High Altitude Single Serving Cinnamon Roll
A small batch recipe for just one big cinnamon roll, made with soft yeast dough, buttery brown sugar cinnamon filling, and sweet vanilla icing.
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- 5-inch mini Dutch oven or ramekin (16 oz capacity)
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 2 tsp unsalted butter
- ¼ tsp (heaping) instant (rapid rise) or active dry yeast
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- ½ cup bread flour or all purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- pinch salt
- pinch nutmeg
- 1 large egg yolk
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
Filling
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted or very soft
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
Icing
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp milk or cream
- ⅛ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Dough
- In a saucepan over low heat, or in the microwave on 50% power, warm the milk and butter until the butter is melted and the liquid is warm to the touch, between 110-115 F. If it gets too hot, you'll need to cool it down to 115 F, or it will kill the yeast. Too cool, and the yeast won't be activated.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the yeast and granulated sugar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until the mixture starts to become bubbly and foamy. This will let you know that the yeast is active.
- Add the flour, salt, nutmeg, egg yolk and vanilla, and stir together with a spoon until combined. Continue to beat vigorously by hand for several minutes, then use a spatula to scrape the bowl down and shape the dough into a ball.
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and set it in a warm place (such as inside your oven with the "bread proof" setting on), and let rise until doubled. This could take anywhere from 45-90 minutes, depending on your altitude, the quality of your yeast, and the temperature of your ingredients and environment.
Filling and Shaping
- Once the dough is doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently roll out the dough to an oblong shape about 4x12 inches.
- Brush the inside of your baking dish with 1 tsp of the butter, then spread the remaining 2 tsp of butter over the dough.
- Combine the brown sugar with the cinnamon, and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the dough.
- Use a rolling pastry wheel cutter to cut the dough in half, vertically, so you have two long strips. Tightly roll up one strip of dough with the filling inside, then roll the second strip of dough around the first, so you have one cinnamon roll.
- Place the cinnamon roll into your buttered baking dish. Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap, and set it in a warm place (such as inside your oven with the "bread proof" setting on), and let rise until puffy. This might take 30-60 minutes.
Bake
- Preheat your oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- When the roll has started to puff up, it's ready to bake. This is optional, but for an extra soft, gooey cinnamon roll, pour 1 tbsp cream into the baking dish, around the roll, just before baking.
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until golden brown, but still a little soft and squishy in the middle. I usually bake cinnamon rolls (and all bread, for that matter) until a digital instant read thermometer inserted in the center reads between 190-195 F, but for this one, I stopped when the internal temperature of the roll was between 175-180 F, which keeps it extra soft and gooey.
Icing
- Combine all the icing ingredients in a bowl until smooth and drizzly.
- Let the cinnamon roll cool for several minutes, then spread the icing over the top.
- Enjoy the roll while it's warm or cooled to room temperature.
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