Pecan Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Soft and fluffy Pecan Cinnamon Rolls topped with maple cream cheese frosting. Warming flavours and a buttery texture, these cinnamon rolls are simply irresistible!
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Ingredients
For the dough
- 180 ml Full-fat milk
- 1 packet Allinson's Time Saver Yeast
- 50 g Granulated sugar
- 1 medium Egg at room temperature
- 1 medium Egg yolk at room temperature
- 60 g Unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 460 g Strong white bread flour plus more for dusting
- 1 tsp Salt
For the cinnamon sugar filling
- 60 g Unsalted butter soft at room temperature
- 130 g Light brown sugar
- 3 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 large Orange Zest only
- 100 g Pecans roughly chopped
For the maple cream cheese frosting
- 100 g Unsalted butter soft, at room temperature
- 200 g Icing sugar
- 100 g Full-fat cream cheese cold from the fridge
- 3 tsp Maple syrup
- 3 tsp Fresh orange juice use the same orange that was zested for the filling
Instructions
Start by getting everything prepped
- Place a tea towel on a radiator to warm up ready for the proving stage.
- Gather all your ingredients and prep them accordingly e.g. melt the butter for the dough, chop the pecans for the filling etc.
- Line a large baking tin with greaseproof paper. Depending on the shape and size of your baking tin, you should be able to fit 8-10 cinnamon rolls inside. The baking tin I used was a white ceramic roasting tin that is 12x8 inches in size.
Now make the dough
- Measure the milk into a jug or bowl and microwave for roughly 40-60 seconds. The milk needs to be 40°C/110°F to properly activate the yeast. No thermometer? No problem. Test the temperature by dipping your finger into the milk, it should feel like warm bathwater.
- Pour the warm milk into a large bowl of an electric mixer. Haven't got an electric mixer? Just use a normal large mixing bowl.
- Sprinkle the yeast on top of the milk and let it rest for 1 minute.
- Add the melted butter, sugar, whole egg and egg yolk. Use a wooden spoon to mix the ingredients together.
- Now add the white bread flour and salt. Use your wooden spoon to work the mixture into a rough dough.
- Attach a dough hook and your mixing bowl to your electric mixer. Turn the speed up to medium and knead the dough for 8 minutes. No electric mixer? Just tip the dough onto a floured surface and knead by hand for 10 minutes instead. The dough should be smooth and springy to the touch.
- Lift the dough out and lightly brush the inside of the bowl with oil. Place back inside and cover with clingfilm and a warm towel.
- Place the bowl in a warm part of your home (I put mine next to a radiator) and leave to prove for roughly 45-60 minutes until the dough has doubled in size.
Roll the dough out
- Once the dough has doubled in size, it's time to roll it out.
- Lightly flour a worktop and rolling pin. Roll the dough out into a 14x9 inch rectangle.
Add the filling
- Use your hands to rub the softened butter into the dough, leaving a 1 cm margin around the edge of the dough.
- Stir the light brown sugar, cinnamon and orange zest together in a bowl. Scatter it on top and again use your hands to rub it into the dough.
- Scatter over the chopped pecans and lightly press them into the dough.
Roll the dough up
- Starting from the 9inch edge, tightly roll up the dough into a log shape.
- Use your hands to squish the sides together so the roll is compact.
- Use a sharp knife to cut off roughly 1-inch of excess dough from each end. The ends tend not to have as much filling or be as neat.
- Now cut the roll into 1-inch sections, you should get between 8-10 cinnamon rolls in total.
- Place the cinnamon rolls in your lined baking tin. Depending on the shape and size of your baking tin, you should be able to fit 8-10 cinnamon rolls inside*. Remember they will need space to rise during the second proving stage.
- Cover the baking tin with cling film and a warm towel, and leave to prove for another 30 minutes. They should double in size again.
- Meanwhile pre-heat your oven to 170°C/350°F (fan assisted).
Bake the cinnamon rolls
- Bake in the centre of your oven for 20-25 minutes until slightly golden brown around the edges. It's best to underbake cinnamon rolls so they're still soft and fluffy inside. Remove and leave to cool for 10 minutes.
Final step... the cream cheese frosting!
- In a large bowl, beat the butter until soft, pale in colour and lump-free.
- Sift in the icing sugar, add the maple syrup and orange juice. Beat until smooth and combined.
- Mix in the cream cheese until the frosting is smooth.
- Spread the frosting over the cinnamon rolls and tuck in straight away**. Enjoy!
Notes
*Leftover cinnamon rolls? Check out the 'How to freeze cinnamon rolls' section in the main blog post.
**Cinnamon rolls are best when they're fresh and warm from the oven. If you have leftovers you can freeze them (see notes in the main blog post) or store them in the fridge for up to 2 days.