Alton Brown's Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Total Time: 3 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 3 hrs Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 1 large whole egg, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 6 ounces buttermilk, room temperature
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
• 2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast (1 pkg)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• vegetable oil or cooking spray
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Recipe

• 1 for the dough: in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter, and buttermilk. add approximately 2 cups of the flour along with the yeast and salt; whisk until moistened and combined.
• 2 remove the whisk attachment and replace with a dough hook. add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes. check the consistency of the dough, add more flour if necessary; the dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky.
• 3 knead on low speed 5 minutes more or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead by hand about 30 seconds.
• 4 lightly oil a large bowl. transfer the dough to the bowl, lightly oil the top of the dough, cover and let double in volume, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• 5 combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. mix until well incorporated. set aside until ready to use.
• 6 butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. gently shape the dough into a rectangle with the long side nearest you.
• 7 roll into an 18 by 12-inch rectangle. brush the dough with the 3/4-ounce of melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch border along the top edge. sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the top edge; gently press the filling into the dough. beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down.
• 8 very gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness. using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2-inch rolls; yielding 12 rolls. arrange rolls cut side down in the baking dish; cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 16 hours.
• 9 remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off. fill a shallow pan 2/3-full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; approximately 30 minutes. remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven.
• 10 preheat the oven to 350 degrees f.
• 11 when the oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown, or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees f on an instant-read hermometer, approximately 30 minutes.
• 12 while the rolls are cooling slightly, make the icing by whisking the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. add the milk and whisk until combined. sift in the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth. spread over the rolls and serve immediately.