Apple Cinnamon Rolls
The Recipe I’m Saving for a Competition: Apple Cinnamon Rolls
I guess it comes as no surprise that I like to watch cooking competition shows. Chopped is one of my favorites and I enjoy yelling what I would make at the television. There’s snake in that basket? TACOS! What aren’t you making TACOS!? For me, the holiday baking shows are the best competitions, especially Holiday Baking Championship. I like to imagine that this recipe, apple cinnamon rolls, is what I would bake for the “special holiday brunch category.” They are full of fall/holiday flavors and absolutely bursting with gooey apple filling. If that isn’t good enough for a holiday brunch, I don’t know what is.
Yeast Dough is a Pain, But Apple Cinnamon Rolls are Delicious
That said, yeast recipes are not my favorite. No matter how careful I am, the dough never seems to rise quite the way I would like. That isn’t true of this recipe, however. It is a simple base: flour, warm milk, yeast, sugar, softened butter, eggs, and a bit of salt. Once everything is combined, the hard part begins: kneading. I’m not much of a dough kneader, so honestly, I use the dough hook on a stand mixer. About 6 minutes of mixing made a soft, elastic dough. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can certainly knead the dough on a lightly floured surface.
Let us Rise
Like most yeast doughs, this one requires a double rise. I let the dough rise inside my oven, heated to warm and then turned off, for two hours. My house is pretty cold in any season outside of summer, so using the oven as my “warm place” is a necessity. The goal is to get the dough to double. In my case, this first rise took about two hours.
Fill ‘Er Up
Near the end of my first rise, I begin preparing the filling. Granny Smith apples are my go to baking apple. They are tart and firm and combine well with sugar and spices. Chop up the apples and set them aside. Next, mix up the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and cardamom. Cardamom is a great fall/winter spice but it is EXPENSIVE. You can leave it out and the rolls will still be great.
Time for the Apples and Cinnamon of Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Once the dough is ready, roll it out into a rectangle. Spread it with softened – NOT melted – butter. Sprinkle the sugar and spice mix evenly over the surface, from one end to the other. The chopped apples go on last.
Stuffing Falling Out? Good Enough!
Now comes the tricky part, rolling it all up. The dough is relatively thin. The filling is relatively thick. You do not want to tear your dough. So, basically, just go really slowly and expect some things to spill out of the side. Start rolling from short end to short end. When you are done, measure out the cuts to make 12 rolls. I lightly scored the top of the dough before slicing through. Make sure you are using a very sharp knife, and cut your twelve cinnamon buns. Lay them in a greased 9×13 pan, cover with a clean dish towel, and let them rise for about an hour.
To Frost or Not to Frost, That is the Question
Can you frost these rolls? Sure. Do you need to? No and I thought didn’t frost mine – until I looked at the photos. I assume this is some cream cheese frosting, or confectioners sugar with heavy cream and vanilla. Once I figure it out, I will add it to the recipe. The delicious apple and cinnamon filling is more than enough on its own, though.
Warm Apple Cinnamon Rolls Only
Make sure you store these in an airtight container in the fridge. Most of all, make sure you heat them briefly in the microwave before eating. A warm, gooey apple cinnamon roll is the best kind of cinnamon roll!
If you enjoyed this apple cinnamon roll deliciousness and could consider offering a small donation ($3!), it would be greatly appreciated: https://ko-fi.com/goodenoughkitchen
Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 4 1/3 cups flour
- 1 cup warm milk about 95 degrees
- 1 pkg active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tbsp butter room temp
- 2 eggs room temp
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- small amount of neutral oil for greasing the bowl vegetable, canola
Apple Cinnamon Filling
- 2 cups chopped apples Granny Smith are recommended
- 6 tbsp butter room temp
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp cardamom optional
Instructions
Dough
- Keep the wet and dry ingredients apart until you are ready to start mixing/kneading.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the flour yeast, salt, and sugar.
- Heat the milk to about 95 degrees. Be careful about overheating the milk. Hot liquids will kill yeast.
- Add the warm milk, softened butter, and eggs to the dry ingredient.
- Mix with the dough hook on low until a soft, smooth dough forms. It should bounce back when lightly pressed with a finger. This took me about 7 minutes. If you don't have the stand mixer, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is soft and smooth.
- Lightly grease a large bowl.
- Transfer the dough to the bowl and roll it to give it all a light oil coating.
- Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel and put it in a warm place. I heat my oven to about 100 degrees then turn it off. I put in the bowl with the door propped open with a wooden spoon.
- Let the dough rise until double, about two hours.
Apple Cinnamon Filling
- As you come to the end of the rise time, prepare your filling.
- Peel and chop the apples.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and cardamom.
Assembling the Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- Lightly grease a 9×13 pan. I spray mine with nonstick cooking spray.
- Turn out the dough onto a light floured surface.
- Put some flour on a rolling pin and roll the dough out to a rectangle about 12×18.
- Spread the softened butter over the surface of the dough.
- Sprinkle the sugar and spices over the butter.
- Sprinkle the apples evenly over the surface of the sugar and spice mix.
- It is a bit difficult to roll this dough, so work slowly. Be careful not to tear the dough. That may require rearranging some apples.
- Roll from the short end to the short end. Some apples may fall out, but that is OK.
- When you have finished rolling the dough, measure out the cuts necessary for 12 evenly sized rolls. Score the surface where you will cut.
- Using a very sharp knife, slice the dough where you marked it.
- Lay each roll in the pan, touching.
- When you are done filling the pan, cover it with a clean dish towel and let it rise for another hour.
- As you approach the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 375.
- When the dough has risen again, bake for 20-25 minutes until deep golden brown.
- These rolls are best when served warm. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge and pop them in the microwave for a few seconds before serving. You can also reheat them in the oven.
