Pecan Cinnamon Roll Recipe
Pecan Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Icing
Pecan Cinnamon Roll Recipe
The best thing about these cinnamon rolls is that they can be completely assembled the day before so that the morning of, all you have to do is let them come to room temperature and rise, pop them in the oven and bake them to perfection. If, however, you wake up really early with a burst of energy and an urge to bake, I suppose you could make these the morning-of.
Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
Traditional cinnamon rolls are kicked up a notch with fresh chopped pecans in the filling and an icing made with pure maple syrup. These can be prepared the night before you want to eat them, then all you have to do is let them come to room temperature and rise while your oven pre-heats, bake them, and consume them hot out of the oven.
ingredients:
Dough
1 packet dry active yeast
½ teaspoon sugar
⅓ cup very warm water
4+ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup granulated white sugar
1 buttermilk, room temperature (or 1 cup whole milk with 1 tsp white vinegar added)
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 whole egg
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
Filling
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans
Icing
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1-2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup chopped pecans
instructions:
Proof yeast by combining warm water, ½ teaspoon sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. After 5 minutes it should look foamy. If not, get a new package of yeast and start over.
Add sugar, buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla extract, whole egg and egg yolks and mix until combined.
Add 2 cups of the flour along with the baking soda and salt and mix until combined.
Switch to your dough hook and gradually add the rest of the flour until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl. You want the dough to be soft and moist but not sticky. Kneed on low for 5 minutes.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and form a ball. Place dough ball in a large lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rest in a warm place until doubled in size, 1-2 hours.
To prepare the filling, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon and pecan pieces.
Butter a 9x13 baking dish and set aside.
On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle that’s approximately 12” by 17”.
Brush the melted butter over the dough then sprinkle the filling evenly over the top and gently press it into the surface of the dough. Cover the entire surface except a strip along the top about 1” wide.
Starting at the bottom, roll the dough into a log, keeping it as tight as you can. Once shaped, roll gently on the counter to seal the seam. Cut the long into 12 equally sized rolls and place them in the baking dish and cover with plastic wrap.
Allow the rolls to rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Bak for 20-25 minutes until the rolls are lightly browned and fully cooked.
To make the icing, combine melted butter, vanilla extract and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix thoroughly then slowly add whole milk until you reach your desired consistency.
Pour icing over cinnamon rolls and then top with chopped pecans.
Here's helpful hint to help your cinnamon roll dough wake up in the morning:
Instead of just letting your rolls come to temperature on the counter, you can put them on a high rack in your oven and set a rimmed baking sheet below them and pour a half an inch or so of boiling water on the baking sheet and shut your oven. This helps them warm up quicker without drying out. After 20-25 minutes or so, remove them from the oven and let them continue to rest a bit on your counter while your oven preheats.
