Cinnamon Roll Milk Bread
Light and fluffy milk bread cinnamon rolls, made into a bread loaf!
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 24 g bread flour (3 tbsp.)
- 100 g whole milk (3 ½ oz.)
Brioche
- 90 g whole milk (3 oz.)
- 1 ½ tsp. active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 240 g bread flour (2 c.)
- 1 ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 egg room temperature
- 56 g unsalted butter (4 tbsp.) room temperature
Cinnamon Filling
- 42 g unsalted butter (3 tbsp.)
- 110 g light brown sugar (½ c.)
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Glaze
- 120 g powdered sugar (1 c.)
- 2 tbsp. milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- ⅛ tsp. salt
Instructions
Tangzhong
- Add the flour and milk to a microwave safe bowl and whisk them together. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir and microwave for another 30 seconds. The mixture should now be a thick slurry, but if it’s not, microwave it in 10 second intervals until it has thickened.
Brioche
- Add the milk, sugar, yeast, egg, flour, salt, butter, and tangzhong to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment.
- Knead the mixture on medium speed for ~15-20 minutes. The dough is ready when it is no longer sticking to the sides or the bottom of the bowl, and passes the windowpane test.*
- Once the dough is done kneading, shape it into a ball and place it back into the mixing bowl. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and place it in a warm area to rise until doubled in size (~1 hr.)**
Cinnamon Filling
- Once you're ready to start shaping the rolls, make the cinnamon filling. In a small mixing bowl, melt the butter. In another small mixing bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon.
Shaping the Loaf
- Butter a 1 lb. loaf pan and line it with parchment paper to form a hammock to lift the bread out of the pan later on.
- Once the dough has doubled in size (or after taking it out of the fridge after rising overnight), punch it down to remove excess air. Transfer the dough to a clean and lightly floured surface, then roll it out to a 12″ x 16″ (35 x 40 cm) rectangle. If the dough keeps springing back a lot while rolling it out, let it rest for 5 minutes before continuing.
- Spread the melted butter over the dough, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the butter.
- Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough in half once through the longer side, then slice each piece into 8 pieces. Roll up the mini cinnamon rolls.
- Layer the cinnamon rolls into the loaf pan. I started out with placing some rolls standing up facing the sides of the pan, then placed some face up in the middle of the pan. After that, randomly but evenly distribute the rest of the rolls in the pan.
- Lightly cover the pan with a towel, and let the loaf rise in a warm environment until doubled in size (~30 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Make an egg wash by whisking together an egg with 1 tbsp. milk, then brush it over the rolls (optional, but recommended for browning.)
- I recomend placing the loaf pan on a flat baking sheet to catch any potential sugar spills in the oven. Bake the loaf for 35-40 minutes. Use a thermometer to check when the rolls are done cooking (200°F / 93°C.)
- Allow the cinnamon roll loaf to sit in the hot loaf pan for at least 10-20 minutes before transferring it out.
Glaze
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and salt until smooth.
- Pour the glaze over the warm loaf, then slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Affiliate links: Kitchen Scale (my favorite) | Kitchen scale (great starter option) | Oven Thermometer | Cordless Hand Mixer | Stand Mixer |
*Take a small piece of dough and stretch it gently as far as you can. If it tears super easily, keep kneading. If it’s able to spread to the point where it’s super thin and you can see light through it, it has passed the windowpane test and is good to go!
**At this point you could leave the dough in the fridge overnight, and proceed with the rest of the recipe the next day.