Well, I've tried several different cinnamon roll recipes, too. For years, my go-to recipe was this one—see HERE. And I love the filling and icing for this recipe HERE. But for now, I've found a new favorite . . . the dough is rich and tender, the filling is perfect . . . it all makes for a fantastic cinnamon roll . . . I have adapted this recipe from "Handle the Heat" . . .
For the dough:
1 cup whole milk
1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup sour cream
1 envelope (2-1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast*
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
2 egg yolks, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 to 4-1/2 cups (508 to 540 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
*You can use active dry yeast in place of the instant yeast. Add in in with the warm milk and butter mixture and a teaspoon of the sugar and allow it to proof for 5 to 10 minutes, or until foamy.
For the filling:
1 stick unsalted butter, very soft but not melted
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
For the frosting:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Make the dough:
In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter until the butter melts. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream until smooth. Let cool until lukewarm (about 110-degrees F). Note: Watch carefully as it melts because if it gets all the way to a boil, it takes much longer to cool down afterwards.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the lukewarm milk mixture with the yeast, sugar, egg, egg yolks, and vanilla until well combined. Add in half of the flour and the salt and mix until combined. Remove the paddle attachment and fit the mixer with the dough hook. Gradually add the remaining flour until a dough begins to form. Only add as much flour as you need to form the dough. Knead at medium speed until the dough is very soft, smooth, pliable, and doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl, about 8 to 10 minutes. If the dough is unbearably sticky add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time. Only add as much four as needed to create a smooth dough.
Lightly grease a large bowl. Shape the dough into a ball and place in the greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
Punch down the risen dough and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. Use a rolling pin to shape the dough into a 16 x 12-inch rectangle with the long side facing you.
Spread the filling mixture all over the dough (a small offset icing spatula works great for this), leaving a 1/2-inch border at the far edge. Brush the border with water to help seal. Roll the dough up, pulling with your hands to keep it tightly rolled until it's an even log shape. Press the border to seal. Trim the edges.
Grease (or line with parchment paper) a 9-x 13-inch baking dish or two 9-inch pie pans. Note: It's important to use a dish with sides because 1) the filling sometimes bubbles over and out during baking and would drip off the sides of a regular cookie sheet, making a mess in your oven; and 2) these rolls spread out when baking so they need the support of being close to other rolls and being in a pan with sides).
Cut the roll into 12 equal pieces using a sharp serrated knife or unflavored dental floss. Place the rolls cut side up in the prepared baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
Make Ahead: Allow the shaped rolls to rise until they've grown in size by about a quarter. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Allow to come completely to room temperature and continue to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours, before baking as directed below.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Bake the rolls until lightly golden brown, 22 to 30 minutes. (You can test for doneness by taking the internal/center temp of rolls, which will be 190-degrees when done.)
For the icing:
Combine the icing ingredients in a small mixing bowl until a smooth pourable icing forms.
Spread over hot rolls. Serve warm the day they are baked.
Make the filling:
Add filling ingredients to a medium mixing bowl. Beat with a hand-held electric mixer on medium-high until very well combined, about 3 minutes. Or, mix in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment. (I zap the combined filling mixture in the microwave for 10-15 seconds after mixing to make it a little easier to spread).