Fred’s Double-Cinnamon Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls are great. But double-cinnamon cinnamon rolls? Shut the front door. I work with Fred Rogers of Camping With The Rogers fame who, when he’s not braving the wilderness outdoors or wrangling wires with his technical savvy indoors, is making delicious things like double-cinnamon cinnamon rolls. There’s cinnamon in the fillling and the dough. It’s hardcore cinnamony. Cinnamon level 11. That’s cinnamon to the max.  

Fred recommends doing everything except for the baking the night before so that the rolls can be popped into the oven first thing in the morning. And what a way to wake up - the smell of cinnamon will rouse even the most ardent of sleeper-inners. (As a chronic sleeper-inner, I can vouch for this.) 

This recipe yields about 10 cinnamon rolls when sliced conservatively, or 5 thick rolls when sliced greedily. 

For the dough:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 1/2 unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 1/4 tsp rapid-rise yeast (1 packet)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• vegetable oil

For the filling:

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

For the frosting:

• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Begin by warming the milk and butter in a microwave or on a stovetop over very low heat until the butter melts into the milk. In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add the yeast to the warm milk/butter mixture and pour it into your dry ingredients. Add the egg and mix until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball. (You may have to add more flour.)

Lightly grease a glass bowl with the vegetable oil and place your dough ball in it. Cover with a kitchen towel and place in an oven - with no heat - for 2 hours. (You’ll want to keep the dough in a warm place with no draft. Other reasonable options: a padded cell, a very deep cave, a safety deposit box.) 

Once the dough doubles in size, punch down and roll out on a floured surface to form a 11x15 inch rectangle. Cover the dough evenly with tiny rounds of butter, then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon on top. 

Starting from the long end, roll the dough to form a log. Then cut your slices - I made mine about 2 inches thick. Lay the slices filling side down in a glass or nonstick baking dish that’s been lightly greased with butter. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and place in an oven - again, no heat - for 1 hour.

After the rolls rise again, you’re ready to bake. You can stick the lot in the fridge at this point, or get right down to it and bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until the tops lightly brown. 

When done, invert onto a rack to cool. 

For the frosting, put all the ingredients in a bowl and beat it. Just beat it. No one wants to be defeated. Showing how funky strong is your fight, it doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right. Just beat it. 

Then eat it.