Bourbon Barrel Maple Cinnamon Rolls
Brioche dough for rolls:
3/4 warm water
4 1/2 tsps yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/4 cup whole milk
6 eggs
3 tsps salt
3 tsps vanilla
10 1/2 cups flour
12 ounces butter (room temp)
Filling:
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
Generous pinch of salt
Lots of cinnamon, 3-4 tablespoons or to taste
1/2 cup of Embark Bourbon Barrel Maple Syrup per log (drizzle over cinnamon sugar before rolling up)
1-1 1/2 sticks of soft butter per rectangle you roll out (depending on size, you want a nice thick layer of butter, don’t skimp here!)
Glaze/Icing:
Powdered sugar
Embark Bourbon Barrel Maple Syrup
Pinch of salt
Optional fun things:
Add cinnamon to glaze if you would like!
Cardamom or other warm spices, orange zest, or apple chunks are all lovely options to tuck inside your rolls. Like raisins? Put ‘em in there!
Top your beautiful cinnamon rolls with bacon if you are into that sort of thing!
Caramel is a lovely addition to these…make your own and add cinnamon and drizzle that all up in there when they are done!
How to make:
Start by putting the warm water, yeast and sugar in the bowl of your mixer and let it bloom for about 5 or 10 minutes. Add the milk, salt, eggs, vanilla, and two cups of flour, and whisk it all together. Add the rest of the flour and mix it with the dough hook until it's all incorporated. Then add the butter and keep kneading with the dough hook until it's all mixed in. Turn it out onto a floured surface and continue to knead for about 10 minutes. It's a VERY wet, messy dough, but by the time you have kneaded it and incorporated a bit more flour as needed, it won't stick to the surface or you. At that point, when it's a soft, nice, smooth dough, you can either put it in the fridge for later or put it in an oiled bowl in a warm place to rise til it's doubled (make sure you cover it). After it is doubled, punch it down and divide it into 2-3 pieces, and roll them out into big flat rectangles…it doesn’t matter how big, use the space you have, but you will want it to be 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick or so, and wider than it is tall. Cover it well with softened butter and the filling, roll it up (I leave a buttery gap with no filling at the top so it sticks to itself and closes neatly, if you put the sugar up to the top it won’t) and cut it into portions. Again, you can do whatever size rolls you would like, recognizing that the bigger they are, the longer they will need to bake. Place them in pans, and let them rise again (covered so they don’t dry out) for another 30-45 minutes til they are nice and puffy, and bake at 350 for about 35-40 minutes. Don’t overbake, they are done when the internal temp reaches 190°. Let them cool a bit, and then mix up your glaze and drizzle over them.
Enjoy…and they always taste better if you share!
