As the mornings turn crisp, there’s nothing we’d rather wake up to than the smell of freshly baked pastries. These brown butter cinnamon rolls, courtesy of food creator Anastasia Hladyr, are our idea of the perfect slow weekend breakfast.
A tangzhong paste keeps the dough pillowy soft, while a nutty brown butter and cinnamon filling and a drizzle of cream before baking make every roll rich and tender. Finished with cream cheese frosting and toasted pecans, they’re best enjoyed warm, still in your pyjamas.
Makes 12 large rolls
Ingredients
Tangzhong
155g water
32g bread flour
Cinnamon Roll Dough
485g bread flour
85g granulated sugar
6g instant yeast
4–5g fine salt
65g double cream
90–95g whole milk
50g whole egg (approximately 1 large egg)
18–20g egg yolk (approximately 1 large yolk)
All of the tangzhong
113g unsalted butter, softened
80g double cream, for pouring over the rolls before baking
Brown Butter Cinnamon Filling
200g brown butter, soft and spreadable
285–290g dark brown sugar
12g ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt, if using unsalted butter
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
250–300g Philadelphia cream cheese, cold
40g brown butter, soft but not melted or solid
20g unsalted butter, room temperature
150g icing sugar
5g vanilla paste
20–30g double cream
Topping
Toasted pecans, roughly chopped
Method
Quick note: I like to prepare the brown butter first, so it has plenty of time to cool and thicken while the dough is being made.
Prepare the brown butter
1. Brown the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until golden, nutty and fragrant. Transfer it to a bowl and leave to cool until it reaches roughly the consistency of softened butter – soft and spreadable, but neither liquid nor solid.
2. You can use salted or unsalted butter, or a combination of the two, depending on your preference.
Make the tangzhong
3. Add the water and flour to a small saucepan and whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for around 4–5 minutes, until the mixture thickens into a smooth, fairly thick paste.
4. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool until just warm or room temperature.
Make the dough
5. Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature before you begin.
6. Add the flour, sugar and instant yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the milk, cream, whole egg, egg yolk and all of the cooled tangzhong.
7. Mix on low speed until everything begins to come together and a rough dough forms. Add the salt and continue kneading until incorporated.
8. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the softened butter, a little at a time, allowing each addition to incorporate before adding more.
9. Continue kneading for around 10–12 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic and soft.
10. Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rise in a warm place for around 40 minutes, or until noticeably risen and puffy. I like to place mine in a switched-off oven.
Make the filling and shape the rolls
11. Mix the soft brown butter, dark brown sugar and cinnamon until smooth and spreadable. If using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt.
12. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface into approximately a 53 × 38cm rectangle.
13. Spread the filling evenly over the dough, going almost all the way to the edges.
14. Cut the dough lengthways into 12 strips, approximately 4.5cm wide. A pizza cutter or sharp knife works well for this.
15. Roll each strip up individually to form a cinnamon roll and arrange the rolls in a lined baking dish.
16. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for approximately 1–1.5 hours, or until visibly puffy and expanded and the rolls are beginning to touch.
Bake the rolls
17. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Once the rolls have finished proofing, gently warm the 80g double cream in the microwave until just slightly warm, then pour it around the rolls just before baking.
18. Bake for approximately 35–40 minutes, or until beautifully risen and golden brown on top. Ovens vary, so use the colour and appearance of the rolls as your guide rather than relying solely on the baking time.
19. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for around 15 minutes.
Make the frosting
20. Beat the brown butter, room-temperature butter and icing sugar together until completely smooth and creamy.
21. Add the cold cream cheese and vanilla paste and mix just until combined. Avoid overmixing, as cream cheese frosting can become too loose.
22. Gradually add 20–30 g double cream until the frosting reaches a soft, silky and easily spreadable consistency.
23. Spread the frosting generously over the rolls while they are still slightly warm and finish with toasted chopped pecans.
See the full process over on Instagram.
