Maple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

Believe it or not, when it comes to baking I don’t eat a huge amount of what I make. I like making sweet treats for friends, family and neighbours, and my husband hoovers up sugar like a racehorse (damn his speedy metabolism and love for exercise), but what I really love is the act of baking itself. I find it so relaxing, and fun.

There are however two exceptions to this rule, and they are chewy cookies and cinnamon rolls. I simply can’t resist them! Cinnamon rolls are the best breakfast with coffee, or elevenses, or afternoon tea treat, or dessert. What I’m saying is cinnamon rolls really are the best, at any time of day! They take a bit of time, but much of that is waiting for the dough to rise so while that’s happening you can tidy up the kitchen or get on with other chores. And most importantly these are worth the effort because you are rewarded with delicious cinnamon rolls at the end.

If you’ve never baked with yeast before, I’d suggest checking out Sally’s Baking Addiction - she has some great posts on yeast that I think are worth reading over to give some insight into the science behind it and help with any troubleshooting.

INGREDIENTS

Makes: 12 rolls

Time: Roughly 2.5-3 hours (including proving)

For the rolls:

230ml warm whole milk 

2 1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast

2 large eggs (room temperature)

75g salted butter, softened

600g plain flour

1 teaspoon salt

100g caster sugar

For the filling:

100g pecans

180g light brown soft sugar

110g softened unsalted butter

2 tbs maple syrup

For the topping:

1tbs water

250 full fat crème cheese

2 tbs Maple syrup

150g icing sugar

 METHOD

1. Whisk the milk, yeast and one tablespoon of sugar together in the bowl and leave sit for 5 minutes – when you see frothy bubbles on the top you know the magic is happening.

2. Add the eggs, remaining sugar, softened butter, salt and 550g of flour to the bowl of your stand mixer with the dough hook attached. Pour in your activated milk and mix on a slow setting for a couple of minutes to ensure the flour absorbs the liquid – use a spatula to scrape down the side of the bowl to ensure all the flour is incorporated. If it’s looking really wet, add the remaining flour a tablespoon at a time until it comes together. Once absorbed, turn the power to medium and let the dough hook do the work for 5 minutes. The dough should be soft and a little sticky here so go easy on the last bit of flour and only add it if you think you need to. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can bring the mixture together in a bowl and then when you have something that resembles a dough, knead on a lightly floured work surface by hand for about five minutes.

3. Lightly grease a large bowl with oil, place the dough in the centre and cover with a slightly damp clean kitchen towel. Put the bowl somewhere warm to rise for about an hour or until double in size. My kitchen is quite cold, so I usually put it upstairs in a warm room or close to my heated clothes dryer.

4. While the dough is proving make your filling. Start by toasting the pecans in a dry pan over medium heat for a few minutes turning a couple of times so they don’t catch. Watch them like a hawk as they can burn easily. When you start to smell the aroma of pecans they’re done. Set aside to cool, and when cool to the touch roughly chop into small pieces.

5. Mix the softened butter with the sugar and maple syrup. You want this to be really soft, so it spreads easily onto the dough.

6. Line a 9×13in a baking tray with baking paper and get ready to assemble.

7. When the dough has doubled in size tip it onto a floured work surface and use a rolling pin to create a rectangle about 14x20in. This doesn’t need to be exact, but it’s a good guide.

8. Spread the sugary all over evenly, then scatter over the toasted pecan pieces.

9. Take the long end and roll up tightly so you have one long sausage of dough. You want to make 12 swirls and I think the best way to do this without measuring is to trim the ends and discard them and then cut the sausage in half, cut the two pieces you’ve now have in half and then cut the four pieces you’re left with into three. Put these into the lined tray and allow to rise until puffy – this takes about 30- 45 mins.

10. Preheat your oven to 170c fan and when it’s come to temperature, bake the swirls for 25 minutes until golden brown on top.

11. While your rolls are cooling, make the icing by mixing the room-temperate cream cheese with the water and maple syrup. I do this in my stand mixer but again you could do it in a large bowl. Once it’s combined add the icing sugar and give it a good mix. If it’s too thick, add a little more water.

12. Once the rolls are cooled, drizzle the frosting all over and use a spatula or the back of a tablespoon to smother it into all the little cracks.

13. These rolls can be stored in an airtight container for a few days at room temperature, but they’re best eaten the day you make them. I perk them up again but putting them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. 

If you want to have these for breakfast, you can do the second prove overnight in the fridge (cover the tray in clingfilm). If they haven’t doubled in size, take them out the fridge and allow them to rise a little longer before baking and voila, your house will smell of cinnamon and everyone will be so impressed you are a master baker!