The ultimate guide to perfect, homemade cinnamon rolls.
Add sugar, 4 1/2 cups of flour, eggs, butter and salt to the yeast. Place remaining 1/2 cup of flour in a small bowl. Mix on low just until the contents of the stand mixer come together. Do not over mix. Double check to makes sure you have added all of the aforementioned ingredients before moving on to the kneading stage.
Remove the paddle attachment and attach the dough hook. Knead the dough on low speed (e.g. speed 2 if using a KitchenAid® stand mixer), and continue to so for 5-7 minutes, adding in the reserved flour 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed, to prevent the dough from sticking to the sides of the bowl. Alternatively, knead the dough by hand.
Using a sharp serrated knife, cut off the tapered ends and discard. Cut the log into 6 equal pieces. Stagger the rolls evenly across half of the greased baking dish. Repeat with the remaining log, and proceed to fill the dish. You should have 12 cinnamon rolls total.
Cover the rolls loosely with a kitchen towel, and allow them to rise in a warm, draft-free spot until they have doubled in size, about 40 minutes.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together confectioners sugar, cream, vanilla and salt until thoroughly mixed.
Pour the glaze across the tops of the cinnamon rolls and using a pastry brush, spread across the surface of each roll. Serve and enjoy.
FOR MAKE-AHEAD CINNAMON ROLLS:
The second rise will take place in the refrigerator overnight.
To do this, assemble the rolls and place in the casserole dish as directed. Then, loosely cover the dish with plastic wrap and transfer them to the refrigerator to rise overnight. If dough was refrigerated overnight,
The next day, set out at room temperature about one hour before baking.