Chemical Engineer's Best Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

• 120 g butter (softened)
• 12 g ground cinnamon
• 2 orange zest (zest from 2 oranges)
• 60 g brown sugar
• 60 g granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 260 g milk (soy milk or any milk of choice)
• 25 g fresh yeast (or 1 tbsp dry active yeast)
• 500 g all purpose flour
• 20 g bread flour
• 75 g granulated sugar (for the dough)
• 7 g salt
• 7 g cardamom (ground)
• 80 g butter (softened, for the dough)
• egg wash (or 1:1 mixture of soy milk and honey for egg-free)

Steps

1. 1

   Mix all ingredients for the cinnamon filling (softened butter, cinnamon, orange zest, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and honey) and set aside at room temperature.

2. 2

   Heat the milk until lukewarm. Add the yeast to the milk and let it bloom for 5-10 minutes until frothy.

3. 3

   In a separate large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together: all-purpose flour, bread flour, granulated sugar, salt, and cardamom.

4. 4

   Add the milk and yeast mixture along with the softened butter to the dry ingredients. Mix until a shaggy dough forms, then dump the dough out onto a clean counter.

5. 5

   Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes until it is elastic and smooth. Try not to add too much flour to the surface; the dough will be sticky initially but will come together as you knead.

6. 6

   Place the dough in a bowl, cover it, and let it rise for about one hour, or until it has doubled in size.

7. 7

   Roll out the dough into a 45x55cm rectangle. Smear the prepared cinnamon filling onto only one half of the dough.

8. 8

   Fold the dough and shape the cinnamon rolls: flip along the long edge, cut into strips approximately 3 centimeters wide, wrap each strip around your finger, and tuck the last bit under to make a knot/bow shape.

9. 9

   Place the shaped rolls on a baking sheet and let them rise for another 1 hour.

10. 10

    Brush the rolls with egg wash (or a 1:1 mixture of soy milk and honey).

11. 11

    Bake at 180°C (350°F) for around 15 minutes on the middle rack.

12. 12

    For a nice golden brown color, broil the rolls for the last 3 minutes of cooking. Keep a close eye on them to ensure they do not burn.

13. 13

    Remove from the oven and enjoy.

Notes

The author notes that no eggs are needed in the dough. For the egg wash, a vegan alternative is a 1:1 mixture of soy milk and honey. The orange zest and cardamom are key chemical pairings that enhance the cinnamon flavor.

Nutrition per serving

• dessert
• baking
• cinnamon rolls
• vegetarian
• egg-free
• breakfast
• snack