In the bowl of a stand mixer add the warm milk then sprinkle the yeast over the surface. Whisk to break up any clumps. Allow to bloom (sit unperturbed) for 10 minutes or until bubbly.
Add the remaining ingredients for the dough to the bowl. All at once! Just dump it in there!
Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and mix until incorporated and no lumps remain.
Switch to the dough hook. Mix on medium for 3-4 minutes. The dough will not pull away from the sides of the bowl or climb the hook. It is a wet dough and this is not in its nature. That is OK!
Turn out into a bowl sprayed with cooking spray, cover with plastic wrap and bulk proof in a warm spot for 30-45 minutes. My oven has a proof setting that I use at 85°F. When it has doubled it is done!
Make the Filling:
While the dough proofs, make the filling. In a bowl, mix together butter, sugar and cinnamon. Mix until a paste forms. Set aside.
Assemble:
Cover your counter generously with flour and turn out your dough onto the counter. A bowl scraper or rubber spatula helps here because the dough is sticky. Sprinkle a generous amount of flour on top of the dough and flour a rolling pin.
Roll the dough out into a rectangle 12 inches long by 10 inches high. (Try to keep those sharp corners! It’s harder than it looks but it’s good to have goals, right?)
Once you have your rectangle, spread your filling with an offset spatula. Sometimes it is necessary to let your fingers join the party to help spread/hold the dough. I purposefully keep a border on the top and the bottom edge.
Starting at the bottom edge (12 inches across) start to roll away from you. Seal the top edge.
Cut approximately 2 ½ inch pieces with a knife (or your bench scraper). This makes 8 rolls.
Spray a 9 “ x 11” baking dish with cooking spray and then place the cinnamon rolls about 2 inches apart. I offset them so I have a row with 2 and then one in the center followed by another row of 2 and so on. This gives them space to proof and grow without crowding.
Cover with plastic wrap and place back in your warm spot to proof an additional 20-40 minutes. I proof 20 and then remove the dish to another spot and preheat my oven to 350°F convection.
Right before baking remove the plastic wrap and pour the heavy cream over the tops of the rolls.
Bake 350°F for approximately 15-20 minutes. Mine baked 18. They will be golden brown around the edges and a bit on top and the centers will no longer look or feel doughy.
Allow to cool before icing.
Make the Icing:
Whisk all the ingredients for the icing together. I kept mine a bit thicker so that I could spread it on the cinnamon rolls still warm from the oven. A little bit of heaven on earth to be sure!
Video
Notes
Yield: 8 Cinnamon RollsYeast Substitutions: You can omit the yeast but make sure your starter is fed and fully risen. It will take longer to rise. I suggest letting it final proof over night. Instant Yeast: 3/4 t (you can add this directly to the dough and can skip the first step of blooming.) Fresh Yeast: 8 g (I don’t have a volume measurement on this, but, honestly, fresh yeast is pretty hard to come by outside of restaurants.)A note about the flour: My original recipe called for 207g All Purpose Flour; however, I have increased it to 257 g to make it easier for bakers of all levels to work with. This adds an additional 1/2 cup to the original recipe. This makes a dough more akin to The Best Cinnamon Rolls recipe. The original recipe will produce a lighter cinnamon roll if you dare to try! Refrigerating or "retarding" the dough during the final proof will also make the dough easier to handle.