GOOEY CINNAMON ROLLS
Recipe Courtesy of Dana Calicchio
Anyone that has walked through a mall or airport has probably smelled the famous Cinnamon rolls baking and saying to you "You have to buy me and eat me".
This is a recipe that you can make in your own kitchen when you get that same craving when you aren't flying somewhere or shopping.
When I was developing this recipe years ago, I tried many cinnamon rolls and buns from all over and came up with my version of cinnamon roll perfection.
The dough is a Brioche style made with butter and eggs which ends with a flaky buttery roll. Then there is the caramel bottom and cinnamon sugar center that make your taste buds stand up and smile, and then it is all finished with the cream cheese frosting that brings comfort and calmness. Until you crave the next bite and it starts all over again
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These do take some planning as the dough needs to rise and then the buns have to rise, so you will need a few hours. However, you can make the dough or rolls a day ahead of time, cover and refrigerate or freeze until you want to bake them, Preheat your oven, and bake.
Recipe makes 16 Large Rolls
- Brioche dough, recipe follows
- Sticky Caramel, recipe follows
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 3 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 2 sticks softened butter
- 1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped, if wanted
- Cream Cheese frosting, recipe follows
Brioche Dough:
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons yeast
- 1 cup warm milk
- ½ Cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 4 eggs
- 1 TBS vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- In a large bowl of a stand mixer, combine all the ingredients, except the butter, and beat on low with dough hook for 5 min.
- Add the softened butter 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing and knead between each addition until all the butter is incorporated. Knead for another 10 minutes. The dough should clean the side of the bowl.
- Place in a bowl and cover well.
- Let rise in refrigerator for at least 6 hours or on countertop for 2. When dough is ready to roll up, make sticky caramel.
Sticky Caramel:
- 4 TBS unsalted butter
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup cream
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt together the butter and brown sugar. Remove from heat, let cool, and whisk in the cream, being careful not to let caramel boil over.
- Spread the Sticky Caramel on the bottom of a roasting pan and sprinkle pecans over caramel if you are using them.
- On a floured work surface, roll out the brioche dough into a rectangle that is approximately 1/4-inch thick.
- Spread the softened butter all over the dough leaving 1 inch free on top edge.
- Combine the sugars and cinnamon in a small bowl, and sprinkle evenly on the brioche.
- Roll up the brioche jelly roll-style and slice in half. You will cut to get 8 buns from each half. Cut the roll into 16 buns about 1 to 1 ½ inch thick.
- Place buns evenly spaced in the pan with space in between to allow for rising.
- Cover and allow to rise for 1 to 2 hours in a warm place.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place buns in the oven and bake until golden brown, about 25 - 30 minutes.
- Let cool for 10 minutes and then place a serving platter on top and turn over pan and platter so buns fall on platter with caramel and nuts on top of buns. Serve warm.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 package of softened cream cheese
- ½ stick softened butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- Place softened Butter and cream cheese in bowl and beat with paddle attachment until smooth. Add powdered sugar and mix till smooth. Spread on rolls.