Cinnabon-inspired Cinnamon Rolls

It's been awhile since I posted on this blog!! Anyway... my Cinnabon-inspired cinnamon rolls turned out amazing! So here I am sharing with you my recipe! If you have any questions, please let me know!!! 

Dough:

2 1/4tsp (one packet) active dry yeast 

3/4cup warm water

1/2c granulated sugar + 2tbsp

1tsp salt

1/4c buttermilk @ room temperature 

1 egg

1/3c vegetable/canola oil

4c all purpose flour

I used a stand mixer for this, but you can do it by hand or a bread machine but I haven't tried this with the bread machine yet. 

Making the Dough: 

1) Combine the warm water, yeast, and the 2tbsp sugar together. Let it sit for a few minutes until it looks frothy and bubbly. 

2) Add the remaining sugar and the salt and stir for a few seconds until incorporated. 

3) In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, egg, and oil and stir them together until they're no longer separated in form. 

4) Add the milk/egg/oil mixture into the yeast/sugar bowl and stir until mixed well. 

5) Pour in the first two cups of flour into the wet ingredients and stir on low until a gooey dough starts forming. 

6) Add in the remaining two cups of flour gradually, maybe in 1/2cup increments...knead for a few minutes until the dough no longer sticks to the sides. 

7) Shape the dough into a round form and place in a greased bowl, covered with plastic wrap and let it rise for a minimum of two hours. 

Rolling the Dough:

1) Once it has doubled in size, take out the plastic wrap and punch the dough in the center. 

2) Flour your big working area so the dough does not stick to the surface. 

3) Using a rolling pin (lightly floured too), roll out your dough to about 20inches by 30in or somewhere around there. Your dough will look slightly thin. And you want to make it so that the longer side of the dough is facing you. 

Filling:

1/2c (one stick) of butter, room temperature 

1.5c brown sugar 

2.5tbsp cinnamon 

2tbso corn starch 

Making the cinnamon rolls: 

1) In a small bowl, combine all brown sugar, cinnamon and corn starch until mixed well. 

2) Spread the softened butter (not melted) onto the rolled out dough, leaving one inch bare along the end of the side of the dough furthest away from where you are standing.  

3) Sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon mixture on the entire buttered dough, leaving that same one inch side untouched. (That side is so that when you roll, it'll be at the bottom. )

4) Using your rolling pin, gently roll the sugar/cinnamon mixture into the dough so that it is nice and firmly attached. 

5) Start rolling one end of the long-sided dough (closest to you) very tightly to the other end where there is no butter/sugar mixture. 

6) Once everything is rolled into a very long log, you can cut about 15-16 cinnamon rolls with the dough using a dough cutter/scraper or a unflavored floss to get even cuts. Mine were about 1.5inches apart from each other. 

7) Grease a 9x13inch pan and place the cinnamon rolls a few inch away from each other. I ended up making 3 rows of 5. 

8) Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let it rise again for a few hours until the cinnamon rolls have doubled in volume and are now touching each other. 

9) Preheat the oven to 350, bake the cinnamon rolls (without the plastic wrap of course) for 15-17min... Watching carefully to make sure they are browned but not burnt. 

Frosting (optional... but highly recommended!) 

1 package (8oz) room temp cream cheese

1/4 (half a stick) of butter @ room temp

1.5cup of powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8tsp salt 

1/2tsp lemon juice 

1) While the cinnamon rolls are baking, beat together all the frosting ingredients until well combined and smooth. 

2) Once the rolls are out of the oven, spread the frosting onto the warm rolls so it gets costed evenly. 

3) Save the frosting for applying more later!!! 

YUMMERS!!! 😍😍😍