Espresso Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze

With these Espresso Cinnamon Rolls, you can definitely have your coffee, and eat it too! Espresso, cinnamon and brown sugar come together to form a warm, spicy filling which is then wrapped around my favourite sweet, fluffy dough. The tangy, vanilla-speckled cream cheese glaze brings it all together to form the most comforting breakfast dessert ever.

Notes:

*This recipe makes about 10-12 cinnamon rolls.

*Espresso can be replaced with instant coffee.

*The milk should be luke-warm, not hot. Otherwise you might kill the yeast.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

1. 85g luke-warm milk
2. 5g active dry yeast
3. 285g flour
4. 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
5. 25g granulated sugar
6. 80g unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
7. 2 large eggs, at room temperature
8. 1 tablespoon ground espresso powder

For the filling:

1. 20g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2. 75g light brown sugar
3. 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
4. 1 tablespoon ground espresso powder

For the icing:

1. 70g powdered sugar
2. 37g cream cheese
3. 1-2 tablespoons milk
4. 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

1. In a small bowl, add the warm milk, yeast and 1 tablespoon out of the 25 g of granulated sugar needed for the dough. Mix until combined at set aside.
2. In a large bowl, add the flour, espresso, the rest of the granulated sugar and salt. Using a stand or electric mixer with a bread-dough hook, running on low, slowly add in the yeast mixture. Next add in the eggs one at a time and mix until well incorporated.
3. Add in the butter, one cube at a time. Wait for each cube to get incorporated before adding in the next.
4.  Turn up the speed to medium-high and let the dough knead for about 10 minutes.
5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rest in a warm spot until doubled in size. Then place in the fridge overnight.
6. The next day, before you take out the dough from the fridge, prepare your filling. Add the cinnamon, espresso and brown sugar to a bowl and whisk to remove any lumps.
7. Next, take out your dough and place on a lightly floured surface. The colder the dough, the easier it will be to roll out.
8. Roll the dough into a 1.2″ thick rough rectangular shape. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but should be almost twice as long as it is wide.
9. Next spread the room temperate butter on to the rolled out dough, leaving a small border from all sides. Coat the butter with the cinnamon-espresso sugar, making sure you cover the entire surface well.
10. Using the the long edge of the rectangle away from you, start rolling towards you to form a tight log.
11. Using a sharp knife, cut into 1 1/2″ thick rounds and place onto a baking tray leaving an inch of a space between each of them.
12. Lightly cover with a kitchen towel and allow to proof for another 2 hours in a warm space.
13. When ready to bake, place the baking tray in an oven pre-heated at 180°C. Bake for 23-27 minutes or until golden brown.
14. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. In a bowl, add in the powdered sugar, vanilla and a tablespoon of the milk. Mix to combine until you have a very thick glaze (you may need more of the milk). Next, add in the cream cheese and whisk well to combine.
15. Let the cinnamon rolls cool for 10 minutes before glazing.