Winning at Life Soft Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 cup very warm milk (hot to touch but not boiling)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp instant/active dry/ traditional yeast
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3.5 cups all purpose flour
• grating of nutmeg (optional)
• 5 tbsp melted butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (packed, dark brown works best)
• 2.5 tbsp cinnamon (if you're a cinnamon fan then you can go up to 3)
• 2 tsp cardamom powder (optional)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1.5 tbsp butter
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp milk

Instructions

1. 1

   --- Making the Dough ---

2. 2

   Mix your warm milk and sugar in a large bowl, scatter over the yeast and let it stand for 5-10 minutes or until very foamy (it'll smell like you're baking bread)

3. 3

   Add in your egg (whisked) and melted butter

4. 4

   Stir in your remaining dough ingredients to make a craggy dough

5. 5

   Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead it for 5-8 minutes until smooth and form into a ball. You can also do this with a dough hook in a stand mixer.

6. 6

   Place the ball in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel.

7. 7

   Put it somewhere warm to rise - I like to preheat my oven for a few minutes (just to 250F) and then turn it off and put it in there

8. 8

   For instant or active dry yeast your dough will double in an hour and if you press it gently it will bounce back. Traditional yeast can easily take two.

9. 9

   --- Cinnamon Filling ---

10. 10

    Combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

11. 11

    --- Shaping the rolls ---

12. 12

    Roll it out in to roughly an 14*18 inch rectangle - the shape doesn't have to be perfect but if yours is very uneven then simply trim the edges

13. 13

    Spread the cinnamon filling over top - it will be a thin layer

14. 14

    Roll the dough into a tight spiral starting from the 18 inch side and then cut into 12 even pieces

15. 15

    Place them in a lightly greased 13*9 pan and leave covered in a warm place to double - mine usually takes half an hour

16. 16

    Bake at 350F for 20-22 minutes or until golden

17. 17

    --- Cream Cheese Frosting ---

18. 18

    Mix 4 oz cream cheese and 1.5 tbsp room temperatue with an electric mixer till smooth

19. 19

    On low speed add in 1 cup icing sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and 2 tbsp milk until well combined.

20. 20

    Let the rolls cool for a few minutes then slather with cream cheese frosting, you should get a generous layer on top