Weekend breakfast treat sorted! Baking these rolls in a tightly covered Dutch oven ensures they will be wonderfully soft on the inside and golden on the outside. For a flavourful crunch, add half a cup (75 g) of chopped pecans with the orange zest.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) plus 1 tbs. lukewarm milk
- 1 1/2 tsp. instant or active dry yeast
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 125 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups (390 g) plain flour, plus more for dusting
- 3/4 cup (185 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- Salt
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- Grated zest of 1 orange
- 125 g cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (90 g) icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Method
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, stir together the milk and yeast and let stand until the yeast starts to bubble, about 5 minutes. Add the egg, 2 Tbs. of the butter, the flour, 1/4 cup (30 g) of the brown sugar, and 1 tsp. salt and beat on medium speed until the dough comes together and is smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature until almost doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1/2 cup (60 g) brown sugar, the cinnamon, orange zest and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
3. Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll out into a 35-by-30-cm rectangle. Spread the brown sugar mixture over the dough all the way to the edges. Starting with a long end, roll the dough into a log and cut crosswise into 10 to 12 slices.
4. Lightly grease a 5-litre Dutch oven and place the slices in a single layer in the prepared pot. Cover the pot and let the buns rise at room temperature until almost doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes.
5. Preheat an oven to 200°C. Uncover the pot and bake until the cinnamon rolls are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese, the remaining 6 tbs. butter, icing sugar and vanilla on medium speed until smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the cinnamon rolls from the oven and let cool in the pot on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Spread the icing over the rolls and serve warm.
Makes 10 to 12 rolls.
–Recipe from the Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen Dutch Oven Cookbook, $30
