What are Cinnamon Rolls?

If you haven’t ever tried a cinnamon roll, you are missing out! They are such a delicious bake in their own right - let alone when they are giving a banana bread twist… I suppose the closest thing we have over here is Chelsea Buns (which are also very tasty!) - although cinnamon rolls don’t tend to have any dried fruit. People often associate them with America but they are originally from Sweden (I hear Ikea makes some tasty ones). Overtime, different countries have developed their own interpretations. Imagine a soft, buttery dough filled with a delicious sweet cinnamon-sugar butter spread then rolled up. American versions normally top with a delicious cream cheese frosting (YUM!) whilst UK versions usually opt for an icing sugar glaze (also YUM!).

Can I make these Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls in advance?

Absolutely! You can make up the dough for these Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls the night before, then leave to slow-prove in the fridge overnight - just allow it to come to room temperature before shaping the next morning. Alternatively, after shaping the rolls and arranging in the casserole, cover with cling-film and do the second prove in the fridge overnight. Once again, allow to come to room temperature before baking.

Can I use anything else to fill these Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls?

Of course! Whilst these are called Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls, you could switch up the cinnamon-sugar butter filling for all sorts of spreads and jams. You could make Banana Bread Chocolate Rolls by swapping the cinnamon-sugar butter for chocolate spread (e.g. nutella). I would then skip the frosting and drizzle with melted chocolate. Alternatively, peanut butter, biscoff spread or jam (for jam doughnut vibes) would all be utterly delicious. At Christmas, I spread with mincemeat for a fabulously festive version - perfect for pressie swaps or Christmas Day breakfast!

Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls

Name: Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls
Prep time: PT-479527H45M34S
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: PT-479523H20M17S
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 200ml full-fat milk, gently heated to lukewarm; 7g sachet instant yeast; 50g caster sugar; 50g unsalted butter, melted; 1 large egg; 100g (peeled weight) mashed banana; 560g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting; 1 tsp salt; Flavourless oil, for greasing; 100g unsalted butter, softened; 100g soft light brown sugar; 2 tbsp cinnamon; 35g unsalted butter, softened; 70g cream cheese; 70g maple syrup; ½ medium-sized ripe banana; 1 tsp lemon juice, or to taste

Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls

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If you love banana bread, you will adore these Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls. Imagine soft, buttery banana-infused dough with a delicious cinnamon-sugar filling and sweet banana-cream cheese frosting. Yum!

Author: Margie Nomura
Prep Time: 20 minutes + proving
Proving Time: 1.5-2 hours
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes + proving time
Yield: Makes 12 rolls 1x
Category: Baking
Method: Oven
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the dough:

200ml full-fat milk, gently heated to lukewarm
7g sachet instant yeast
50g caster sugar
50g unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
100g (peeled weight) mashed banana
560g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp salt
Flavourless oil, for greasing

For the filling:

100g unsalted butter, softened
100g soft light brown sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon

For the frosting:

35g unsalted butter, softened
70g cream cheese
70g maple syrup
1/2 medium-sized ripe banana
1 tsp lemon juice, or to taste

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Instructions

Pour the lukewarm milk into a large bowl and stir through the yeast and sugar. Leave to stand for a few minutes.
Add the melted butter, egg and mashed banana and whisk together until well combined.
Add the flour and salt then, using a wooden spoon, mix together to form a dough.
Lightly dust a work surface with flour and turn the dough out on top. Knead for about 8-10 minutes - or until smooth, elastic and can easily be shaped into a ball (it should feel slightly tacky but not stick to your hands or the work surface). If it is still too sticky, add 1 tbsp of flour and continue kneading for a few minutes until it becomes a smooth, elastic ball (add a little more flour if still needed).
Pop the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover with a clean cloth or cling film and leave in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour - 1 ½ hours - or until doubled in size.
Meanwhile, make the filling: in a medium bowl mix together the butter, sugar and cinnamon until well combined. Cover with cling film and set aside.
Grease a casserole dish - you need to be fairly deep. Set aside.
Once the dough has risen, punch it down and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Shape into a rough rectangle.
Lightly dust a rolling pin with flour, then roll out the dough to a large 40x20cm rectangle about 5mm thick.
Spread the cinnamon butter evenly over the dough, then roll up tightly from the long side as you would a Swiss roll. Place seam-side down.
Using a sharp knife, cut into 12 equal-sized pieces. Carefully place into the prepared casserole evenly spaced apart - you should have 3 rows with 4 rolls per row (alternatively, pop onto the prepared baking sheet). Cover with a clean cloth or cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for another 20-25 minutes or until they have almost doubled in size.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 175C Fan.
Once the rolls have almost doubled in size, bake for about 25-30 minutes - or until lightly golden and the base sounds hollow when tapped. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
For the frosting: put the butter, cream cheese, maple syrup and banana into a blender and blitz until smooth. Taste and add lemon juice, if desired. Blitz again to combine.
Using a knife or icing spatula, spread or swirl the frosting over the slightly warm rolls and serve.

Notes

Flour: the amount of liquid needed will vary depending on the brand of flour you use, so don’t panic if the dough is still a little sticky after kneading for 10 minutes. It is very difficult to over-knead dough by hand, so just gradually add a little flour and keep going.

Rising time: dough rises more quickly in warmer places so if you are making these in summer, expect it to double in size much quicker than on a cold winter’s day. Try to leave your dough in a warm place like an airing cupboard or by the oven.

Frosting: if you aren’t a fan of cream cheese, you can drizzle these with melted chocolate or an icing sugar glaze instead.

Find it online: https://desertislanddishes.co/banana-bread-cinnamon-rolls/