Coffee Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

Ingredient notes & substitutions

Instant espresso powder:

Not the same as ground coffee, which will not dissolve and leaves grit. Instant espresso powder is designed to dissolve completely.

Active dry yeast:

Check the date. Bloomed yeast must go properly foamy — bubbly is not the same as foamy, and dead yeast means dough that never rises.

Whole milk:

The fat gives a softer crumb. Warm it to about 110°F: warm on the wrist, not hot.

Dark brown sugar:

More molasses than light brown, which is what makes the caramel taste like caramel rather than sweet butter.

Honey:

In the caramel base it keeps the sugar from crystallising, so the bottoms stay sticky instead of setting hard.

Cream cheese:

Used cold, straight from the fridge, beaten into already-softened butter. Softened cream cheese makes a loose frosting that runs off.

Method

1. 1

   Stir the yeast and the teaspoon of sugar into the warmed milk and leave 10 minutes until visibly foamy on top. If it only goes slightly bubbly and does not smell yeasty, the yeast is dead — start again, or the dough will never rise.

2. 2

   In a stand mixer bowl, whisk the flour, salt and brown sugar together. Separately, stir the espresso powder into the vanilla until dissolved — dissolving it in liquid first stops it speckling the dough.

3. 3

   Add the whisked eggs, softened butter and the vanilla-espresso mixture to the dry ingredients, then pour in the yeast mixture and mix until it comes together.

4. 4

   Switch to the dough hook and knead on medium 7-10 minutes, until the dough pulls away from the sides, forms a ball and springs back when you press it.

   
5. 5

   Shape into a ball, put it in a large greased bowl, cover, and leave somewhere warm 1 to 1 1/2 hours until doubled. A turned-off oven with just the light on works well.

6. 6

   While it rises, make the caramel base: dissolve the espresso powder in the vanilla, then beat it with the butter, brown sugar, honey, cream, cinnamon and salt. Spread it across the bottom of a greased 9x13 dish.

7. 7

   Make the filling the same way — espresso dissolved in vanilla, then beaten with the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.

8. 8

   Punch the risen dough down and roll it on a lightly floured surface into an 18x12 inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Spread the filling right to the edges with an offset spatula.

9. 9

   Roll up tightly from the long edge into a log. Trim the uneven ends, then cut 12 rolls about 1 1/2 inches wide. Use unflavoured dental floss — slide it under, cross the ends over the top and pull. A knife squashes the spiral flat.

10. 10

    Set the rolls into the caramel-lined dish and pour the room-temperature cream into the gaps between them. Cover and prove about 1 hour until doubled and touching.

    
11. 11

    Heat the oven to 350°F and bake 29-34 minutes until golden. Tent with foil for the last 5 minutes if the tops are browning faster than the centres are cooking.

12. 12

    While they bake, beat the soft butter until pale, beat in the cold cream cheese, sift in the powdered sugar, then add the espresso dissolved in vanilla.

    
13. 13

    Cool 10 minutes, then spread the frosting over the rolls while still warm so it melts partway down the sides. Serve.

    

Variations to try

• Mocha: 2 tablespoons cocoa powder in the filling and a handful of chocolate chips before rolling.
• Pecan: 1 cup toasted chopped pecans scattered over the caramel base before the rolls go in.
• Cardamom: 1 teaspoon ground cardamom in the filling alongside the cinnamon.
• Maple: maple syrup in place of the honey in the caramel.
• Decaf: decaffeinated instant espresso works identically if these are for the evening.

Storage & make-ahead

Best on the day they are baked, while the caramel is still soft. Keep covered at room temperature up to 2 days, or refrigerated up to 4 — bring back to room temperature and warm 10-15 seconds in the microwave, which loosens the caramel again. Freeze baked and unfrosted up to 2 months, wrapped tightly; thaw, warm through and frost. To bake in the morning, shape the rolls into the caramel-lined dish, cover and refrigerate overnight, then pour in the cream and prove somewhere warm until doubled — expect this to take well over an hour from cold.

Frequently asked questions

Can I prepare these the night before?

Yes. Build them right up to the second prove, cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning pour the cream between them and prove somewhere warm until doubled. It takes considerably longer than an hour because the dough has to come up to room temperature first.

Why did my dough not rise?

Almost always dead yeast — if it did not go properly foamy when bloomed, it was gone before you started. Failing that, the spot was too cool, or the milk was hot enough to kill it. Some doughs simply need 1 1/2 hours.

Can I use ground coffee instead of espresso powder?

No. Ground coffee does not dissolve and leaves grit throughout the dough and frosting. Instant espresso powder, or instant coffee granules at a push.

Why pour cream between the rolls?

It bakes into the caramel at the base and keeps the bottoms soft and gooey. Skip it and they are noticeably drier underneath.

How do I know when they are done?

Deep golden on top and 190°F in the centre of a middle roll if you have a thermometer. The middle rolls finish last, so judge by those rather than the edges.

Can I halve the recipe?

Yes — halve everything and use an 8x8 dish for 6 rolls. Timings stay roughly the same, though check 5 minutes early.