Cooks Illustrated Cinnamon Rolls Recipes

Steps:

• For the dough: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. When the oven reaches 200 degrees, shut off. Line 13-by-9-inch baking pan with foil, allowing excess foil to hang over pan edges. Grease foil and medium bowl.
• Whisk milk and yeast in measuring cup until yeast dissolves, then whisk in eggs. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook, mix flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt until combined. With mixer on low, add warm milk mixture in steady stream and mix until dough comes together, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium, and add butter, one piece at a time, until incorporated. Continue to mix until dough is smooth and comes away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes. Turn dough out onto clean surface and knead to form a smooth, round ball. Transfer dough to prepared bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in warm oven. Let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• For the filling: Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in small bowl.
• Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Roll dough into 18-inch square, spread with 4T butter, and sprinkle evenly with filling. Starting with the edge nearest you, roll dough into tight cylinder, pinch lightly to seal seam, and cut into 8 pieces. Transfer pieces, cut-side up, to prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm spot until doubled in size.
• For the glaze, and to bake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk cream cheese, milk, vanilla, and confectioner's sugar on medium bowl until smooth.
• Discard plastic wrap from buns and bake until deep golden brown and filling is melted, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and top buns with 1/2 cup glaze. Cool 30 minutes. Using foil overhang, lift buns from pan and top with remaining glaze. Serve.
• Make ahead: After transferring pieces to prepared pan in step 3, buns can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for 24 hours. When ready to bake, let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Remove plastic wrap and continue with step 4 as directed.

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat to 425 degrees.
• Pour 1 tablespoon melted butter in 9-inch nonstick cake pan; brush to coat pan.
• Spray wire rack with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
• To make cinnamon-sugar filling:
• Combine sugars, spices, and salt in small bowl.
• Add 1 tablespoon melted butter and stir with fork or fingers until mixture resembles wet sand; set filling mixture aside.
• To make biscuit dough:
• Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.
• Whisk buttermilk and 2 tablespoons melted butter in measuring cup or small bowl.
• Add liquid to dry ingredients and stir with wooden spoon until liquid is absorbed (dough will look very shaggy), about 30 seconds. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead until just smooth and no longer shaggy.
• Pat dough with hands into 12 by 9-inch rectangle. Brush dough with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle evenly with filling, leaving 1/2-inch border of plain dough around edges. Press filling firmly into dough. Starting at long side, roll dough, pressing lightly, to form a tight log. Pinch seam to seal. Roll log seam-side down and cut evenly into eight pieces. With hand, slightly flatten each piece of dough to seal open edges and keep filling in place.
• Arrange buns in buttered cake pan.
• Brush with 2 tablespoons remaining melted butter.
• Bake until edges are golden brown, 23 to 25 minutes.
• Use metal spatula to loosen buns from pan; without separating, slide buns out of pan onto greased cooling rack.
• Cool about 5 minutes before icing.
• To make icing and finish buns:
• While buns are cooling, line rimmed baking sheet with wax paper(for easy cleanup); set rack with buns over baking sheet.
• Whisk cream cheese and buttermilk in large nonreactive bowl until thick and smooth (mixture will look like cottage cheese at first).
• Sift confectioners' sugar over cream cheese mixture.
• Whisk until smooth glaze forms, about 30 seconds.
• Spoon glaze evenly over buns and serve immediately.