In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue cooking, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter foams and turns a rich amber color with a nutty aroma, about 5-7 minutes. Watch closely to avoid burning. Once browned, immediately transfer the butter to a large heatproof bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan for brown bits. I let my cool down until completely room temperature. About 45-60 minutes.
½ cup unsalted butter softened 113
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine lukewarm milk, 2 teaspoons of the sugar, and yeast. Whisk together and let sit for 10 minutes, until the mixture looks foamy.
1 ½ cups lukewarm milk 360g, 1 ½ teaspoons instant dry yeast 5g
Add the remaining sugar, eggs, bread flour, browned butter, and salt to the bowl. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on medium speed for 6–7 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Don’t worry if it’s too sticky it will be firm up.
½ cup + 2 teaspoons granulated sugar 120g, 3 large eggs room temperature, 5 ¾ cups bread flour plus more for dusting 720g, 2 ¼ teaspoons salt 14g
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, perform one stretch and fold (lift one side of the dough and fold it over itself, repeating on all four sides). Cover again.
Place the covered dough in the refrigerator and chill for 2 hours or up to 12 hours overnight. This cold proof develops flavor and makes the dough easier to work with when rolling out.
Filling and Shaping Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream together brown sugar, ground cinnamon, maple syrup, flour and unsalted butter on medium speed until smooth and well combined. Set aside.
¾ cup packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, ¼ cup pure maple syrup, 3 tablespoon all purpose flour, ¾ cup unsalted butter softened to touch
Lightly flour a clean work surface. Roll the chilled dough into a large rectangle, about 12x16 inches in size. Try to keep the edges as even as possible so the rolls bake uniformly.
Spread the filling mixture evenly over the dough, using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to get it all the way to the edges.
Starting with the long edge farthest from you, cut the dough into 12 even strips using a sharp pizza cutter. Each piece should be about 1⅓ inches wide. Take your time to keep the cuts straight so the rolls bake up evenly.
Working one at a time, roll each strip into a tight spiral, starting from the bottom edge and rolling upward until you reach the top. As you roll, gently tuck in any filling that tries to escape and keep light, even pressure so each roll stays compact and uniform. If you roll them too loose, the filling will come out, and if you roll them too tight they will spiral out of the pan. Once rolled, pinch the end seam lightly so it stays closed.
Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides for easy lifting later. Lightly spray the sides of the pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Arrange the rolls cut-side up in the prepared pan. 3 across and 4 down. They should have a little space between them — they’ll puff and rise into each other during proofing and baking.
Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let the rolls rise for 45–60 minutes, or until puffy and nearly doubled in size. While the bread is rising, make the brown butter for frosting so it can cool in time.
Baking Instructions
Once the rolls have finished their second rise, preheat the oven to 375°F.
Warm the heavy whipping cream just until it loses its chill (microwave for about 15–20 seconds). Gently pour the cream evenly over the tops of the risen rolls, letting it soak down into the layers.
½ cup heavy whipping cream 120
Place the pan in the oven and bake at 375°F for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking for 30-35 minutes, until the rolls are deep golden brown on top. These rolls take a long time to bake because they need to absorb the cream.
If the rolls begin to brown too quickly, loosely tent the pan with foil during the last 10 minutes of baking.
Remove the pan from the oven and let the rolls cool for at least 20 minutes before frosting.
While the rolls are cooling finishing making the cream cheese frosting.
For the cream cheese frosting
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue cooking, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter foams and turns a rich amber color with a nutty aroma, about 5-7 minutes. Watch closely to avoid burning. Once browned, immediately transfer the butter to a large heatproof bowl and let it cool to room temperature. I let my cool down until completely room temperature. About 45-60 minutes.
1 cup unsalted butter softened
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat room temperature brown butter and cream cheese on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl, then beat for 2 more minutes until smooth and fluffy.
4 oz cream cheese softened
With the mixer on low, add powdered sugar, then vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until combined.
3 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1-2 tablespoon milk or heavy cream, Pinch of salt
Increase speed to medium-high and beat 2–3 more minutes until light and fluffy. If too soft to pipe, chill for 10–15 minutes.
Assembly
Once the cinnamon rolls have cooled slightly, spread the brown butter cream cheese buttercream evenly over the tops of the rolls. I did dollops with a piping bag for a pretty look, but you can do whatever you like!