Sweet & Sticky Cinnabon Copycat Cinnamon Rolls

I have been meaning to make cinnamon rolls from scratch for some time now and I finally got around to doing it. They may take ALL DAY LONG, and you may get a little dirty, but the outcome is SO worth it. Taking your first bite of that warm and gooey cinnamon roll that you just spent hours creating, is probably the best taste ever, no really. Give it a go yourself and see what I'm talking about! 

*Makes: 9-12 cinnamon rolls

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 3/4 cup (180ml) warm water
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast 
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup (60g) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup (80g) canola or vegetable oil
• 4 1/2-5 cups (580-650g) all purpose flour

For the filling:

• 1/2 cup (120g) butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups (280g) packed dark brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp cornflour (or cornstarch)

For the frosting:

• 3 oz. (90g) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup (60g) butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 1/2 tbsp golden syrup (or corn syrup)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 1/4 cups (160g) powdered sugar

Directions

Step 1: Make the dough. In a large bowl  (or one of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, which I don't have), pour in water, yeast and 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar. Stir and let it sit for 5 minutes. Once mixture looks bubbly and frothy, it is ready to be added with the other mixture.

Step 2: In a small bowl, add buttermilk, oil and egg. Whisk ingredients together until egg is incorporated to other two ingredients. 

Pour contents into the water and yeast mixture. Add remaining sugar and salt. Stir another 20 seconds.

 Pour 2 cups of flour into your bowl and stir until incorporated. Sprinkle flour in by 1/4 cup increments until dough cleans the sides and bottom of the bowl. Dough should be sticky but not sticky enough to stick to your hands when touched. 

Step 3: Once it has reached this stage, knead for 5-10 minutes. Remove dough from bowl, grease another bowl and place it in there. Cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel. Let it rise for 1-2 hours or until dough has doubled in size.

Step 4: Make the filling. In a medium size bowl, stir brown sugar, cinnamon and cornflour together until combined. Set aside. 

Step 5: When dough is ready, punch it down. Flour a large clean table or counter space liberally with flour. Lightly flour dough as well. 

Step 6: Roll dough out to be a 20x30 rectangle while moving dough around to ensure it's not sticking to your work surface. If it's a little short or uneven, don't worry about it, it doesn't have to be perfect. Spread softened butter over the dough, being sure to go right to the edges leaving a 1-inch strip untouched on one of the longer sides of dough. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture onto the dough and spread with your hands, creating an even layer over top of the butter, still leaving that 1-inch strip of dough untouched. Lightly press the sugar mixture into the margarine using a rolling pin. 

Step 7: Roll the dough up into a tight log (my log wasn't as tight as I wanted but it worked, finishing with the plain dough on the bottom to seal the entire thing together. Cut off the uneven ends to even out the log. Slice your rolls every 2 inches. Place into your parchment paper lined, butter greased pan. 12 roll should fit perfectly, if there are any left over, place into a loaf pan. Cover pans with plastic wrap and dish towels. Let rolls rise another 1 hour or until they are touching and have risen almost double. 

Step 8: Bake in a preheated 350F/180C for 15-20 minutes, or until tops start to brown. Watch them carefully!

Step 9: Make the frosting. While the rolls are baking, whip cream cheese and butter together using a food processor (or by hand). Stir in vanilla, golden syrup and lemon juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Pour in powdered sugar and mix slowly until it starts to incorporate. Then mix on high for 5 minutes or until frosting starts to lighten in color.

Step 10: Once the rolls have been removed from the oven, frost using half the amount made. Then after they have cooled a few more minutes, frost again with remaining frosting. The first frosting will melt down into the rolls and the second layer should stay put. Serve warm, and try not to eat them all!