Overnight Tangzhong Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Glaze

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Bakery-counter cinnamon rolls that stay pillowy for days, thanks to a tangzhong milk paste cooked into the dough and a slow overnight rise in the fridge. The filling is a spreadable brown sugar-cinnamon butter that melts into ribbons instead of leaking out, a splash of cream poured over the rolls before baking gives them a sticky-gooey base, and the glaze is built on nutty browned butter and tangy cream cheese so it tastes like more than sugar. Mix the dough after dinner, bake it warm the next morning.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp bread flour
• 1/2 cup whole milk

• 3 1/4 cups bread flour (390 g), plus more for dusting
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast (one 1/4-oz packet)
• 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup whole milk, warmed to about 100°F
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, very soft

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, very soft (not melted)
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp bread flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt

• 1/3 cup heavy cream, warmed
• 1 tbsp softened butter, for the pan

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp whole milk, plus more as needed
• 1 pinch fine sea salt

Instructions

1. Make the tangzhong: whisk 3 tablespoons bread flour and 1/2 cup milk in a small saucepan until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula, 2 to 3 minutes, until it thickens into a pudding-like paste that holds a line when you drag the spatula through it (about 150°F). Scrape into the bowl of a stand mixer and let cool 10 minutes, until just warm.
2. Add 3 1/4 cups bread flour, the granulated sugar, instant yeast, salt, the 1/2 cup warm milk, and the eggs to the tangzhong. Mix with the dough hook on low 2 minutes to bring it together, then knead on medium-low 5 minutes. The dough will be stiff and a little shaggy.
3. With the mixer on medium-low, add the 6 tablespoons soft butter 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting until each piece disappears before adding the next. Once all the butter is in, knead 8 to 10 minutes more, until the dough is smooth, glossy, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl in one mass; it should be tacky but not sticky. Stretch a small piece — it should thin to a translucent windowpane without tearing. If it still tears, knead 2 to 3 minutes longer.
4. Shape the dough into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature (about 72°F) for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until nearly doubled and puffy.
5. Make the filling: stir the 6 tablespoons soft butter, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, 1 tablespoon bread flour, vanilla, and salt together with a fork until it looks like thick, spreadable frosting. Do not melt the butter — melted filling leaks out during baking.
6. Butter a 9x13-inch baking pan. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and press out any large bubbles. Roll it into an 18x13-inch rectangle, keeping the corners squared off and the thickness even (about 1/4 inch).
7. Spread the filling over the dough all the way to the edges on three sides, leaving a bare 1/2-inch border along the far long edge. Starting from the long edge nearest you, roll the dough up snugly but not tightly, stopping to tug the log straight as you go. Pinch the seam closed and roll the log seam-side down.
8. Trim the ragged ends, then cut the log into 12 equal pieces (about 1 1/2 inches each) using a serrated knife in a gentle sawing motion or a length of unflavored dental floss cinched under the log. Arrange the rolls cut-side up in the prepared pan, spaced evenly with a little room between them.
9. Overnight rise: cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate 10 to 16 hours. (Same-day option: cover and let rise at room temperature 45 to 60 minutes, until the rolls touch and look puffy, then bake.)
10. In the morning, take the pan out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter 45 to 60 minutes, until the rolls have puffed and are touching one another and a gently pressed edge springs back slowly. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center.
11. Pour the warmed heavy cream slowly over and between the rolls. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until deep golden on top and the center roll registers 190°F on an instant-read thermometer. If the tops brown before the centers set, tent loosely with foil for the last 8 minutes.
12. While the rolls bake, brown the butter: melt 3 tablespoons butter in a small light-colored skillet over medium heat, swirling, 3 to 5 minutes, until the foam subsides and the milk solids turn golden brown and smell nutty. Scrape all of it, browned bits included, into a bowl and let cool 10 minutes.
13. Beat the cream cheese into the cooled brown butter until smooth, then add the powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and 2 tablespoons milk. Beat until glossy and pourable, adding milk 1 teaspoon at a time if needed.
14. Let the rolls cool in the pan 10 minutes — just long enough that the glaze thickens instead of vanishing — then spread half the glaze over the warm rolls so it melts into the tops. Serve warm with the rest of the glaze dollopped on top.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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