Cinnamon Rolls with Spiced Rum Icing
I’ll always be a savory girl at heart, but cinnamon rolls are my preferred sweet breakfast treat. Growing up, my favorite weekend tradition was making Pillsbury cinnamon rolls from the can with my grandma.
I still love those damn things, but I opt to make homemade cinnamon rolls these days.
Why? Because I fear this with each Pillsbury can I anxiously open.
Ya girl is jumpy, y’all. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Anyhoo. Not only is this recipe super easy and best prepped the night before, you don’t have to play roulette with a hand grenade masquerading as a seemingly harmless tube of dough. The icing is made with spiced rum and healthy pinch of salt, which gives it a deliciously warm, balanced flavor. (Not out here trying to put booze in your breakfast? Just use milk.)
A quick note on yeast: make sure yours is alive! (Dead yeast, so goth.) Yeast will make or break these bad boys, so don’t pull out a packet that’s been gathering dust in your pantry. I find I have the best luck with the active dry yeast packets from Aldi, of all places.
Cinnamon Rolls with Spiced Rum Icing
Adapted from Alison Roman’s recipe
Makes 9 rolls
Prep time: 30 minutes, plus multiple rises | Cook time: 35 minutes
Dough
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1/4-ounce envelope)
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling
1 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
Spiced Rum Icing
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons spiced rum (or bourbon!)
2 tablespoons milk
Pinch of kosher salt, to taste
Make the dough: Pour milk into glass measuring cup and microwave until it’s warm to the touch, about 30 seconds. Add 2 tablespoons sugar and the yeast, whisking to dissolve and break up any clumps. Let sit until it’s slightly foamy and starting to bubble, about 2 to 5 minutes. (If this doesn’t happen after about 5 minutes, check the expiration date on the yeast; it might be dead.)
Meanwhile, combine flour, the baking powder and the salt in a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix briefly to combine.
Add milk mixture, followed by the egg and, with a wooden spoon or the mixer on low, stir to combine, just to eliminate any obviously dry or wet spots. If using the mixer, you may need to scrape the dough off the paddle. Add melted butter and continue to stir until a shaggy lump of dough forms, again scraping down the paddle and helping things along with your hands if necessary to combine.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, or keep in the mixing bowl and change to the dough hook attachment. Knead dough until it’s smooth, shiny and elastic, about 4 or 5 minutes. (You shouldn’t have to add any more flour at this point, but if the dough seems especially sticky, give it a light dusting.)
Lightly grease a large bowl with nonstick spray or vegetable oil and place dough in the bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free area. (If it’s cold outside, on top of the stove is generally a good bet, as long as the burners and oven aren’t on.) Let sit until the dough has about doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Punch dough down to release any air that has built up. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, place in the refrigerator and chill the dough for at least an hour (and as long as overnight).
Fill the dough and shape the rolls: Once dough is chilled (it should feel firm and no longer flimsy), turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll to a 16 x 10-inch rectangle. (I use one of these silicone pastry mats.)
Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in small bowl. Spread the softened butter over of the dough evenly with an offset spatula. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture in an even layer on top of butter, patting to make sure it’s sticking.
Starting at the end closest to you (the long side of the dough), roll dough up into a tight coil, pressing lightly as you roll to make sure there are no gaps between the dough and the filling.
Cut log into even pieces, about 1 3/4-inch thick. Lightly spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and arrange rolls in rows with space in between each piece. I usually get 9-11 rolls depending on how large I cut them.
Cover the rolls can be tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
The next morning: Remove rolls from the fridge. Cover rolls lightly with a fresh piece of plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm, draft-free area until the rolls have puffed (they won’t quite double, but they will be noticeably fluffier and closer to touching) and spring back slightly when pressed with your finger, about 2 hours.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place rolls in oven and bake until they are golden brown and fluffy and the sugar has started to bubble up around the edges, caramelizing on the sides of the buns, about 28-32 minutes.
Make the glaze: Combine confectioners’ sugar, spiced rum, milk, and pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Whisk until it is thick but can still be slowly drizzled, just like that teeny tub of Pillsbury icing tucked into the dough grenade. You’ll want to keep the icing on the thicker side because the warmth from the rolls will thin it out when you drizzle it over top.