sharon moore recipes: The At Home Cinnabon Roll

I am a self proclaimed nerd. I have always loved to read and learn. When I was in grade school I loved my teachers. I loved my sixth grade teacher so much that I gave her a full dozen cinnamon rolls for Christmas. But not just any cinnamon rolls, they were Cinnabon cinnamon rolls. Say it with me... Teacher's Pet.

Sadly not long after giving her those our local Cinnabon closed. I would walk into the mall and miss the smell of all that baked goodness. Little did I know that I would end up making and baking so many cinnamon rolls as a baker at a deli and bakery in high school that it would take years before I could eat a cinnamon roll again. Literally years. I stopped working there when I was 18 and I didn't eat another cinnamon roll until I was 22.

Thank goodness that dark time in my life has passed and I am totally able and more than willing to eat a cinnamon roll. This recipe has definitely become my go to recipe for homemade cinnamon rolls, they are essentially a clone of a Cinnabon roll. I made these for Christmas morning and my family gobbled them up and raved all day about them. I'd say that gives them the seal of approval. It almost makes me want to find my sixth grade teacher and ask her which are better!

The Cinnabon Roll
(Recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything)

Dough:
1 cup warm milk
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup butter, melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour or all purpose flour (bread flour will make a lighter cinnamon roll)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 pkg. yeast

Filling:
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened

Icing:
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt

Microwave milk for about 45-60 seconds in the microwave, you want the temperature to be no hotter than 130 degrees F. Pour milk into a large bowl, pour in yeast and allow time to dissolve. Add sugar, butter, salt, eggs, and flour. Mix well. Knead dough into a large ball. Spray a bowl with cooking spray and place kneaded dough into it. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for about an hour or until it has doubled in size.

Meanwhile in a small bowl, thoroughly combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Spray counter surface with cooking spray and sprinkle lightly with flour. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Spread dough the the softened butter and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon mixture.
Don't be shy with it! Roll up dough starting with the longer side and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch glass baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until nearly doubled or about 30 minutes. After this point I put the covered pan into the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning pull out rolls about 30 minutes prior to cooking to allow to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake rolls in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. While rolls are baking beat together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Remove rolls from oven and spread frosting on while rolls are still warm so the frosting melts into the rolls. That's what the Cinnabon people do... The Girl Who Ate Everything asked.