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For the past few years, I’ve been on a noble quest to find and make the best cinnamon roll recipe. I’ve been testing and tweaking my method to find the softest bread, but recently I realized I was starting in the wrong place. The problem isn’t the bread, it’s the filling. With traditional cinnamon roll recipes, the filling leaks out before baking. To make better rolls, you need to create a thicker cinnamon filling that won’t leak out of the bun. For this, you just need to add starch.
Butter is no good.
My gold standard cinnamon roll is Cinnabon, but I don’t care who knows that. Because they are soft and very sweet, they pose a moderate risk of raising blood sugar levels. But it’s worth it. I’m not trying to make a bread imitation at home, but I am trying to recreate the inner goo of a Cinnabon, which is thick and takes up space in the swirl. Although this cannot be achieved with standard home recipes with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, it is still the most common suggestion.
This three-ingredient cinnamon roll filling looks delicious at first glance, but when it hits the heat of the oven, it all melts away, leaving behind a cinnamon stain. What happens if you adjust the ratio and add more butter? Everything melts again, but this time the rolls are fried in butter and the sugar is burning on the bottom. This combination will never work because the butter will always melt before the bread is toasted. This is where starch comes into play.
Starch stabilizes the filling
For the mucus to remain, it needs a substance that does not melt at high temperatures and can retain a significant amount of cinnamon and sugar suspended within it. The answer is starch. Its gelatinizing power is used to thicken and bind ingredients during cooking and baking. The only tricky part: Most starches thicken when heated, but cinnamon rolls are inverted, so you don’t risk running out of filling while the dough rises. Use instant clear gel here.
instant clear gel A modified cornstarch commonly used in pie fillings and canning preservatives. You may not be familiar with it, but you’ve probably eaten it before. Like other cooking starches, it is tasteless and almost transparent, but it thickens quickly on contact with moisture and does not require heat. (Do not confuse with “clear gel cook type”. do This clever starch allows you to decide exactly how thick or thin you want your cinnamon filling to be before you roll it into a roll. I bought a bag of Instant Clear Gel on Amazon, but you can find it on other of his websites, at any canning or preserving store, or even at your local grocery store.
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How to make the most delicious cinnamon roll filling
Credit: Aly Chanthong Lineman
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and instant clear gel. Use a rubber spatula or whisk to combine the ingredients, making sure there are no hidden pockets of instant clear gel in the bowl. Like regular cornstarch, Instant Clear Gel is a fine powder, and if not dispersed with other granules or a whisk, it may clump when activated due to its powder component. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water and stir with a rubber spatula. The mixture should be thick but spreadable. If it’s too thick, add a few drops of water to adjust.
You can see that there is no butter anywhere in this filling. The filling has a strong flavor on its own, and the bread used for cinnamon rolls has plenty of butter, which is essential. However, if a butterless filling is not suitable, you can mix a few tablespoons of melted butter into the cinnamon mixture after adding the water.
This cinnamon roll filling can be used in any of your favorite roll recipes. If you’re already confident in brioche rolls, stick with it and take it to the next level with this filling. I’m still working on my own ultimate cinnamon roll recipe, but in the meantime, this is pretty tasty. The filling is phenomenal and leftovers reheat well in the microwave. Just give it a zap for 5-10 seconds.
Gooey cinnamon roll recipe
material
for roll
3/4 cup milk, lukewarm water
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
3 eggs
4 cups flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons butter (room temperature)
for stuffing
for icing
4 tablespoons butter, very soft
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk or water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Combine milk, sugar, and yeast in a mixing bowl. Let stand for 1 minute, then stir gently. Add eggs, flour and salt. Using the dough hook attachment, mix the dough for 3 minutes on speed 2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a flexible bowl scraper. Mix again for another 3 minutes.
2. Set the mixer speed to 3 and begin adding the butter, tablespoons at a time, making sure the butter is fully incorporated before adding the next nub. Scrape the bowl and mix again on speed 3 for 12 minutes. The dough should be smooth and shiny. It should be soft but not too sticky. If the dough is “pooling” at the bottom of the mixing bowl, add 1 tablespoon of flour and mix until absorbed. Most of the dough will separate from the bowl, but it’s okay if it sticks to the bowl a little.
3. Remove the dough and shape it into a ball on a lightly floured surface. Grease a deep bowl with butter and add the dough balls. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size. This may take approximately 2 hours.
4. Meanwhile, make the filling. In a small bowl, add brown sugar, instant clear jelly, salt, and cinnamon. Mix the ingredients thoroughly with a rubber spatula. Add water and stir. The stuffing should be thick, but stretchable. If it’s too thick, add a few drops of water.
5. Grease a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with butter. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, fold the dough in half and punch out the dough. Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 1/3 the thickness. Measures approximately 24 x 12 inches. Spread the filling across the surface, leaving a quarter-inch border at the farthest long edge. Start at the long end closest to you and roll it up.
6. Use floss for cutting rolls Divide evenly to make 12 to 14 rolls. Swirl upright in a buttered baking dish and let rise for another hour, or until noticeably puffy.
7. About 15 minutes before the rolls are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool for at least 20 minutes.
8. Whisk together the softened butter, salt, and powdered sugar. It will become dry and thick. Add vanilla extract and milk or water. Whisk until smooth. Serve with icing on slightly warm cinnamon buns.