as i was taking the picture for this recipe, i was so sadden by how imperfect it looked. i wanted the icing to fall just the right way, and the swirls to be perfect, and the plate to be clean. and then, as i was eating, i found myself taking more bites, realizing how beautiful and appetizing the gooey warm cinnamon blended with the icing looked despite tearing into it hot and burning my fingers, and found myself taking more pictures.. and then i took another, and took another picture, and another, and another.
sometimes i forget that i’m not really trying to curate the “perfect” food blog picture anymore. i just want things to taste good. i know the saying goes, “you eat with your eyes first,” but if it looks amazing, and tastes like dirt, is that really better than something that looks like it was run over but is the best thing you’ve ever had?
anyways, these cinnamon rolls are super soft and fluffy, and the malted milk gives the dough a warm, milky flavor. plus, the heavy cream seeps into and underneath the rolls, creating this yummy caramelized milky roll with a light, but soft, crust on the bottom. these are also PACKED with cinnamon and are so warm in spice, milk and love.
milky super cinnamon-y rolls
ingredients —
for the tangzhong
119 g milk
23 g unbleached flour
for the dough
159 g milk
300 g unbleached flour
25 g granulated sugar
14 g malted milk powder
6 g salt
6 g instant yeast
57 g unsalted butter
56 g heavy cream, set aside for later
for the filling
42 g unsalted butter
110 g dark brown sugar
15 g cinnamon
pinch of salt
for the icing
20 g melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
170 g powdered sugar
enough milk to reach your desired icing consistency :-)
method —
in a small saucepan, combine ingredients for the tangzhong, mix flour and milk until there are no clumps.
on medium heat, stirring occasionally, whisk flour and milk until a thick paste forms, then add to a large bowl.
to the bowl, add in dough ingredients (in the order listed), making sure to keep yeast and salt on opposite sides of the bowl.
combine ingredients (by hand, or with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook) and knead until dough turns into a smooth, elastic ball that passes the windowpane test.
leave dough to rise in a clean, lightly greased and covered bowl for 60-90 minutes, or until doubled in size.
while the dough rests, combine filling ingredients in a bowl until a thick paste resembling wet sand forms, set aside.
once dough has doubled in size, on a lightly floured surface, press it into a roughly 10x12 rectangle and top with cinnamon sugar mixture.
roll dough tightly and use a serrated knife or plain dental floss to divide into 5-6 jumbo cinnamon rolls.
line a baking dish with parchment, then transfer rolls to dish, leaving 1-2 inches of space between each roll. cover with greased plastic wrap and allow to rise for 30-60 minutes or until doubled in size. dough should be soft, springy and hold a fingerprint.
preheat oven to 375F and combine ingredients to make icing, cover and set aside.
pour heavy cream on top of risen rolls right before baking for 14-18 minutes or until slightly golden.
immediately out of the oven, brush on butter (optional).
pour/spread icing on top of cinnamon rolls and enjoy!
It's so refreshing to see other food writers here who (although I think your photos look lovely) don't have "photo-perfect food". We are our own category, and we don't need to compete with the clasically trained chefs of Substack! Our food is still good without a photography course, and the effort you put into it is real. Keep doing what you're doing! ♥️
omg all of your recipes look soooo good!!