Croissant Cinnamon Rolls

Croissant Cinnamon Rolls (or Swirls) are amazing (and I don’t use that word lightly). Don’t get me wrong, I still love the pillowy soft “regular” Cinnamon Rolls. But, with their layers and crisp exterior, these Croissant Cinnamon Rolls are a whole different animal.

I have a lot of croissant dough in the freezer since I made multiple batches for last week’s How to Make Croissants – A Tutorial. Putting that post together I realized I hadn’t taken photos of all the steps I wanted to include, so I had to make another batch!

So I thought, Why not make some of this dough into something with cinnamon? My first experiment turned out so deliciously that I just had to share it with you.

And, in case you happen to subscribe to my six-teaspoons-a-day sugar limit, explained in my Sugar – Toxin or Treat? post, one of these rolls will just about take you to the limit.

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Croissant Cinnamon Rolls

(Makes 9)

The Dough

1/3 piece (9x4 inches) of finished Croissants dough

The Filling

1/2 packed cup (3.5 ounces/99 grams) dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt

The Egg Wash

1 egg
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon water

The Glaze

2 tablespoons (1 ounce/28 grams) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 firmly packed cup (3 ounces/85 grams) unsifted powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Transfer the frozen dough to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.

2 After the 9x4-inch (one-third batch) piece of dough has thawed overnight in the refrigerator, bring it out of the refrigerator 20 minutes before you want to start rolling it out.

3 Line a heavy-duty half sheet pan with parchment paper. In small bowl, whisk together sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt.

4 On lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 16x10-inch rectangle about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick. With a short end of dough in front of you, spread the sugar mixture evenly over the dough leaving 1 inch clear at the end farthest away from you and 1/2 inch clear at the sides. Starting with the short end closest to you, roll the dough tightly into a log. Pinch the dough along the seam to seal.

5 Place the log on a cutting board. With a very sharp knife (I use my Wusthof Classic Extra Wide 6-Inch Cook's Knife, my favorite knife in all the world), trim off the uneven ends (you'll have very little to trim if you make your rectangle of dough nice and even) and slice into 9 1-inch pieces. Place on parchment-lined half sheet pan at least 3 inches apart.

6 Set the baking sheet in the cold oven and place a pan of boiling water (just 3 or 4 cups) on the bottom of the oven. This will keep the rolls from drying out. Let rise until very puffy (they won't "double;" but if you gently poke one in the side with your finger, the dent should remain), about 2 to 3, even 3 1/2 hours. Be sure to take them out before you preheat the oven!

OR If you have a half sheet pan with a lid and 4 little cups of some sort (these are 1.5 inch tall 2.5-ounce stainless steel sauce cups my mother got at a restaurant supply store decades ago), fill cups with boiling water and set them in the corners of the pan and put the lid on. Doesn't matter that the water cools off, it's just there to get some moisture, not heat, around the rising croissants.

7 Preheat oven to 450F/230C/Gas8. In small bowl, whisk together the egg wash. Brush the risen rolls with egg wash and then again just before baking. As soon as you put the pan in the oven, reduce heat to 400F/205C/Gas6. Bake for about 20 minutes, until deep golden brown.

8 Allow to cool for 10 minutes before glazing. Whisk together the glaze and drizzle over the warm, not hot, cinnamon rolls. Serve warm or room temperature.

Note: To freeze baked cinnamon rolls, leave them unglazed, cool completely and wrap airtight. Then just unwrap and heat unthawed rolls at 375F/190C/Gas5 for 8 to 10 minutes; glaze.

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