Soft Cinnamon Rolls

 This recipe is adapted fro Mel's Kitchen Cafe, The Best Cinnamon Rolls (Cheryl's Famous Recipe).  It makes 12 jumbo cinnamon rolls.  Allow at least four hours start to finish, but they can be made ahead and given a cool rise overnight.  The are super soft, fluffy, and light.

INGREDIENTS

SPONGE:

 1/2 cup (3.75 ounces) granulated sugar

 1/2 cup neutral-flavored oil

 2 cups milk

 4 cups (20 ounces) all-purpose flour (or half all-purpose, half white winter wheat)

 1 tablespoon instant yeast (see note for active dry yeast)

DOUGH:

 3/4 cup (3.75 ounces) all-purpose flour

 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

FILLING:

 8 tablespoons butter, softened

 3/4 cup (5.5 ounces) packed light brown sugar

 1 tablespoon cinnamon

 1/4 teaspoon cardamom (optional but delicious)

ICING:

 2 ounces cream cheese, softened

 8 tablespoons (1 stick, 4 ounces) butter, softened

 Pinch salt

 2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (or half vanilla, half maple)

 1 3/4 cups (7 ounces) powdered sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Scald two cups of milk in a small sauce pan (heat until just boiling, little bubbles should form around the edges).  Set aside and let cool slightly.  While cooling, put sugar and oil in a large bowl (ideally a bowl of a stand mixer). Pour in the scalded milk and mix. Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes or so until it is warm but not blazing hot.

Add 4 cups flour and sprinkle the yeast on top of the flour. Mix until no dry streaks remain and scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed. The dough will be loose and wet-looking. Cover the bowl and let the sponge rest until puffy and doubled, 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

Add the remaining 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix with a dough hook until the flour is completely incorporated and the dough looks smooth instead of rough and shaggy. It may not necessarily clean the sides of the bowl but it should for a pretty cohesive mass. Add additional flour only if it is too sticky to handle or a small piece of dough won't form a ball in your hands (it's ok if it leaves some doughy residue on your fingers).  Wetter is better.

Scrape the dough into a lightly greased bowl or container, cover, and let rise until doubled, about an hour.

On a lightly floured counter (I use about 2-3 tablespoons flour), roll or pat the dough into about a 18X12-inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter evenly across the top. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon (and cardamom, if using) in a bowl and sprinkle evenly across the top of the butter. Pat down very lightly.

Starting with one long end, start rolling the rectangle into a log without pulling and stretching on the dough (but still rolling as tightly as possible). Roll the seam to the bottom and pat the log into an even thickness - it should be about 20 inches long or so at this point.

Cut the log into 12-15 even pieces. Place the rolls on a parchment-lined half sheet pan, tucking the loose end of the roll underneath, if you want. The rolls should be about an inch apart so they have room to rise. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and let rise until noticeably puffy and almost doubled, about an hour.  (If making these ahead of time, see note below for alternate directions)

Bake at 350 degrees F for 18-25 minutes until lightly golden and baked through. Let cool until warm before frosting.

For the frosting, add the cream cheese and butter to a medium bowl. Whip with a handheld (or stand) mixer until creamy. Add the salt, milk or cream, and vanilla (and maple if using). Mix again. Add the powdered sugar and whip until light and creamy.

Spread the slightly warm rolls evenly with the icing. Serve immediately or let cool completely and serve at room temperature (or warm lightly before serving).

NOTES

Make-Ahead: If you are making them ahead of time, don’t let them rise at room temperature after cutting them.  Place on cookie sheet and cover them with lightly greased plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Take the rolls out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature and fully rise before baking.  This can take 1-3 hours (usually 2 hours).  They need to about double in size.  Then remove the plastic wrap and bake.

Freezing: Baked and frosted cinnamon rolls freeze amazingly well. After they've been frosted and cooled, I'll scoop the rolls one by one into a quart-size ziploc bag, seal and freeze. It gets a little messy with the frosting.  Just take them out of the bag still frozen, put on a plate, microwave for a minute or so on 50% power until warm and gooey.