Giant Cinnamon Rolls — The Morning Before the Soup Goes On

New Year 2018. Black-eyed peas and cabbage, as the constitution requires. Danielle made champagne punch for the adults and sparkling cider for the kids, and we counted down on the couch, all five of us, and at midnight Luc said "Happy New Year" with the cool detachment of a twelve-year-old who is above celebrating but also clearly celebrating. Colette had party poppers. Rémy had a noisemaker that he used for forty-five straight minutes until Danielle confiscated it "for safety reasons," which is Danielle-speak for "my eardrums."

I don't do resolutions. I said this last year and I'll say it until I stop writing. But I'll say this about 2017: it was a year of repair. The cottage floor. The insomnia (better, not gone). The business (Marcus, the van, the growth). The family (Luc growing up, Colette growing into herself, Rémy growing into a fisherman). We repaired things. We maintained things. We kept the roux turning and the pit hot and the door open. That's not nothing. That's the whole thing.

Made a big pot of ham and bean soup from the Christmas ham bone — because you always save the ham bone, always, this is not optional, this is law — and the soup simmered all day on New Year's Day, filling the house with the smell of everything good about winter: ham, beans, onion, bay leaf, the slow alchemy of time and heat turning bones into broth and broth into gold. Rémy ate two bowls. The boy is a machine. The machine runs on soup and crawfish and the promise of spring.

The soup goes on early — ham bone in the pot by nine, beans soaking since the night before, the whole house smelling like purpose by noon. But before all that, before Rémy loses his noisemaker privileges and Luc pretends not to be excited about anything, there’s the morning. And the morning on New Year’s Day belongs to cinnamon rolls — giant ones, the kind that take up the whole pan, because if you’re going to do it, you do it right. Danielle started this one. I just make sure the coffee’s ready when they come out of the oven.

Giant Cinnamon Rolls

Prep Time: 30 minutes + 1 hour 30 minutes rise | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes | Servings: 9 rolls

Ingredients

• Dough
• 1 cup whole milk, warmed to 110°F
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
• Cinnamon Filling
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• Cream Cheese Glaze
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/4 cup whole milk or heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Activate the yeast. Combine warm milk, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir gently and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy. If it doesn’t foam, your yeast may be expired — start again.
2. Make the dough. Add melted butter, eggs, remaining sugar, and salt to the yeast mixture. Using the dough hook on low speed, add flour 1 cup at a time until a soft, slightly tacky dough forms. Increase to medium speed and knead for 6 to 8 minutes until smooth and elastic. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl cleanly.
3. First rise. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until doubled in size.
4. Make the filling. In a small bowl, mix softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt together until a thick paste forms. Set aside.
5. Roll and fill. Punch down the risen dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a rectangle approximately 18 x 12 inches. Spread the cinnamon filling evenly across the entire surface, leaving a 1/2-inch border along one long edge.
6. Roll and cut. Starting from the long edge with filling all the way to the border, roll the dough tightly into a log. Pinch the seam to seal. Use unflavored dental floss or a sharp serrated knife to cut the log into 9 equal rolls, each about 2 inches wide.
7. Second rise. Arrange rolls cut-side up in a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Cover loosely and let rise 20 to 30 minutes until puffed and nearly touching.
8. Bake. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake rolls for 23 to 27 minutes, until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center roll comes out clean. Do not overbake — the center should still be soft.
9. Make the glaze. While rolls bake, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt and mix until creamy and pourable. Add more milk 1 teaspoon at a time to reach desired consistency.
10. Glaze and serve. Let rolls cool 5 minutes in the pan, then pour glaze generously over the top. Serve warm, directly from the pan.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 610 | Protein: 9g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 95g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 310mg