These light-as-a feather, generously sized rolls, with their crown of vanilla-scented icing, are perfect for a breakfast or brunch gathering. The simple cinnamon-sugar filling is quick to mix up and delivers a delightful aroma while the buns are baking, thanks to the super flavorful Vietnamese Cinnamon. Since the recipe makes 24 large rolls, it's ideal for a crowd.
Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess.
To make the dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 cups (360g) of the flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast.
Heat the milk, water, and butter until the butter softens; make sure the mixture isn't hotter than 120°F so that it doesn't kill the yeast.
Add the liquid ingredients to the flour mixture, along with the eggs.
Beat for 2 minutes; the mixture will be soupy.
Gradually beat in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. In the winter, or under less humid conditions, you may not need all the flour; in the summer, or when it's humid, you'll probably use it all.
Knead the dough until it's smooth, elastic, yet still quite soft, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cover it, and let it rest for 1 hour until puffy.
To make the filling: Whisk together the sugar and cinnamon. Set it aside.
Lightly grease two 9" x 13" pans; or a 9" x 13" pan and two 9" round cake pans.
Divide the dough in half. Working with one piece at a time, pat/roll the dough into a 10" x 15" rectangle. It's a soft dough, and should handle easily.
Spread with half the softened butter (2 tablespoons). Sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar.
Starting with a long side, gently roll the dough into a log, pinching the edge to seal as well as you can.
Cut the log into 12 pieces (for larger rolls) or 15 pieces (for smaller rolls), and space them in the prepared pan.
Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
Cover the pans, and let the rolls rise until they're nearly doubled, about 45 to 60 minutes. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and cool them for at least 20 minutes before frosting.
To make the frosting: Combine the frosting ingredients, using enough milk to make a soft, spreadable frosting.
Spread the frosting on the rolls. Serve immediately; or cover loosely, and serve later.
Storage information: Store well-wrapped, at room temperature, for several days; freeze for longer storage.
Use SAF Red instant yeast if you don't have either of the two yeasts listed in the ingredients above. You'll need to extend your rising times by about 20 to 30 minutes, both for the unshaped dough and for the shaped rolls.
Want fresh-baked, oven-warm buns in the morning? Prepare the buns through their rise in the pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Next day, allow the buns to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes before uncovering and baking; you may need to increase the baking time by a few minutes.
Neat way to slice a log of dough into buns? Use unflavored dental floss. Tie a loop around the log, then pull it tight directly over the spot where you want to slice. The floss will cut through the dough easily without squashing the log like a knife might. For step-by-step photos see our blog post, A simple trick for cinnamon rolls.
