Apple Cinnamon Rolls

5 from 2 votes

There's nothing quite like Apple Cinnamon Rolls to satisfy your sweet tooth. With this easy-to-make recipe using brioche dough, apples, and cream cheese icing, you'll be able to whip up your own mouthwatering apple pie cinnamon rolls at home in no time.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Waiting Time14

Total Time15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 461kcal

Author: Katalin Nagy

Equipment

Ingredients

Cinnamon roll dough

240 g Whole milk lukewarm
60 g Granulated sugar
25 g Fresh Yeast check my yeast guide to convert it to dry yeast
3 Eggs room temperature
500 g Bread flour high protein content flour
½ teaspoon Salt
170 g Unsalted butter room temperature, 82% fat content

Apple cinnamon filling

660 g Apple measure it after peeled, cut into small identical pieces
100 g Brown sugar can be 50% granulated sugar and 50% brown sugar or granulated sugar only
55 g Unsalted butter
2 teaspoon Cinnamon or a mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg

Cream cheese icing

226 g Cream cheese high fat, use is cold
60 g Powdered sugar sifted

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

First day - first proofing of the dough

Start with mixing half of the sugar with the lukewarm milk then sprinkle yeast on top. Make sure that the kitchen is nice and warm, and in 10 minutes, the yeast should start to foam.
Place the yeast mixture into your stand mixer with the kneading hook on, then mix it together with the room-temperature eggs.
Pour in dry ingredients: bread flour, rest of the sugar, and salt, and start kneading it until the dough comes together. This will take about a minute or two.
Then, slowly add the room-temperature (soft) butter chunks by piece to the dough. Once all the butter is in, knead the dough for another 10 minutes on medium-high speed until it becomes elastic and shiny and not sticky any longer.
Move the dough into a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest and rise in the fridge overnight for 12 hours. Alternatively, rise the dough for 1-2 hours at room temperature in a warm but not hot (avoid direct heat) spot in your kitchen.

Second day

Make the Apple Cinnamon filling

Peel and cut apples into identical pieces, then, with the rest of the ingredients, cook it for about 10 minutes until the apples slightly soften and the mixture thickens.
Let the filling completely cool before using it to fill the cinnamon rolls.

Second proofing

Try to work quickly, and have everything you need - rolling pin, measuring tape, apple pie filling, a baking pan of 23x33cm / 9x13 inches with parchment paper prepared upfront. If the dough is warming up, pop it in and out of the freezer for a few minutes to chill between the steps, making sure the dough is always cold enough to work with and does not tear or stick. Refrain from using an excessive amount of flour, as that would make the cinnamon rolls hard.
So, after the dough has risen overnight, take it out from the fridge and punch the air out of it. Then, on a lightly floured surface or on a silicone baking mat, roll it into a rectangle of 30x60 cm / 12x24 inches.
Spread apple cinnamon filling on top and roll the dough up evenly and tightly from the shorter end, and then press to seal the end onto the roll. So you will end up with a 30cm / 12 inches roll.
Cut the sausage-shaped dough into 12. Make sure the dough is nice and chilled during the process, and pop it back into the freezer for a few minutes, if necessary, between the steps.
Place the rolls into the pan by leaving some space in for the dough to rise.
Cover the tray with a kitchen towel and proof the cinnamon rolls the second time now at room-temperature. Proofing might take 1-2 hours, depending on your kitchen temperature. Wait until the dough doubles in size.

Baking

Pre-heat your oven to 190C / 375F (no fan) while the apple cinnamon rolls are proofing. Then, once the rolls are doubled in size, bake them at 190C / 375F for about 40 minutes. Bake until a skewer inserted comes out clean and the rolls are golden brown. If they were browning too much, place aluminum foil on top towards the end of the baking time.

Cream cheese icing

Make the cream cheese icing by creaming cream cheese and powdered sugar for 2-3 minutes.
Let the apple cinnamon rolls come to room temp, then apply the icing on top.
Serve the cinnamon rolls fresh. Any leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature (without the icing). Store refrigerated if the icing is already on the top.

Video

Notes

INGREDIENT NOTES

Always use unsalted butter in baking, in this recipe, the butter needs to be at room temperature so soft enough to be able to knead into the dough.
Fresh or dried yeast can be used. My instant dried yeast pack says that 25g fresh yeast equals 7 g dried. Please check your local brand and calculate your yeast needs accordingly.
Use the milk and egg at room temperature for the ingredients to properly emulsify.
Since cinnamon roll is effectively a sweet bread, use high protein content bread flour to make it.

TECHNIQUE NOTES

For activating the yeast (whether it is dried or fresh), make sure that the milk is lukewarm and your kitchen is also nice and warm.
You will knead the dough for about 10 minutes in a stand mixer. The dough is ready when it is shiny, elastic and does not stick to your fingers any longer. Do not add more flour to the dough. If it sticks too much, continue kneading. Having said that, each flour is different, and I cannot guarantee the quality of your flour, so if the dough is still sticky after 10-15 minutes of kneading, you might need to add a tiny bit more flour.
The kneading process is most convenient with a stand mixer. I do not recommend using a handheld mixer as you can easily burn that machine down with this quantity. I must say that my Mom has been making yeasted dough with her hands for decades, so if you are strong enough like my Mom, it is not impossible. However, you will need strong hands and a proper hand-kneading technique, and it will take a minimum of 30 minutes.
Overnight proofing is recommended for the best results. It is much easier to handle (roll, shape) a dough that is risen in a chilled environment. However, if you want apple cinnamon rolls the same day, you can try to make the first rise at room temperature and continue from there as per my recipe.
While cooking the filling pay attention not to overcook the apple. Also, make sure the mixture is thick enough to be able to spread it on your dough.
The filling must be chilled before use. A warm filling would melt the dough immediately.
During the rolling, filling, and shaping process try to work with a chilled dough that does not stick or tear.
Second proofing is necessary for the perfect rise = fluffy texture, do not skip it.

Nutrition