Soft, fluffy milk bread is swirled with a sweet brown sugar and cinnamon mixture, then slathered with cream cheese frosting in this heavenly breakfast pastry.
If you want to make the softest, fluffiest cinnamon rolls you’ve ever seen, the secret for these Fluffy Milk Bread Cinnamon Rolls is….you guessed it, milk bread!
I’ve seen milk bread all over the Internet, but never had it or tried making it myself, but when I came across the idea to use milk bread dough for cinnamon rolls, I had to try it that very day.
Oh boy! I was not disappointed. Neither was my family, or the friends and neighbors I shared these cinnamon rolls with. These rolls are absolutely heavenly.
The main difference between milk bread and other yeasted bread is that you start with a thickened mixture of milk and flour–kind of like a roux–called tangzhong.
I don’t know how the chemistry works, but something about tangzhong turns regular bread into the softest, lightest, most wonderful bread ever.
And when you start with the most wonderful dough ever, you end up with the most wonderful cinnamon rolls ever!
Really, the pictures don’t do these cinnamon rolls justice. The camera just can’t capture how incredibly light and fluffy milk bread is. Really, you’re only option is to try this recipe for yourself.
I do definitely recommend the method of using two smaller cake pans for this recipe, rather than one large 9×13 pan. Because the dough is so soft and delicate, you need to use two smaller pans to ensure the rolls cook through completely and evenly.
And of course, you don’t want to skip the cream cheese frosting. No good cinnamon roll would be complete without it.
I dare say these Fluffy Milk Bread Cinnamon Rolls are my family’s favorite new version of the the classic breakfast sweet. They take a bit of extra time and effort, but the payoff is definitely worth it!
Be sure to save this recipe for Fluffy Milk Bread Cinnamon Rolls to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Here’s what you’ll need to make Fluffy Milk Bread Cinnamon Rolls
- Milk
- Flour
- Eggs
- Yeast
- Sugar
- Salt
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon
- Cream
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla
Fluffy Milk Bread Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the dough
- 2 1/4 cups whole milk divided
- 5-6 cups flour divided
- 1 egg
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup butter softened and cubed
For the filling
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the frosting
- 8 tablespoons butter softened and divided
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- To make the dough, whisk 3/4 cup of milk and 1/4 cup of flour in a medium saucepan until smooth. Place over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened. Scrape the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixture and cool, about 5 minutes.
- Add egg, yeast, sugar, salt and remaining 1 1/2 cups milk to the flour mixture in the bowl. Add 5 additional cups of flour and, using the dough hook, mix on low speed until combined. Gradually add the remaining flour, mixing on medium speed, until the dough is starts to form a ball (you may not use all the flour). The dough should be very soft. Continue mixing for another 10 minutes or so, adding more flour as needed to create a smooth, elastic dough.
- Add 1/2 cup butter, one piece at a time, while the mixer is on medium speed. Mix until incorporated, 2-3 minutes. Continue mixing for additional 5 minutes, or until the dough pulls away cleanly from the side of the bowl and is no longer sticky. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in size, 60-90 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the filling: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Let cool slightly, then stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, heavy cream and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- Using 2 tablespoons of butter, butter each cake pan and set aside. Punch the dough down and transfer to a floured surface. Roll the dough into a 24×13 inch rectangle.
- Spread the filling over the dough in a single layer. Starting with the short side, tightly roll the dough into a log. Using a serated knife, or unflavored dental floss, divide the log into 12 equal portions. Place 6 portions in each of the prepared pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, 30-45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the rolls until golden and fluffy (they may rise dramatically during baking) 25-30 minutes.
- While the rolls bake, combine the ingredients for the frosting in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add additional cream, as needed, until frosting reaches desired consistency.
- Let cinnamon rolls cool for about 5 minutes before spreading the cream cheese frosting over top.
Video
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Nutrition
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Who Dished It Up First: Adapted from Bon Appetit
1 comment
Donna
We don’t all have the fancy mixers with all the attachments. Would you please kindly include instructions for those of us not as fortunate. Thank you.