I love cinnamon rolls! I don't usually make them because they're a lot of work, and there's a lot of waiting, which when you want cinnamon rolls, that's not something you want to do. King Arthur Baking announced their 2021 Recipe of the Year at the end of December. Last year, it was pizza, and this year, as I'm sure you can imagine, based on my introduction, is cinnamon rolls—Perfectly Pillowy Cinnamon Rolls to be precise.
I gave these a try a couple of weekends ago. They are different than most of the cinnamon rolls I have made before because they're not all squished into a pan, making it harder to get an even bake. Don't get me wrong, I love a squishy center, but sometimes it's a little too much. You bake these cinnamon rolls on a sheet pan, so none of them are touching, which means you get a nice, lightly browned outside and a soft, not underbaked center.
The cinnamon rolls use the tangzhong technique. In this technique, you cook flour and water into a slurry and mix it into the rest of the dough. It does many things, including making the finished bread moister and stay softer longer, hence the pillowy title. I'm familiar with this technique because I started using it for my preferred dinner rolls that I make on holidays, Buttery Pull-Apart Buns. They stay soft for days after the holiday.
The dough came together quickly in my Kitchen Aid mixer. Sometimes I don't mix the dough long enough when using the mixer, but I've started going at least a minute longer than I think that I'm supposed to go, and that seems to have improved my dough.
After the first rise, I set to rolling out and rolling up the dough. The dough is incredibly soft, and I didn't even have to use a rolling pin to get the dough into a rectangle. It didn't snap back too much and stayed nice and relaxed. I added the filling and rolled up the dough. I always seem to have a little trouble with the rolling part, whether it's bread, stromboli, or something else. It usually ends up a bit of a mess. I did the best I could with these. The only floss I have is mint, so I just used a knife to cut the rolls. I picked my sharpest knife, and it worked out well.
I did lose a little filling transferring the rolls to the baking sheet. Not enough to make a difference, but it was just a little messy. I tucked the end under the roll as suggested in the recipe. After they were all on the baking sheet, I sprayed some plastic wrap with cooking spray, covered the rolls, and let them hang out for a second raise.
When they had puffed, I put them in the oven and waited for the timer to go off. I took their temperature to determine if they were done. As with cooking, I feel like this is the easiest way to know if they're done. They looked beautiful, and I'm super happy with how they came out.
I firmly believe that cinnamon rolls should have cream cheese icing, so I went with the recipe noted at the bottom. It was delicious, though I think next time, I might add a hint of lemon to it, just to brighten it up a bit.
I did say next time, so yes, I'll be making these cinnamon rolls again. They were easy, fun, and of course, delicious. I ate them for the rest of the week, and they stayed soft the entire time.
