Cinnamon Rolls - 3 Ways

So it’s been a hot minute since I’ve posted a recipe. Cancer barged in and took over my life. While I was going through chemo majority of foods were not appetizing, and I couldn’t bake because I had so much intense pain on my hands. Needless to say, I wasn’t very productive or experimental with food for a while. It’s now been over a year since my last chemo, and I’ve had several surgeries in the meantime (and more to come). But I got the itch to start baking again and having some fun with recipes.

This recipe I’ve adapted from my friend over at Floured Apron using her pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe. I weighed everything out for those who use scales, and also have two other options: traditional and bananas foster rolls! With colder, cozy weather creeping in, these are perfect. I know many people have been learning to bake during COVID while we’ve been quarantining, and these are actually fairly easy to make! You can even freeze the rolls for later use, or make the rolls the night before, pop in the fridge, and bake the next morning. They do take some time, so if you want them hot and fresh out of the oven for breakfast, definitely either freeze or refrigerate. One thing I do is double frost them, especially when making them for orders. Once directly out of the oven, so the goodness soaks in, and then I pour a second coating of icing on for serving. It makes for seriously ooey, gooey buns.

I wish I could bottle up the scent of these rolls, it’s heavenly. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do,

What you need…

Makes 12 cinnamon buns (actually a few more depending on how much scraps you have, don’t throw those out!)

Dough

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup unsalted butter, cubed, room temperature (78g)

4 + 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (600g)

1 + 3/4 teaspoon salt (14g)

1/2 cup pumpkin puree (130g) OR banana (125g/1.5 smashed bananas) OR greek yogurt (125g)

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon (for traditional/bananas foster) (4g)

1 cup warm whole milk (8fl. oz/236.5mL)

1/2 cup granulated sugar (110g)

2 + 1/2 teaspoon instant or active dry yeast (7g or 1 packet)

Filling

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened (78g)

1 cup brown sugar, packed (your choice of light or dark!) (235g)

4 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice/cinnamon (35g) OR 1 + 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon (for bananas foster, 13g)

For Bananas Foster: 1.5 bananas, ripped into chunks

Icing

For right out of the oven:

2 + 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted (30g)

1 cup confectioner’s sugar (170g)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons milk/maple syrup/rum/bourbon (1.5 fl. oz)

For serving:

2 + 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted (30g)

1 + 1/3 cups confectioners sugar (210g)

4 tablespoons milk/maple syrup/rum/bourbon (2 fl oz)

Directions

To make the dough: Place milk and sugar in your mixing bowl.  Sprinkle the yeast on top and let sit for 4-5 minutes.  Add remaining dough ingredients to bowl and mix together and knead all of the dough ingredients to make a smooth, soft dough. You may need to add more flour if it’s too sticky. You can knead by hand or using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn to grease all sides, cover the bowl, and let the dough rise in a warm spot for 60 minutes, or until it’s nearly doubled in bulk. If your house is warm, turn your oven onto the warm/hold option (or the lowest heat setting available) for about 10 minutes, then turn off and allow the dough to rise in the warmed oven.

To fill and shape the buns: Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough into a ~16″ x 21″ rectangle.

Spread the dough with the 1/3 to 1/2 cup butter. Write a cute word or note in the butter (do it!). Mix the brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice/cinnamon, and sprinkle it evenly over the dough. *Add the banana chunks evenly across the dough for the bananas foster* Optional: spread 8oz of pumpkin/apple butter or jam before sprinkling the sugar/spice mixture for a fun addition!

Roll the dough into a log and cut it into 12 slices (about 1 inch thick). If you have unflavored dental floss, this works best as it doesn’t squash the rolls. Wrap the floss around and pull together to cut through.
Place the buns in a parchment lined 9″ x 13″ pan. Cover the pan and let the buns rise until they’re nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Optional: If you aren’t planning to bake now, stick in the fridge instead of allowing them to rise. Set them out on the counter about an hour ahead of baking time to allow them to rise. If you are freezing the buns, freeze them after cutting. Thaw them in the fridge overnight and follow the previous instructions. Tip: Set the buns to rise on top of the oven while the oven pre-heats, this gives them a nice warm area to rise.

While the buns are rising, preheat the oven to 400°F.
Uncover the buns, and bake them until they’re golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. While the buns are baking, make the icing.

To make the icing: In a small bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla and liquid of your choosing from the first icing recipe. Tip: use the rum for the bananas foster. Maple syrup or bourbon for the pumpkin rolls is a fantastic combination.

Remove the buns from the oven. Spread the first icing recipe on the buns while they’re hot. Allow to cool slightly before eating, 5-10 minutes. While they cool, make the second batch of icing and pour over right before serving.
Serve buns warm, or at room temperature. Wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for a day or so; freeze for longer storage.

Scroll through the gallery below for step by step images!