Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

The last time I made cinnamon rolls, I used a very complex recipe from BBA using brioche dough that required me to get up waaaay too early in the morning. This recipe was much easier and just as delicious, although it does still require you to wake up an hour prior to breakfast time. The original recipe called for a powdered sugar glaze, but I opted for an improvised caramel glaze instead and was very happy about the decision.




Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

4 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1/4 cup sugar
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup buttermilk
~4 cups flour
1 pkg instant dry yeast
1 tsp kosher salt

1 cup brown sugar, packed (white will do in a pinch)
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
pinch salt
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
¼ c finely chopped walnuts (optional)

Whisk together the egg yolks, egg, sugar, butter, and buttermilk. Add the yeast, salt and ~2 cups of the flour and stir to combine. Add another cup of flour and start kneading, adding flour until the dough is very soft but not sticky - keep coating the outside of the dough lightly with flour and pressing to prevnt it from stick to your hands. The less flour you add, the more tender the rolls will be. Once the dough is very smooth, put it in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled, 2-3 hours.

Gently stretch the dough into an aproximately 18x12" rectangle, being careful not to punch it down too much. Brush the surface with melted butter and then sprinkle the sugar, cinnamon, and optional nuts evenly over the surface. Roll the dough up as tightly as possible, pinch the seam, and place it seam-side-down. Using a fast sawing motion, slice the log into 10 even pieces. Place the pieces close together in a buttered baking dish (don't worry if the dish isn't filled). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, wake up a little more than an hour before you want to eat. Place the dish in an unheated oven (sans plastic wrap) and place a dish full of boiling water below them. Let rise 1/2 hout until they're puffed up a bit. Take them out of the oven and preheat to 350. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden on the edges.

While the rolls bake, prepare:

Caramel glaze

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
6 tbs butter
~1/2 cup cream or half-and-half

Heat the sugar and water over medium in a heavy-bottomed pan, stirring constantly until it is dissolved. then STOP STIRRING and let it boil, monitoring constantly. Let it get golden brown but no darker than that (it will burn very quickly). remove from the heat and stir in the butter, then slowly whisk in the cream. Let cool and then poor over the rolls.