Here’s the recipe for Milkbread’s famous cinnamon rolls
Cinnamon rolls are comfort food at their finest — sweet, filling and even a little decadent, when they’re done the right way.
In celebration of this glorious treat, the pros at Kindred have shared the Davidson restaurant’s recipe for its milkbread cinnamon rolls with CharlotteFive. (And if you’re really in the baking mood, check out the restaurant’s famous milkbread recipe, too.)
We can vouch that these cinnamon rolls are good. They’re tucked onto Kindred’s dessert menu — an option that shows you don’t become a semifinalist for a James Beard Award without making moves that pay off. You’ll also find them on the menu of Kindred’s sister restaurant Milkbread, with locations in Davidson and Plaza Midwood. Both are owned by chef Joe Kindred and his wife, Katy.
[SPEAKING OF: Alton Brown got it all wrong on my home state’s chili and cinnamon roll culture.]
Kindred’s milkbread cinnamon roll recipe
We know you’re hungry. Just give this recipe a read-through before you start, and be sure to allow yourself time for the dough to rise.
Ingredients:
Tanzhong (water roux for dough)
1/3 cup bread flour
1 cup water
Dough
Tanzhong
5 cups bread flour
2 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. +1/2 tsp. milk powder
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup honey
2 packets instant dry yeast
2 eggs
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Cinnamon sugar filling
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
Glaze
1 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
3 Tbsp. honey
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
Cream cheese frosting
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
Method of preparation
Tangzhong
Add heavy cream to a medium-sized bowl and set aside. Using a small saucepan, whisk together the bread flour and water over medium heat. Continuously whisk until a thick gel-like paste forms, then remove from heat. While whisking, pour tangzhong into heavy cream. Whisk to fully combine and set aside.
Rolls
Using a standing mixer with a dough hook, add the heavy cream and tangzhong mixture, eggs, honey, and yeast to the bowl of the mixer. Add the dry ingredients on top of the wet, adding the salt last — and keep it from touching the yeast.
On low speed, mix for approximately one minute. Then turn the mixer speed to medium and mix for about eight minutes. Afterward, keep mixer on medium and slowly add the softened butter. Stop the mixer and push any unmixed butter into the dough. Turn back to medium until all butter is fully incorporated.
Place dough in a greased medium-sized bowl and cover. Let rise for one hour or until doubled, or let rise overnight in the refrigerator. While waiting for the dough to rise, mix ingredients to make the glaze, cinnamon filling and cream cheese frosting.
Once doubled, turn the dough onto a floured surface. Roll out the dough into a rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. Brush the entire surface of dough with melted butter. Spread a generous amount of the cinnamon sugar mixture over the melted butter surface, leaving about a 1-inch edge uncoated with sugar for sealing the dough.
Starting with the coated edge, roll the dough into a log lengthwise. When completely rolled, pinch the seam together. Cut into nine even pieces, about three fingers width each. Separate and turn the rolls swirl side up, then slightly flatten to smooth the top of each roll.
Using a 9x13 baking pan, pour 1½ cups glaze on the bottom of pan. Place each slice, swirl up, on top of the glaze in pan. Set aside and let the rolls rise until they double.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until golden brown. The tops should not sink when lightly pressed.
Remove from oven and immediately pour remaining glaze on top of rolls. Using a parchment lined sheet tray, then invert the cinnamon rolls (and be careful, the glaze is hot).
Using another parchment lined sheet tray, invert the rolls one more time so the tops of the rolls are now facing up. All rolls should be well coated with glaze.
Serve immediately with a generous topping of cream cheese frosting.
Kindred
Location: 131 N Main St, Davidson, NC 28036
Cuisine: Modern American
Instagram: @kindredrestaurant
This story was originally published December 14, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
