) 😉

My mom made her own modifications to the recipe in the form of substituting buttermilk for whole milk and melted butter for the oil. If you don’t happen to have butter or buttermilk on hand (or simply don’t want to use either),  then feel free to substitute according to the recipe’s original ingredient list. I really do urge you to use buttermilk if you can, though. We all know buttermilk works like magic in cakes, muffins, and quick bread to create that highly sought after pillow-soft texture, and it works that same magic in yeast breads, too. I also especially love the addition of cornstarch in the cinnamon-sugar filling of these rolls, which acts as a thickener and prevents the (arguably) best part from spilling out of the rolls and onto the bottom of the pan during baking.

The last tweak made to this recipe has to do with the final rise and baking. As a college student, I’m physically incapable at this stage in my life to will myself up any earlier than 9:00 on a weekend morning. Because of this, I made these cinnamon rolls overnight style, and was beyond pleased with how beautifully they rose and baked up. To those of you who prefer ovoernighting your yeast-raised breakfast treats, I’ve included the necessary information in the instructions below. Be forewarned, though, that the rolls didn’t rise at all in the fridge overnight. This meant waiting about 2 to 3-ish hours total for the dough to come back to room temperature and then rise until doubled in size before being able to actually bake them.

However you choose to put them together, you’ll end up with the same perfectly swirled and most pillowy soft cinnamon rolls you’ve ever tasted. Everyone who tried these were immediately smitten with them, and I’ve been informed by several roommates that this is the only cinnamon roll recipe I need ever make from now on.

{Thanks for the recipe, mums!}

Perfect {Overnight} Cinnamon Rolls
Makes: 1 dozen large cinnamon rolls

For the dough:
1/4 cup warm water (between 100º and 110ºF)
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup warm buttermilk (I just microwave it in a glass measuring cup for 30-60 seconds to get the chill out)
1 egg, room temperature
4 – 5 1/2 cups flour

For the filling:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 1/2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Raisins, optional

For the cream cheese frosting:
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 Tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Mix the water, yeast, and 1 Tablespoon of the sugar in a large bowl; allow to proof by covering with plastic wrap and setting aside in a warm spot for about 5 minutes, until foamy. Once foamy, add the remainder of the sugar and the salt and whisk to combine for about 15-20 seconds. In a separate bowl or in a large measuring cup, whisk the butter, buttermilk, and egg together until well-mixed; add to the yeast-mixutre and whisk to combine, about 20 seconds.

Using a rubber spatula, mix in 2 cups of the flour. Mix in the remaining 2 cups of flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough clears the sides and bottom of the bowl. (At this point, the dough will be tacky, but not terribly sticky.) Knead for 5 minutes, adding more flour a Tablespoon at a time, until it is smooth and elastic. Allow to rise in a lightly greased bowl covered in plastic wrap and/or a large kitchen towel until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

After the dough has risen, punch it down and dump onto a lightly-floured workspace. Roll the dough into an 18 x 26 inch rectangle (or as close to those dimensions as possible). Evenly spread the softened butter all over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the top length of the rectangle. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt until well-combined. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the layer of butter, and sprinkle raisins (if that’s how you roll) on top of that; gently press/pat down the filling into the butter to make rolling easier and a bit less messy.

Beginning at the long bottom edge of the rectangle, tightly roll into a log. Pinch the the unbuttered strip of dough (the long top border of the rectangle) into the roll to create a tight seal. With a serrated knife, cut the log into 12 equally sized rolls (I made marks on the log spaced about every 2 inches to do this). Once cute, place each roll into a parchment-lined 9 x 19-inch baking pan (3 rolls along the width, and 4 along the length).

At this point, if you wish to make these overnight style,  then cover the pan with plastic wrap that has been lightly greased and leave in the fridge overnight. In the morning, the the rolls out of the fridge, and place in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size. (I like to turn the oven on to 180ºF for a couple of minutess, then turn it off; place the pan in the warmed oven with a towel or pot holder underneath if the oven racks are too hot.) Bake according to the instructions below. 

If choosing to bake immediately, cover the rolls with lightly greased plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1-2 hours. Bake the rolls in an oven preheated to 350º for 18-25 minutes. The rolls will be lightly browned and when lightly tapped, will sounds hollow. Allow to sit on a wire rack to cool down just a touch while you prepare the cream cheese frosting.

In a medium-sized bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer), beat together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until creamy. Beat in the the heavy cream and the powdered sugar until fluffy, adding more or either to reach the desired consistency. Dollop and spread over the warm rolls, then enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Laura’s Latest (for the dough and filling)