Cinnamon rolls!

There is a Cinnabon location in London, right near Picadilly Circus...  and every once in a while after a night out in town, with a pack of Americans, we find ourselves devouring Cinnabons late at night (4 for £10!).  And they are delicious.  While it may just be nostalgia for childhood sleepover parties with Cinnabons for breakfast, I think we get lured in because it reminds us of home.

I recently remembered this recipe for cinnamon rolls I had made a few years back and tried it again, inspired by the idea of home made Cinnabons.  They may not be quite identical to the original, but they are pretty delicious, and these get devoured very fast, especially fresh out of the oven.  The only draw back I've found  to them is that they don't leave you feeling as sick as a real Cinnabon does, leading me to over-consume.

One of the great things about this recipe is you can prepare it all in advance, then put it in the fridge overnight, pop it in the oven in the morning, and have amazing hot cinnamon rolls for breakfast!

*This recipe taught me that bread flour(US) = strong white flour (UK).




Home made cinnamon rolls:
Adapted from all recipes
makes 12 regular rolls or 24 mini rolls

1 cup warm milk (about 110f)
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
2 eggs
76 g (1/3 cup) butter, melted
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup white sugar
4 1/2 cups bread/strong white flour

Filling:
1 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tb cinnamon
76 g (1/3 cup) butter, melted

Frosting:
3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
56 g (1/4 cup) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt

TODO:
1. Warm up the milk in the microwave (to near 110f), then sprinkle yeast on top of it and let it sit about 10 minutes, till its foamy.  (Note: depending on the surface area of the milk, the top layer of the yeast may not look foamy, if its not in contact with the milk.  This is ok!)
2. Add sugar, melted butter, eggs, and salt to the yeast mixture and mix in.  Add in flour and mix well.  In the bowl, knead the dough a few times into a large ball, then cover it and leave it in a warm place for an hour (it should double in size).
3. Roll out the dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle (yes this is thin, do your best!).  Spread dough with the 1/3 cup melted butter.  Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together, then spread evenly across the dough (even to the edges!).
      -  Regular sized rolls:  Roll up the dough lengthwise, then slice into 12 pieces.
      -  Mini rolls:  Cut dough in half lengthwise and crosswise (making 4 rectangles).  Roll up each rectangle             lengthwise, then cut into 6 pieces.
4. Place rolls into a greased 9x13 pan, then cover and let rise either in the fridge overnight, or in a warm place for 30 minutes.
5.  Preheat the oven to 200 c (400 f).  Bake the rolls until the tops just start to brown, about 10-15 minutes, watching them closely so as not to overbake (the mini rolls bake faster than the big rolls).
6.  While rolls are baking, make the frosting by mixing all the ingredients together.
7.  Cool on a wire rack for 2-3 minutes, then place a cutting board on top of the pan and flip it upside down.  This makes all the melted buttery cinnamon goodness pour back into the rolls.  Place a blob of frosting onto the center of each roll, and let it melt in.