This Is the Secret to Making the Best Cinnamon Roll Filling.
For the past few years I have been on a noble quest to find or create the best cinnamon roll recipe. I’ve been testing and refining my methods to find the softest bread, but I recently realized that I was starting in the wrong place: it’s not the bread that’s the problem, it’s the filling. Regular cinnamon roll recipes include the filling, which will leak out before the bun is ready. To make a better bun, you need to make a cinnamon filling that’s tastier and stickier so it won’t ooze out of the bun. To do this you just need to add starch.
Butter won’t help
My gold standard for cinnamon rolls is Cinnabon, and I don’t care who knows about it. They are mild and so sweet that they pose a moderate risk of blood sugar spikes. But they’re worth it. While I’m not trying to make a copycat bun at home, I am trying to replicate the internal goo of Cinnabon, which is thick and takes up space in the swirl. This cannot be achieved with the standard homemade recipe of butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, and yet it is the most common suggestion.
A cinnamon roll filling made with these three ingredients looks good at first, but once it hits the oven, it’s all gone, leaving behind a cinnamon stain. Adjust the ratio to add more oil and what happens? Everything melts again, but the buns are already fried in butter, and the sugar underneath is burning. This combination will never succeed because the butter will always melt before the bread is baked. This is where starch comes in handy.
Starch stabilizes the filling.
In order for the mucilage to remain, we need a substance that does not melt at high temperatures and that can hold important amounts of cinnamon and sugar in suspension. Answer: starch. Its gelatinizing ability is used to thicken and bind ingredients in cooking and baking. The only tricky part: Most starches thicken when heated, and since the cinnamon rolls stand upright, we can’t risk running out of filling while the dough is rising. This is where you can use instant clear gel.
Instant Clear Gel is a modified cornstarch commonly used in pie fillings and canned foods. While you may not be familiar with it, you’ve probably eaten it before. It is similar to other cooking starches—odorless and mostly clear—but thickens as soon as it comes into contact with moisture, no heat required. (This is not to be confused with the “clear jelly type of cooking,” which requires cooking, hence the name.) This smart starch allows you to decide exactly how thick or thin you want the cinnamon filling to be before it goes into the bun. I bought a packet of clear instant jelly from Amazon, but you can also find it on other websites, stores that support the interest in canning or preserving, and maybe even at your local grocery store.
Recommended Product:
How to Make the Delicious Cinnamon Roll Filling
Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and instant clear jelly in a small bowl. Use a rubber spatula or whisk to combine the ingredients, and make sure there are no pockets of instant clear jelly hiding in the bowl – like regular cornstarch, instant clear gel is a fine powder, and unless it is dispersed with other granular or powdered ingredients, when activated they may stick together. Add a couple tablespoons of water and stir with a rubber spatula. The mixture should be thick but spreadable. If it is too thick, adjust the consistency by adding a few drops of water at a time.
You will notice that there is no butter in this filling. I find the filling itself has a rich flavor and the bread I use for the cinnamon roll is already enriched with butter so I don’t miss it. However, if a butter-free filling isn’t your thing, you can add a couple of tablespoons of ghee to the cinnamon mixture after adding the water.
You can use this cinnamon roll filling in any bun recipe you like. If you already love the brioche roll, stick with it and use this topping to take it to the next level. I’m still working on my own cinnamon roll recipe, but for now this one is pretty tasty. The filling is phenomenal and the leftovers reheat well in the microwave; just let them charge for five to ten seconds.
Sticky Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
For roll
-
¾ cup milk, warm
-
¼ cup sugar
-
2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
-
3 eggs
-
4 cups flour
-
1 ½ teaspoons salt
-
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
For filling
-
1 cup brown sugar
-
2 tablespoons instant clear gel
-
1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
-
¼ teaspoon salt
-
3 tablespoons water
For the glaze
-
4 tablespoons butter, very soft
-
1 cup powdered sugar
-
2 teaspoons milk or water
-
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
-
¼ teaspoon salt
1. Mix milk, sugar and yeast in a bowl. Leave for a minute, then stir a little. Add eggs, flour and salt. Use the dough hook attachment and knead the dough on speed 2 for three minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a flexible scraper. Mix again for another three minutes.
2. Set the mixer to speed 3 and begin adding the butter in tablespoonful chunks, allowing the butter to combine completely before adding the next chunk. Scrape out the bowl and mix again on speed 3 for 12 minutes. The dough should be smooth and shiny. It should be soft, but not very sticky. If the dough “gathers” at the bottom of the bowl, add a tablespoon of flour and stir until it is absorbed. The dough should mostly come out of the bowl, but if a little sticks to the bowl, that’s okay.
3. Remove the dough and form it into a ball on a lightly floured countertop. Grease a deep bowl with oil and place a ball of dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise until it doubles in size. This may take about 2 hours.
4. Meanwhile, make the filling. Add brown sugar, instant clear jelly, salt and cinnamon to a small bowl. Stir with a rubber spatula to thoroughly combine ingredients. Add water and stir. The filling should be thick but spreadable. Add water a few drops at a time if it is too thick.
5. Grease a 13-by-nine-inch baking pan. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it in half to press it down. Roll out the dough into a rectangle about a third of an inch thick. It will be approximately 24 by 12 inches. Spread the filling over the entire surface, leaving a quarter-inch border at the long end furthest from you. Starting at the long end closest to you, roll it up.
6. Using a thread, cut the rolls into even pieces, you will get 12-14 rolls. Place them upside down in a greased baking dish and let them rest for another hour or until they are noticeably puffy.
7. Preheat oven to 350°F about 15 minutes before scones are ready to bake. Bake them for 25-30 minutes. Cool for at least 20 minutes.
8. Whisk together soft butter, salt and powdered sugar. It will be dry and voluminous. Add vanilla extract and milk or water. Beat until smooth. Spread the frosting over lukewarm cinnamon rolls and enjoy.