Challah Dough Cinnamon Rolls

Please meet what the recipe that my cinnamon rolls dreams are made of! 

That’s rolled out challah dough filled with a cinnamon-brown-sugar-butter mixture and topped with an ube infused cream cheese frosting. 

Challah dough is my FAVORITE dough I know! Slightly sweet and almost brioche like. These fluffy and chewy rolls are brightened by the tangy and gooey icing.  

Flour. Butter. Sugar. Cinnamon. Cream Cheese. Nutmeg. Vanilla. LETS DO THIS!

4 Tips for Making the Fluffiest Most Delicious Challah Dough Cinnamon Rolls

1. Use bread flour! With more gluten than regular AP flour, it’s the ‘trick’ for keeping our rolls soft, fluffy, light and chewy.
2. Cream the filling! This makes it easier to spread evenly over the dough, so there’s more cinnamon sugar goodness and makes it texture softer and creamier. 
3. Let her* rise… twice! Her being our beloved challah dough cause the gluten needs time to develop. Plan at least the day before.  
4. Use dental floss or butchers’ twine to cut through the dough. This prevents smushing our rolls flat (which even the sharpest of blades will do). 

Ingredients and Tools

Yeast: Keep in mind there’s two types of yeast, active dry and instant; this recipe uses the former. Active dry yeast is proofed in water but milk, the more traditional liquid used in cinnamon rolls, would surely work too and be delicious (I just haven’t tried it). 

Both types of yeast can always be interchanged, modifying the recipe accordingly.  

Butter: Make sure it’s room temperature for the dough and filling. 

Recipe is versatile! Use it as a blueprint to play with all sorts of different fillings (such as nuts and fruit), spices and frostings!

Tools – this recipe uses:

Stand mixer or food processor (with the dough hook) – to knead the dough. Elbow grease is always an option as well. 

Rolling pin – to roll out the dough. Pro tip: if you don’t have one, use a beer or wine bottle instead. 

Dental floss or butcher’s twine – to cut the dough. If you only have knife options to choose from, a serrated one is the way to go. 

It’s like a cinnamon-sugar challah got together with a cream cheese frosted cinnamon rolls and had a tasty purplelicous baby!

I’d love to hear about it and see it too! Please leave a comment below and take a pic and tag it on Instagram with @DanielaGerson. You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to see more colorfully delicious food and all sorts of awesome adventures!

Let’s make waves in the kitchen!

Print Recipe

Challah Dough Cinnamon Rolls

What cinnamon rolls dreams are made of: rolled out challah dough filled with cinnamon, brown sugar and butter then topped with an ube infused cream cheese frosting!

Prep Time35 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Resting Time1 day d

Course: Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine: Californian

Servings: 12

Author: Daniela Gerson

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 1 ¼ cup warm water
• 1 package 2 slightly heaping teaspoons dry yeast
• ½ cup of sugar + ½ teaspoon
• 2 egg room temperature, divided
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 3 tablespoons butter room temperature (plus slightly more for greasing bowl + pans)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshy grated Spice Tribe nutmeg
• 1 ½ teaspoon of salt

For the Filling

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
• 3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground Spice Tribe cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated Spice Tribe nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Ube Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 tablespoons of plain full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of ube extract optional + more to taste or to get desired purple hue
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

For the Frosting

• In the bowl of a food processor or stand mixer, combine the cream cheese, vanilla and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add ube extract, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until desired purple hue is reached. Set aside until needed (up to 24 hours at room temperature).

For the Filling

• In the bowl of a food processor or stand mixer, mix butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, and salt until creamy and very soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside until needed (up to 24 hours at room temperature).

For the Dough

• Whisk together warm water, yeast and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to activate the yeast; wait 5 minutes until it bubbles.
• Add 1 egg, vanilla and butter to the liquid yeast mixture.
• In the bowl of a food processor or stand mixer with the hook attachment, add the salt, sugar, freshly grated nutmeg and 3 cups of flour. Slowly add the liquids to the flour mixture and begin processing until a ball is formed. If needed, add the last cup of flour, ¼ cup at a time.
• Dust counter with flour and finish kneading on the counter with a little flour. The dough will be a little sticky.
• First Rise: Put dough in a buttered large bowl and let rise covered with a dish towel or plastic wrap, doubled in size, about for 1-1.5 hours (exact time is weather dependent). If the dough feels tough, let rise longer. Punch dough down and let it rest for 15 minutes.
• Shaping: Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and roll into a 13(ish)-inch square. No perfection necessary. Spread the cinnamon butter mixture over the dough with a spatula and tightly roll dough up to form a 12-inch log. Seal the edges as best you can and place seam side down.
• Cut into 1-inch slices with a serrated knife or floss. You’ll should get 12 pieces. Snugly arrange cinnamon rolls in a greased baking pan or round cake pan (use 2 if they’re small).
• Second Rise: Cover rolls with foil and refrigerate overnight, or up to 48 hours.
• To bake and serve, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take cinnamon rolls out of the fridge and let come to room temperature while oven heats up. Brush the tops with egg wash (1 egg + 1 tbsp of water) and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown on the edges. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, spread frosting over the top and serve while still hot.

Notes

• Use bread flour! With more gluten than regular AP flour, it’s the ‘trick’ for keeping our rolls soft, fluffy, light and chewy.
• Cream the filling! This makes it easier to spread evenly over the dough, so there’s more cinnamon sugar goodness and makes it texture softer and creamier. 
• Let her* rise… twice! Her being our beloved challah dough cause the gluten needs time to develop. Plan at least the day before.  
• Use dental floss or butchers’ twine to cut through the dough. This prevents smushing our rolls flat (which even the sharpest of blades will do). 

Did you make this recipe? Please share and tag @DanielaGerson! I'd love to see how you're making colorful waves in the kitchen!