Classic Cinnamon Rolls

There is nothing like the comfort of a delicious cinnamon roll. The original recipe has been slightly amended (I added orange zest to the dough and chopped pecan nuts to the filling) to please our palate even more. Makes 9-10 rolls (I placed 9 in a round baking pan and one in a single cupcake pan as an experiment).

Dough
 ¾ cup warm 2%-fat or whole milk
2 ¼ teaspoons active yeast (I used 20 grams of fresh yeast) 
¼ cup granulated sugar 
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature 
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted 
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon orange zest (optional)

Filling
 2/3 cup dark or light brown sugar
1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon 
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened 
½ cup pecan nuts, chopped

Glaze

1 cup icing sugar 
2 tablespoons milk



Microwave milk to bring to a temperature of around 110 degrees F (40-45 seconfs). Sprinkle yeast over warm milk and stir briefly to dissolve.Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer. Add in sugar, egg, egg yolk and melted butter. Mix until well combined. Next stir in flour and salt with a wooden spoon until a dough begins to form.
Place dough hook on stand mixer and knead dough on medium speed for 8 minutes. Dough should form into a nice ball and be slightly sticky. If too sticky (add in 2 tablespoons of flour.) If you don’t want to use an electric mixer, knead the dough for 8-10 minutes on a well-floured surface.
Transfer dough ball to a well-oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel. Allow dough to rise for 1 hour to 1 ½ hours, or until doubled in size.
After dough has doubled in size, transfer dough to a well-floured surface and roll out into a 14x9 inch rectangle. Spread softened butter over dough (I melted the butter and used a brush to spread it).
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Use your hands to sprinkle mixture over the buttered dough, and finally sprinkle chopped pecan nuts on top.

Tightly roll dough up, starting from the 9-inch side and place seam side down making sure to seal the edges of the dough as best you can. Cut off about half an inch off the ends of the dough as the ends won’t be as full of cinnamon sugar as you want it to be.
Cut into 1 inch sections with floss. You should get 9 large pieces (I had 10 and placed the extra one in a cupcake tin). Place cinnamon rolls in a greased 9x9 inch baking pan or round 9 inch cake pan.

Cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel and let rise again for 30-45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove plastic wrap and towel and bake cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes or until just slightly golden brown on the edges. You want to underbake them a little so they stay soft in the middle, that’s why we want them just slightly golden brown. Allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes before glazing. 
To make the glaze, combine icing sugar and milk in a bowl, adding milk slowly to reach the right consistency (you want the glaze to remain thick). Beat until smooth and fluffy. Spread over cinnamon rolls and serve immediately. Enjoy!