Day Two was such a significant improvement over the base recipe we've eaten for decades that I'm posting it early.
Brioche-like and Tangzhong-Process Cinnamon Rolls in KitchenAid Mixer
Makes one 9" springform pan if cut into 8 rolls; a 9x13" pan if cut into 12.
Use Instant or Quick-rise yeast because it can be added directly to dry ingredients. Active Dry yeast must be dissolved in a liquid.
Notes on 1st attempt: relatively easy. Once butter added at the 4-5 min kneading point, the dough took another 12 minutes to reach a smooth ball phase. Dough is VERY soft.
Baked 8 rolls in a 9" springform pan.
Day 1: soft, light, moist, and delicious. Very slight chew.
Day 2: still moist, but a tad dryer than day 1. Still soft and easy to eat. If nuked for 12 seconds, it was just like day 1. This is a major improvement over my wife's core recipe.
Day 3: pending
Tangzhong method for long-term moistness:
5-10% flour weight
5 times that weight in milk or water
Cook on stove (2‐4 mins) or in microwave (1-2 mins) to form a flour paste.
Tangzhong
20g flour (5%)
100g milk or water (5x flour)
Dry Dough Ingredients
380g King Arthur AP flour
10g (2 ¼ tsp) Instant/Quick Rise yeast
50g (¼ cup) granulated white sugar
6g (1 tsp) salt
Wet Dough Ingredients
175g whole milk, warm
1 large egg, room temp, beatened
¼ cup softened butter, cut into ½" chunks
Rise Ingredients
Spray oil for bowl.
Filling Ingredients (apply separately in order shown)
4 Tbs butter, salted, melted
⅜ to ½ cup granulated white sugar
1 Tbs cinnamon
½ cup raisins (optional)
Icing Ingredients
2 Tbs butter, salted, melted
1 ¾ cups powdered sugar, sifted
2-3 Tbs milk or light coconut cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Make tangzhong several hours to a day before. Cover and refrigerate.
Mix dry dough ingredients in KitchenAid bowl using the scraper attachment. Then change to the dough hook.
Turn mixer to first setting. Add warm milk. Add egg. Add tangzhong and let a ragged dough form.
Knead on level 4 KitchenAid for 4 minutes to let some gluten develop, then slow to low and add softened butter one chunk at a time.
Turn the mixer to level 4 to incorporate completely. Mix for 8-12 minutes until the dough cleans the sides and bottom of the bowl. It will look gluey and loose but will come together. The final dough will be slightly sticky to the touch.
Wet a hand and use that hand to scrape the dough from the dough hook. Spray the sides of the bowl and the top of the dough with oil. Pick up the dough, flip it over, and spray the top again.
Cover with cling wrap and stick in a draft-free warm place until it doubles in bulk, about an hour to two hours depending on room temp. Once doubled, poke with two fingers. If dimples remain, it is ready. If it springs back completely, it needs more rise time
Once ready, wet hands and punch down the dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Press and spread into a rectangle, deflating the dough.
Lightly flour the dough and rolling pin. Roll until the dough is ¼ to ⅓ inch thick in a
12"x18" rectangle.
Spread the melted butter over the dough with a pastey brush. Sprinkle the sugar then the cinnamon over the butter. Drop the raisins evenly over the prepared dough if using raisins.
Roll the dough into a log from the wide end. Use a dough scraper to assist in the rollup if the dough is sticky.
Use either a sharp knife to slice the log into 1 ¼" sections and place in a greased springform or cake pan. Lightly brush the tops and sides with melted butter.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cover rolls with a towel or cling wrap and allow to rise again for 30-60 minutes, or until doubled.
Bake uncovered at 350°F intil lightly browned and internal temp is 195°F: 20-25 minutes if using the larger cake pan (smaller rolls), 25-30 minutes for the springform pan (larger rolls).
Set aside and allow to completely cool, uncovered, in the pan.
Icing Directions
Melt the butter in a small mixing bowl. Sift a small amount of powdered sugar into the butter and stir to dissolve. Alternate adding powdered sugar and evaporated milk, stirring after each addition, until desired consistency reached
Add vanilla and stir to incorporate.
Drizzle liberally over the cool rolls.
Roll on!
Ray