For those fans of Alton Brown's Good Eats, here comes my rendering of his Overnight Cinnamon Rolls, from Good Eats 2, the Middle Years.
Why buy mass-produced cinnamon rolls at the grocery, filled with who knows what "extras", when it's fairly simple to make at home, especially if you're fortunate enough to have a stand mixer?
I'm not going to list out the quantity of ingredients separately, but will include them along the way, including photos.
Make the dough: Combine 4 eggs yolks plus 1 whole egg with 2 oz sugar (slightly less than 1/4 cup), 6 T of melted unsalted butter (3/4 stick), and 3/4 cup of buttermilk in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted w/the whisk attachment on medium speed. Add 10 oz of all-purpose flour, along with one envelope of instant dry yeast and 1-1/4 tsp salt; whisk until moistened and combined.
Remove the whisk attachment and replace it w/the dough hook. Add 6 more oz of A-P flour and knead on low for 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough, and add up to 4 more oz of flour if necessary; the dough should feel soft and moist, but NOT sticky. Knead on low for 5 minutes more, OR until dough clears the sides of the bowl.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and knead by hand for about 30 seconds. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, lightly oiling the top of the dough. Cover, and allow to rise until doubled in volume, about 2 to 2-1/2 hours.
Make the filling by combining 8 oz light brown sugar with 1 T ground cinnamon and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl, mixing until well incorporated. Set the sugar mixture aside, along with 1-1/2 T melted unsalted butter.
Butter a 9 x 13 glass baking dish. When your dough has risen, gently use your knuckles to "punch" down the dough, then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently shape the dough into a rectangle with the long side nearest you. Roll it into an 18 x 12" rectangle.
Brush the dough with the melted butter, leaving a 1/2" border along the top edge. Sprinkle your brown sugar cinnamon mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4" border along the top edge. Gently press the sugar mixture into the dough.
Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder, and firmly pinch the seam to seal, then roll the cylinder seam side down. Very gently squeeze the roll to created an even thickness. Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into twelve 1-1/2" rolls.
Arrange the rolls cut side down in the baking dish, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and store in the fridge overnight, or up to 16 hours.
When you want to bake the rolls, allow approximately 90 minutes before you wish to eat. Remove the rolls from the fridge and place them in a turned-off oven. Fill a shallow pan 2/3 full of boiling water and set it on the rack below your rolls. This becomes your proofing oven, which will allow the rolls to rise further. Close the oven door and allow the rolls to rise until they look slightly puffy, roughly 30 minutes. Remove both the rolls and the water from the oven, and preheat the oven to 350.
Bake the rolls on the middle rack of the oven until they are golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190, about 30 minutes (mine were ready after about 23-25 minutes). Remove from oven and allow to cool while you make the icing.
Whisk 2-1/2 oz of cream cheese until creamy (I used 4 oz, or 1/2 block). Add 3 T milk (I used orange juice, tho I may use Grand Marnier or Amaretto next time...), and whisk until combined. Sift in 6 oz of confectioners sugar, whisking until smooth.
I put my icing into a squeeze bottle, and set that into a glass of warm water, for ease of covering the rolls.
These are very tasty, and next time I may cut dried cherries into slivers and scatter them over the dough, along with dark chocolate pieces, before cutting them and proofing.
Alton also does these with lemon zest and candied ginger, with an apricot jam glaze, which I've made before. Tasty, but one member of the family is not a fan of ginger, so cinnamon it is...
