Sweetened Condensed Milk Cinnamon Rolls with Passion Fruit Cream Cheese Glaze
What’s not lo love about sweet and pillowy cinnamon rolls? These are super special because I used sweetened condensed milk to sweeten the dough and the cream cheese glaze, which has passion fruit pulp as well for a tropical sweet and sour note, bringing these cinnamon rolls to a whole new level. I used instant yeast which makes the dough rise pretty fast, making these the easiest and best cinnamon rolls I have ever made!
There’s something so special about starting the morning with a cinnamon roll. Just the sweet warm smell of it makes you feel at ease and you will smile at anything that the day has in store for you.
I’m using bread flour here so even if they are soft and pillowy cinnamon rolls, they still have that rough bite of bread. I even prefer them like that because they are not that filling. Making cinnamon rolls with condensed milk also helps in creating that soft pillowy dough that we love so much. The caramelized notes of the condensed milk add a warm layer of flavor that you won’t get with regular sugar. I wanted to experiment with condensed milk because I’m partnering with Borden Puerto Rico to share the news that its sweetened condensed milk has a new label. I wanted to do something outside the box with the condensed milk and wondered how it would affect a bread dough. The results were just beyond this world!! Since I’m using instant yeast, I made these cinnamon rolls in two hours, but you can always cut the rolls and place them in the fridge and make the second proof the next day before baking them, making these overnight cinnamon rolls as well!
How I made these Condensed Milk Cinnamon Rolls
I started by mixing some coconut milk (you can use whole milk as well but the fats of coconut milk bring so much moistness to the dough) with some bread flour and some condensed milk to make a mixture called “Tangzhong”. This is an Asian technique to bring more moist to the dough. You can also create a sponge but this method is faster. You need to heat it in the microwave until thick.
Then I put it in the mixing bowl and added the rest of the dough ingredients. I kneaded in medium-slow speed until the dough was pretty smooth and uniform. This should not be a tacky dough, as when you are making a brioche dough.
I transferred it to a bowl, covered it, and then placed it in the warmest corner of my house. I wrapped the bowl with a few of my own throw blankets to keep it warm and cozy. Doughs like warm!
When the dough was almost ready I just mixed some melted butter, cinnamon, brown sugar and a pinch of salt to make the filling.
I stretched my dough, sprinkled the filling, rolled it and cut it using a dental floss to keep cuts nice and sharp. Use unflavored dental floss so your rolls don’t pick up any wacky artificial flavor.
I let them rise gain, this time for about 30 minutes because I’m using instant yeast, remember? This helps in cutting the raising times.
I baked the rolls and made the sweetened condensed milk and passion fruit cream cheese glaze while they were in the oven.
I then, with the rolls still warm, poured half of the glaze on top of them so the glaze kind of melted into the buns. After they cooled down a bit I poured more glaze, making like a double layer of pure cream cheese and condensed milk goodness! And yes, I ate them right away!!
This recipe is so simple and yet so amazingly delicious, I know it will become one of your favorites. And now you have another use for your sweetened condensed milk, besides eating it with a spoon right off the can ; ) Tell me in the comments if you give it a try!
Sweetened Condensed Milk Cinnamon Rolls with Passion Fruit Cream Cheese Glaze
Ingredients
Sweet Bread Dough
◯ Full fat coconut milk or whole milk (see notes) – ½ cup + ⅔ cup
◯ Unbleached bread flour - 3 TBSP + 2 ½ cups
◯ Borden Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1 TBSP + ½ cup
◯ Fine sea salt – 1 Tsp
◯ Instant yeast – 2 ¼ Tsp (1 envelope)
◯ Butter, at room temperature – 4 TBSP (½ stick)
Cinnamon Brown Sugar Filling
◯ Butter, melted - 2 TBSP
◯ Brown sugar or light brown sugar - ½ cup
◯ Unbleached flour (bread or all-purpose) - 2 TBSP
◯ Ground cinnamon – 3 to 4 Tsp
◯ Pinch of salt
Cream Cheese Glaze
◯ Cream cheese, softened – 8 oz, 1 box
◯ Borden Sweetened Condensed Milk - 2 TBSP
◯ Powdered sugar, sifted – 1 ½ cup
◯ Passion fruit pulp - 3 to 4 TBSP or to taste
Details
Yield:
8 to 9 rolls
Total Time:
2 hours
Active time:
20 minutes
Equipment:
stand mixer with the hook attachment, baking sheet
Steps
To make the dough:
Wipe a large ceramic or glass bowl with vegetable or coconut oil.
In a mixing glass or small bowl combine the ½ cup of coconut milk with the 3 tablespoons of flour and the 1 tablespoon of the condensed milk. Mix until no large lumps of flour and heat in the microwave in 10-second intervals, until you have a thick paste.
Add this mixture to your mixing bowl and then add the remaining ⅔ cup of milk, the 2 ½ cups of flour, the teaspoon of salt, the ½ cup of the condensed milk, the instant yeast and the 4 tablespoons of butter. Mix in medium-slow speed (#2 on the Kitchen Aid) for 10 to 12 minutes, until the dough looks smooth, uniform and is not getting stuck to the wall of the mixer bowl.
Transfer dough to a floured, flat and clean surface and fold the edges toward the center. Turn it around and place it in your greased bowl. Cover with plastic paper and let it rise for about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
About 5 minutes before the dough is ready, make the filling by combining the 2 tablespoons of melted butter, the ½ cup of brown or light sugar, the 2 tablespoons of flour, the 3 to 4 teaspoons of cinnamon and the pinch of salt. Mix until you get the texture of wet sand.
Assembling the rolls:
When the dough is ready, transfer it to the floured surface (dust a bit more if needed). Dust with flour your rolling pin as well. Stretch your dough from the center out, until you have a rectangle of about 12”. Cut the edges if needed so your dough has a rough rectangle shape. Sprinkle evenly all the filling mixture over the dough. Starting from the large side that’s in front of you, start rolling the dough. If you feel resistance just pull it up and kind of drop it over the filling so the dough covers the filling in each turn instead of pushing it out. Pinch the seam of dough at the end and press everything together. With the seam on one side, cut rolls about 1 ½” to 2” thick using either a very sharp knife or preferably a dental floss to make the cuts. Place each roll on a baking sheet with a parchment paper or silicon mat. Cover again with plastic paper and let the rolls rise for about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°.
Uncover the rolls and bake for about 15 to 17 minutes, until golden brown.
While the rolls are baking, make the glaze by mixing together the 8 ounces of cream cheese with the 2 tablespoons of condensed milk. Add the 1 ½ cup of sifted sugar in intervals, until glaze looks smooth and creamy. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the passionfruit pulp, or more to taste.
As soon as you take out the rolls out of the oven pour over about half of the glaze over the rolls. Let them cool down a bit before pouring the rest of the glaze over them. You may add some passionfruit pulp on top of each roll as decoration.
You may reheat rolls in a 350° oven for less than 5 minutes and pour extra glaze or in the microwave.
