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5 from 11 votes

Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Apple Cinnamon Rolls - rich cinnamon rolls with brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped apples! Perfect Fall breakfast treat!
Prep Time2 hours
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time2 hours 35 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: breakfast
Servings: 12 rolls
Calories: 472kcal

Ingredients

For the cinnamon roll dough:

  • 1 cup warm whole milk 105-110F, divided
  • 1 package active dry yeast
  • 1/3 cup (76 grams) unsalted butter melted
  • 1/3 cup (67 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 large egg
  • 4 cups (500 grams) all purpose flour divided
  • 1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt

Cinnamon Roll Filling

  • 3/4 cup (165 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (8 grams) ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (141 grams) unsalted butter softened
  • 2 medium sized apples chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 large egg lightly beaten

For The Apple Cider Glaze

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons apple cider
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

To Make The Cinnamon Roll Dough

  • In a medium bowl, combine ¾ cup (180 grams) warm milk and yeast. Let stand until mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together melted butter, sugar, sour cream, egg, and remaining ¼ cup (60 grams) milk.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together 3⅔ cups (459 grams) flour and salt. Stir half of flour mixture into butter mixture. With mixer on low speed, add yeast mixture, beating just until combined. Beat in remaining flour mixture. Switch to the dough hook attachment. Beat at medium speed until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. Add remaining ⅓ cup (42 grams) flour, if needed (dough should not be sticky).
  • Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, turning to grease top. Loosely cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

To assemble the apple cinnamon rolls:

  • Spray a 10-inch round cake pan or a 13x9-inch sheet pan with cooking spray.
  • For rolls: Lightly punch down Cinnamon Roll Dough. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and roll into an 18x12-inch rectangle.
  • In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread butter onto dough, and sprinkle with sugar mixture, leaving a ½-inch border on one long side. Top with chopped apples. Then Brush egg over side of dough without filling.
  • Starting with one long side, roll dough into a log, pinching seam to seal. Trim ends. For round cake pan, slice into 10 rolls; for sheet pan, slice into 12 rolls. Place in prepared pan. Let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°) until puffed and rolls are touching, about 30 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F. (We recommend placing a sheet of aluminum foil on top of bottom rack.)
  • Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan.

To Make The Apple Cider Glaze:

  • In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, apple cider and cinnamon. If the glaze is too thick, thin it out with a bit more apple cider. If the glaze is too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.  Spread onto warm rolls.

Notes

  • When proofing your yeast, make sure the milk temperature is between 105°F and 110°F. If the mixture is too hot, it will kill the yeast.
  • Measure your flour correctly. You can read the full tutorial on how to do that here. You also may not need to add all of the flour into the dough. So add the last 1/4 cup sparingly.
  • Use your dough hook attachment to knead the dough. And to know if you have kneaded the dough long enough you want to use the windowpane test. Take a piece of the dough and stretch it. If it doesn't break the dough and you create a windowpane of elastic dough that you can see through. You can read more about the windowpane test in my Ultimate Guide To Baking Bread At Home.
  • Make sure to rest your dough covered and in a warm draft free place.
  • When rolling out your dough, make sure to do so on a lightly floured work surface. I love using a pastry mat to roll out my dough. It has measurements on the side so that I know how big the rectangle is.
  • To cut the rolls, use string! If you use a knife it will squish the beautiful spiral. If you use string (or unflavored dental floss) it will keep the spiral. Simply place the string under the roll and criss cross the string so it slices through the dough.
  • Cinnamon roll dough from bakefromscratch.com

Nutrition

Calories: 472kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 226mg | Potassium: 159mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 520IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 2mg