Soft and Sweet Cinnamon Rolls

Serves: Makes 10 rolls

Ingredients:

Dough
1¼ cups warm milk (no hotter than 120°F)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast, or 2¼ teaspoons quick-rise yeast
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
3¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for sprinkling
1½ teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon water

Filling
1½ cups lightly packed light brown sugar
1½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 large egg

Icing
1 cup powdered sugar, or a little more if needed
1½ tablespoons water

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Directions:

To make the dough, pour ¼ cup of the warm milk in a small bowl. Add the yeast and granulated sugar and stir to dissolve. Set the bowl aside for 8 to 10 minutes, until the mixture looks foamy. If the yeast isn't foamy after 15 minutes, start with a new package.
Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and whisk to blend. Make a well in the center, and pour the yeasted milk into the well. Then add the remaining 1 cup warm milk and melted butter. Stir together the ingredients until you get big, shaggy clumps of dough that start to stick together.
Sprinkle a little flour on your work surface. You can always add more later, so don't sprinkle too much. Dump the dough clumps out of the bowl onto your work surface. Dip your hands in flour and start kneading the dough. Using the heel of both hands, firmly push the top of the mound away from you. Fold the far side of the dough toward you, then rotate the mound of dough a quarter turn and push again. Keep kneading until you get a smooth, springy dough. It usually takes 8 to 10 minutes. To know if you have kneaded enough, press your hand into the dough and remove it quickly. Your handprint should bounce back and disappear quickly. If it doesn't, keep kneading.
Lightly flour your hands and the surface if the dough starts sticking. It should feel tacky, like tape, but not sticky and gooey. A bench scraper is handy for scraping up any bits of dough stuck to the table and to help you move the dough around.
Rub the inside of a large bowl with a thin layer of vegetable oil or coat with pan spray. Shape the dough into a ball and put it in the bowl. Lightly rub or spray the top of the dough with a little oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Set the bowl aside and let the dough rise for 45 to 60 minutes, until it is twice as big.
While the bread dough finishes rising, make the filling. Put the brown sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl and whisk together until well blended. Smash any brown sugar lumps to break them up. Crack the egg into a small bowl and beat with a fork until blended.
To roll out the dough, sprinkle 3 tablespoons flour on the work surface. Turn the risen dough out of the bowl onto the floured surface and shape it into a rough rectangle. Sprinkle another tablespoon of flour on top. Starting from the edge closest to you, roll gently but firmly to the edge opposite you and then back again twice. Be careful not to roll the pin off the edge of the dough, or the dough will stick to the surface. Turn the dough a quarter turn, and roll up and back again twice. When you turn the dough, it should move easily. If it doesn't, gently lift the area of stuck dough, loosening it with the small metal spatula, and sprinkle some more flour underneath. Repeat the rolling up and back and turning of the dough until you have a 15 by 12-inch rectangle.
Brush any excess flour from the top and bottom of the dough with the large brush, and clean up any extra flour from around the dough with the bench scraper. Position the rectangle so you are facing a long side. Mix the egg yolk with the water and then, using a small pastry brush, brush a thin coating of the egg mixture all over the top of the dough. (You won't need all of it.) Use your fingers to scrape the filling onto the dough and spread it evenly over the surface, leaving a 1-inchwide border uncovered along the long side opposite you. Starting at the long side closest to you, roll up the dough into a log, keeping it fairly tight as you go. When you reach the opposite side, roll the dough right on top of the uncovered border. Roll the log backward, so the seam is on top, and pinch all along the seam to seal it.
Lightly butter a 10 by 2-inch cake pan, or spray with pan spray. Using a serrated knife, cut the log crosswise into 10 rolls, each about 1½ inches wide. Use a gentle sawing motion when you cut so you don't flatten the log. Arrange the rolls in the prepared cake pan evenly, spacing 8 rolls around the edge of the pan and putting 2 rolls in the center.
Cover the pan with plastic wrap and set in a warm place. Let the rolls rise for about 1 hour, or until they are nearly twice as big and fill almost all of the open spaces in the pan. After the rolls have risen for about 30 minutes, position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. That way the oven will be ready when you are ready to bake.
Bake the rolls for 30 to 35 minutes, until they are golden and the sugar is bubbling around the edges. Using oven mitts, transfer the pan to a cooling rack. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
To make the icing, put 1 cup powdered sugar in a small bowl. Add the water and whisk until well blended and completely smooth. The icing should be thick, because it thins out when it hits the warm rolls. 

Salted Caramel Cinnamon Rolls

Salted Caramel Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:
For the Dough:
¾ cup whole milk, 110 degrees F

2¼ teaspoons instant yeast

3 eggs, at room temperature

4¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup cornstarch

½ cup granulated sugar

1½ teaspoons salt

¾ cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened

For the Filling:

1 cup light brown sugar

4½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

¼ cup salted caramel sauce, recipe follows

For the Salted Caramel Sauce:
2 cups granulated sugar

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces

1 cup heavy cream, room temperature

1 tablespoon fleur de sel (or any other flaky sea salt
One egg, beaten
Splash of water

For the Icing/Topping:

2/3 cup confectioners sugar

2 tablespoons heavy cream


Directions:1. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350ºF

2. Whisk together the milk and yeast in a small bowl until the yeast dissolves, then add in the eggs.

3. Using a mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, sugar and salt) on a low speed until combined. Continuing on low, steadily add the warm milk mixture and mix until the dough comes together, about 1 minute.

4. Bring the speed up to medium and add the butter, piece by piece, until totally incorporated. Continue to mix until the dough is smooth and not stuck to the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes. If, after mixing for 10 minutes, the dough is still sticky and wet, add up to another 3-5 tablespoons of flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. (It’s okay if this doesn’t happen immediately. It can sometimes take the full 10 minutes, even without additional flour, for dough to pull away from the sides of the bowl.)

5. Gently knead dough on a clean surface and form a smooth, round ball. Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap; allow to sit and rise in a warm, draft-free area. Should double in size, around 2 hours.

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Make the Caramel Sauce:

6. In a 2-4 quart saucepan add the sugar in an even layer over the bottom. Whisk sugar over medium-high heat until it begins to melt. Continue whisking until all of the sugar has melted. It’s okay if there are lumps, just keep whisking and they will smooth out. You want the sugar to move continuously so it doesn’t burn. Stop whisking once all of the sugar has melted, and swirl the pan occasionally while the sugar cooks.

7. The sugar should become a deep-amber color and should smell slightly toasted. This is a crucial step because the caramel can burn quickly if you’re not paying close attention. Use a candy thermometer and cook until caramel reaches 350ºF.

8. Once it reaches 350ºF, add in all of the butter. Caramel reacts with the addition of dairy and will froth and bubble up. Whisk the mixture until it is completely smooth.

9. Take the pan off of the heat and carefully add the cream. Again, because you are adding dairy there will be a reaction and the mixture will bubble up considerably. Whisk until everything is incorporated and the sauce is perfectly smooth. Whisk in the fleur de sel.

10. Allow sauce to cool, 10-15 minutes, and then pour into glass container. The sauce will keep, in the refrigerator, for up to 2 weeks. Make sure to warm up before using.

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11. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. After dough has doubled in size, place on a lightly floured surface and roll into an 18-inch square, roughly ¼-inch thick. Spread the softened butter over the surface of the dough; extend butter to within ½ –inch of the edge so there is still a border. Evenly sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the dough and add the caramel sauce drizzle on top.

12. Form a log by taking the edge of the dough nearest you and rolling it in over itself. Make sure to pinch the ends closed. Cut the roll into even pieces and place, cut-side-up, in a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Again, allow to rise and double in size by covering with plastic wrap and placing in a warm, draft-free area for 1 hour.

(If you would like to hold off on baking, you can place in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Make sure to bring rolls back to room temperature before baking, around 1 hour.)

13. After removing plastic wrap, combine 1 beaten egg with a splash of water and brush rolls to give a nice golden, glazed top. Place rolls in oven for 35-40 minutes, or until golden-brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

For the Icing:

14. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and heavy cream until smooth. Using a spoon, drizzle the icing over the rolls. Serve warm or at room temperature. Optional: add 1 tablespoon of the salted caramel sauce to the mixture for extra flavor or sprinkle fleur de sel over the top.

Leftovers, if there are any, can be stored in the refrigerator or at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.