Apple Cinnamon Rolls
An easy recipe for apple cinnamon rolls bursting with apples and fall spices.
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 9x13 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 12x18.
- 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.
