For many years, I have made Sticky Buns on Christmas morning.  This year, I decided to make a different kind of cinnamon roll for variety.  The website www.thekitchn.com ran a serious of articles evaluating popular cinnamon roll recipes on the internet, and I decided to make their favorite, which was from The Vanilla Bean Blog.  The rolls turned out well and were not hard to make.  This is my variation, which requires starting two days before the baking of the rolls in the morning for breakfast.  It makes 12 rolls.

Dough

4 large eggs at room temperature

¾ cup warm milk (~100-110 degrees)

¼ cup honey

568 g. (4 cups) all-purpose flour (I measured by weight)

2 tsp. instant yeast

2 tsp. salt

10 Tbs. (1-1/4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

Filling

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 Tbs. cinnamon

Pinch salt

2 Tbs. melted butter

Icing

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature

4 oz. cream cheese at room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

¼ tsp. salt

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

To make the dough, start by mixing together in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment the eggs, milk, and honey.  In a second bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and yeast.  Empty the second bowl into the mixer bowl and mix the dry and wet ingredients together on low to combine.  Keep the mixer on low and cut the butter into 1 Tbs. pieces, and add them one by one to the dough to combine.  When all the butter is in the mixer, increase the speed to medium, and mix the dough until the butter is well incorporated into the dough.  Grease a doubling container and put the dough in it to rise overnight in the refrigerator.

The next afternoon, combine in a small bowl the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt for the filling. 

Make the icing by creaming together the butter and cream cheese, and then mixing in the vanilla, salt, and confectioners’ sugar. Put in the refrigerator until the rolls are baked.

Grease an 13 inch x 9 inch baking pan.  Remove the dough from the refrigerator and on a floured pastry cloth roll it into an 18 inch x 12 inch rectangle.  Brush the rolled out dough with the melted butter and spread the cinnamon-sugar all over the dough.  Roll up the dough from the long side and adjust the roll with your hands to make it as much of an even cylinder as possible.  Cut it into 12 equal pieces and place them evenly in the greased baking pan.  Cover and place in the refrigerator for a second rise over night.

The next morning, remove the rolls from the refrigerator and let them warm on the counter while the oven warms to 350 degrees.  Bake for 28-32 minutes, turning the pan at the halfway point so that the rolls will bake evenly.  After the rolls are baked, allow them to rest on the counter for about 5 minutes, and then spread about 1/3 of the icing all over the warm rolls using a spoon or pastry brush to form an even glaze.  Allow the rolls to cool for another 15-20 minutes, and then spread them with the remaining icing.