Cinnamon Buns, as seen on Mary Makes It Easy, Season 1.
Recipe courtesy of Mary Berg

Cinnamon Roll Bread and Sweet Cinnamon Cream Cheese

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  • Level: Easy
  • Total: 2 hr 45 min (includes rising and cooling times)
  • Active: 45 min
  • Yield: 1 loaf
This incredible cinnamon roll bread makes for an amazing breakfast, dessert or gift for the holiday season. This crowd-pleasing bread is made with brown sugar, vanilla extract and milk and filled with cinnamon, cardamom and lots of butter. Topped with a sweet cinnamon cream cheese, we promise you will have no leftovers after serving this up to your family.

Ingredients

Bread Dough:

Filling:

Egg Wash:

Sweet Cinnamon Cream Cheese:

Directions

  1. For the bread dough: Combine the milk and butter in a glass measuring cup or heatproof bowl. Add the boiling water and set aside until the butter has melted.
  2. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together 1 3/4 cups of the flour with the brown sugar, yeast and salt. Make a well in the center and set aside.
  3. Beat the egg and vanilla into the milk mixture and add into the flour mixture. Stir until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out into a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 6 to 8 minutes or on medium speed with a dough hook for 5 to 6 minutes until smooth, adding more flour as needed to keep it from sticking to your hands.
  4. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover with a kitchen plate or a clean kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
  5. For the filling: Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and salt in a small bowl.
  6. Once risen, punch the dough down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat and stretch the dough into roughly an 8-by-14-inch rectangle. Brush the melted butter over the surface and scatter the brown sugar mixture on top, making sure to spread it out evenly from edge to edge. With a long edge of the dough towards you, roll the dough into a log and pinch the seam and ends to seal.
  7. Transfer the log onto the parchment lined baking sheet and, using a pair of kitchen shears, start at one end of the log and snip the dough at roughly a 45 degree angle, almost completely cutting through the log. Shift the snipped piece to one side then repeat the cut every 1 1/2 to 2 inches along the length of the dough, alternating the sides where you shift the snipped piece.
  8. Lightly cover the shaped loaf with a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm spot to rise for another 30 to 40 minutes or until slightly puffy. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
  9. For the egg wash: Whisk together the egg and water and brush over the prepared loaf. Bake until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F (85 degrees C), 20 to 25 minutes.
  10. Transfer the bread to a wire rack and allow it to cool slightly before serving with the Sweet Cinnamon Cream Cheese.

Sweet Cinnamon Cream Cheese:

  1. For the sweet cinnamon cream cheese: In a small bowl, stir together the cream cheese, icing sugar to taste, cinnamon and vanilla until well combined, adding more sugar if needed. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.