Oh boy, currently I just can’t get enough of comfort food. Especially frothy drinks and sweets to satisfy my winter sugar cravings are on a daily repeat. But, of course, I still like to keep it fairly „healthy“ and make sure my treats are flavour-packed. This is why I decided to pack these sticky cinnamon rolls with an extra comfort-factor and add some chai spices to the mix. And, believe me, they don’t only look good and smell heavenly, they taste absolutely amazing. Fluffy, soft, and just the right amount of cinnamon, cardamom and ginger.
Without further ado, here’s some details about these heavenly rolls. First of all, as any baked goods that make use of yeast, you need to factor in some time when making them. So, be sure to read the recipe details before you go on making these. For I’ve been way too often stuck in the kitchen after-hours, waiting for my dough to be finished rising. Not ideal… to say the least… If you’re in a hurry, or don’t have all fresh spices for the Chai Infused milk at hand, you can easily use some Chai teabags and safe an extra 15mins for steeping the spices in the milk. Apart from that you’ll need a bit more than 2 hours for the rolls to be baked up. It sounds like a lot, but maybe you can take the time to slow down a bit, meditate or do a little yoga practice while the dough is rising.
Once you’ve made the dough and waited for it to rise it’s time to assemble your rolls. Simply roll out the dough on a clean surface, or if you’re like me and often don’t have a rolling pin at hand, just push the dough into the right dimensions. Now it’s time to make the filling. Spread your super soft butter (and yes, it is important that the butter is not only soft, but SUPER soft) evenly over the dough, sprinkle with the coconut sugar and the spices. Roll into a tight log and cut into 12 rolls. There’s people out there who cut their rolls using dental floss and swear by it. I’m not really into that and would always rather use my sharp kitchen knife for jobs like these. As it’s both more aligned with my minimalist kitchen approach as well as with my zero-waste thought. Whichever method you prefer, once cut place them in a buttered baking dish (no need to use baking paper – zero-waste again!), pop in your pre-heated oven and wait for the buttery scents of cinnamon, ginger and cardamom to fill the room.
The cream cheese frosting is totally optional here. And, I know, it’s hard to source without creating some plastic trash. If you’re lucky you find some at the deli that you can bring home in your own container. But it is, well, like the icing on the cake – haha 😉 Softened cream cheese whipped up until fluffy and sweetened with rich maple sirup. Mmmmmhhh… yum!
So far so good. Here it goes: my first recipe shared with you in 2019! And, I promise, there’s lots more to come. If you’re keen to find out more – sign up to my newsletter here and you’ll get every recipe delivered straight to your inbox.
Lots of love,
Anna
P.s.: Of course, I didn’t invent the recipe from scratch. Cinnamon Rolls have been around for ages (I guess). I adapted the basic recipe using Tieghan Gerard’s recipe for her Easiest Overnight Eggnog Brioche Rolls which you can find on her fantastic blog Half Baked Harvest.
P.p.s.: If you happen to make this recipe, please make my day and leave a comment below! Or tag me in your creation on Instagram #themellowkitchn
Chai Infused Cinnamon Rolls
Fluffy, moist and full of flavour! These Chai Infused Cinnamon Rolls are the perfect Sunday afternoon treat. Scents of cinnamon, ginger and cardamom fill the room when you’re baking up this deliciousness. Sweetened with maple sirup and coconut sugar only! Facebook0TwitterPinterest0email
- Prep Time: 2h
- Cook Time: 30m
- Total Time: 2h 30m
- Serves: 8
- Yield: 12 buns
- Category: all recipes, baking, breakfast, sweets
Ingredients
To make the Chai Infused Milk
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 slices fresh ginger or 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 5 cardamom capsules, broken up
- 5 cloves
- 1 star anis
- 3 black pepper corns
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 1 earl grey or other quality black tea bag
For the dough
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 3 2/3 cups light spelt flour or all-purpose flour + more for dusting
- 1 tablespoon instant dry yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons maple sirup
- 3 large eggs
For the filling
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened at room temperature
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
For the frosting
- 6 ounces creme cheese, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup maple sirup or more if you like it sweeter
Instructions
To make the Chai Infused Milk
- Combine all spices together with the milk in a small sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and let steep for 20mins over low heat. Remove from heat, add teabag and let steep for another 3-4 minutes.
- Alternatively, if you don't have all the spices at hand, you can use 2 chai teabags instead of the black tea and steep for 5 minutes in the before heated milk.
To make the dough
- Add the butter to the previously prepared Chai Infused milk and wait until entirely melted. If necessary heat up again.
- Combine flour, yeast and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk eggs and maple sirup into the lukewarm milk and add to the flour mixture. Using the dough hook, mix until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 4-5 minutes. If the dough seems too sticky to work with, add 1 tablespoon flour at a time until the dough is ready to handle. Don’t add too much flour though, a stickier dough is better than a dry one. Form dough into a ball, lightly dust the bowl with flour and put the dough back into the bowl.
- Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and place the bowl at a warm spot in your kitchen. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
To make the rolls
- Clean your work surface or use a big wooden board. Lightly dust with flour and turn out the dough. Roll or push it into a rectangle about 10x16 inches, with the longest edge closest to you.
- Make sure your butter is very soft, so you can easily spread it onto the dough. Alternatively you can melt it halfway in a small pan and whisk the melted parts into the solid parts. Spread the softened butter evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the sugar onto the butter, dust with cinnamon, cardamom and ginger.
- Starting with the longest edge near you, roll the dough into a fairly tight log. Using a sharp cut the log into 12 rolls. Lightly butter a baking dish and place the rolls into it with about 1 inch apart.
- Cover once more with the kitchen towel and let rise for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and done.
To make the frosting (optional)
- Whisk creme cheese on medium high until it becomes light and fluffy. Slowly add maple sirup and whisk until incorporated.
- Spread over the baked rolls once they have cooled. Enjoy!
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