Overnight Chai Cinnamon Rolls

 

 

Overnight Chai Cinnamon Rolls 

Things you need…

Sweet Yeast Dough
1 pckg dry instant yeast
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg, room temp
1/4 cup butter, room temp
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

Chai Filling
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp vanilla

Cream Cheese Frosting
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 package cream cheese, softened
3 cups icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla

How to make…
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook add your yeast and a couple tsp of the sugar. Pour the warmed milks over the yeast and sugar and lightly whisk to combine. Allow your yeast to sit in the warm milk like this for 5-10 minutes to proof. When you come back to your yeast after 5-10 minutes it should be frothy – this indicates that your yeast is active and good to go. If you come back and your yeast hasn’t gotten frothy or foamed up, discard the contents in your bowl and start over with new fresh packages of yeast and proof again using the same technique.

Once you have proofed your yeast, add the remaining sugar to the mixture as well as the softened butter and turn your mixer onto low to begin combining the ingredients. Mix for a minute or so until the softened butter is broken up into chunks. Add your beaten egg and allow to mix until combined.

Whisk together flour, spices and salt. Slowly begin to add your flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time allow the flour to incorporate slightly before each addition.

Once you have added all of your flour, turn your mixer onto medium speed and allow it to mix the dough until a large smooth mass forms. The dough should be soft and a bit sticky, but not so wet that it is sticking to the sides of the bowl. If you find that your dough is sticking to the sides of your bowl, add a bit more flour 1 tbsp at a time until it comes away from the sides of the bowl. Allow to turn on medium speed for 5 minutes.

Remove dough from bowl – it should be smooth and elastic. Knead with your hands for an additional 2 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Next, place your dough into a large greased bowl, lightly grease the top of your dough and cover with a dry tea towel. Set your dough aside to rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 – 2 hours or until doubled in size.

** My oven has a warming function, so I usually set the warming function to low and let my dough sit in here to rise. If your oven has this feature, this is a great way to let your dough rise. If not, simply preheat your oven to about 200 degrees, shut it off and place the dough in there to rise as there will be enough residual heat in your oven to keep it nice a warm.

Brown Sugar Filling
In a small mixing bowl beat together butter, brown sugar, spices and vanilla until fluffy. Add flour and beat until combined.

Assembly
Once your cinnamon bun dough has risen, punch dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out into a rectangle that is 1/4 inch thick.

Spread brown sugar filling out across the dough, leaving a 1 inch border at the bottom. 

Roll dough up jelly-roll style and pinch the end together to seal. Cut into 12 even 1 inch rolls. Place rolls into a baking pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator to chill overnight.

The next morning, remove the cinnamon rolls from the fridge and set in a warm place to rise again for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until they have returned to room temperature and are puffed up to double the size they were when you first set them in the pan.

While your rolls are rising, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Once your rolls have risen, sprinkle the tops with granulated sugar and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5-10 minutes before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

While your cinnamon buns are baking, whip up your cream cheese frosting.

In a medium bowl, beat together butter and cream cheese using an electric mixer until completely smooth and there are no lumps. Add in icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating until combined before each addition. Once all of your icing sugar is mixed in, add in vanilla and turn the mixer onto high and beat for 3-4 minutes until pale and fluffy. Set aside until your cinnamon buns are ready to be frosted.

Spread a generous helping on top of each cinnamon bun, serve warm, and enjoy!