Gooey, delicious cinnamon rolls, but make them fall?! That’s what these out-of-this-world gingerbread rolls are. They are sooooo soft and fluffy, have a molasses butter, gooey, gingerbread brown sugar filling, and a sweet maple glaze. I mean, could anything be more perfect?!
Cinnamon rolls, or in this case, gingerbread rolls, are my weakness. If I am at a party, or a breakfast, or anything with a dessert table and there is a cinnamon roll, I cannot pass it up. It’s just too good – and I KNOW you all will feel this way about these.
Key Ingredients for Gingerbread Rolls
Dough
- Whole milk
- Instant yeast
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Unsalted butter
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
Filling
- Unsalted butter
- Molasses
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Nutmeg
- Brown sugar
- Heavy cream
Maple glaze
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Maple syrup
- Whole milk
Yield
This recipe makes about 12-14 rolls.
Method
Making the dough
What’s great about this recipe is that you can make it without a stand mixer. You can definitely use one as well, but you are not restricted if you don’t have one.
First, warm your milk. I like to microwave it in two 15-second increments. Since we are using instant yeast here, this isn’t a necessary step to activate the yeast, however I find it helpful to make sure all of the ingredients are room temperature - this will ensure nothing curdles. Since your butter is warm and egg is room temperature, you don’t want to shock the ingredients with the cold milk, or vice versa.
In a bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and salt. Set aside.
Once your milk is warm, pour it into a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top and lightly whisk them together with a fork. Then add the granulated sugar, egg and melted butter. Gently whisk until the mixture is combined.
Add in the flour mixture.
Kneading the dough
If you are making the dough by hand, mix the flour until it is incorporated and a dough forms. Lightly flour your work space (and your hands) and begin to knead the dough. If the dough is super sticky, add more flour tablespoon by tablespoon. You may need to add an extra 6-8 tablespoons of flour so it is not super sticky. Knead the dough by hand for 8-10 minutes. The dough should come together and be slightly sticky. After the 8-10 minutes of kneading, if you gently press your finger into the dough, it should bounce back.
If you are using a stand mixer, using the dough hook, start by mixing the flour on low speed so the flour doesn’t fly out the bowl, scraping the flour off the sides of the bowl if necessary. Once the dough forms, turn the mixer up to medium speed and knead using the dough hook for 8-10 minutes. If the dough is sticking to the bottom the bowl, add more flour tablespoon by tablespoon. You may need to add an extra 6-8 tablespoons of flour. The dough should come together and be slightly sticky. After the 8-10 minutes of kneading, if you gently press your finger into the dough, it should bounce back.
Once the dough is ready, place it in a well-oiled boil with a damp paper towel/kitchen towel and leave it in a warm environment (in the microwave/in the oven – both OFF) to prove for 1 ½ hours. It should double in size.
Preparing the filling
While the dough is proving, make the filling. Take the butter out of the fridge and leave it at room temperature for a while so that way it is super soft and spreadable. Once it is that texture, mix the butter with the molasses (as an FYI - these process shots were made with regular butter, your molasses butter will be much darker). Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, ground cinnamon, ground ginger and ground nutmeg. Set aside.
Once the dough has finished proving, grease an 8x8 inch, 9x9 inch, or pie pan and set aside. Remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into an 11 x 17 inch rectangle/oval (either works!). Spread the molasses butter onto the dough, then sprinkle the spiced brown sugar filling onto the butter. Gently rub the sugar mixture into the butter.
Making the rolls
Gently begin to roll the dough into a log, beginning from the long side. Once the dough is completely rolled, with the seam side down, gently press on the top of the dough just to secure it.
Using a piece of floss, place the floss underneath the dough with the ends coming up on the sides. Criss cross the floss over the dough and pull until a piece of the dough comes off. They should be about 1 inch in width. Repeat this process with the entire log. Some rolls may be bigger than others depending on if they came from the middle or end of the log.
Place your rolls into the prepared pan and lay the same damp towel you used for the first prove over the pan. Leave the rolls to rise for another 30 minutes.
When the dough has 5-10 minutes left to prove, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Measure out the heavy cream and warm it in two 15-second increments in the microwave. You don’t want it to be hot, just warm. Once the dough is done with its second rise, pour the heavy cream in the pan in and around the dough. You really want the dough to soak it up – this is key to having ooey, gooey rolls!
Place the rolls in the oven and bake them for 24-26 minutes, or until slightly golden on top.
Making the glaze
While the gingerbread rolls are baking, prepare the maple glaze. In a medium sized bowl, combine the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, maple syrup and milk. You may need to add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of milk depending on your desired consistency of the glaze.
Once the rolls are done, let them cool for 5 minutes. Pour the glaze all on top of the rolls and enjoy!
I hope you guys LOVE this recipe! If you are looking for other fall favorites, make sure to check out the following recipes: Pumpkin Spice Latte, Giant Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins and Brandy Snaps – Great British Baking Show Series.
Gingerbread Rolls with Molasses Butter/Gingerbread Brown Sugar Filling & Maple Glaze
Equipment
- Oven
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Dough
- ¾ cup whole milk warmed
- one package instant yeast or 2 ¼ tsp of instant yeast
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour plus more for kneading
- ½ tsp salt
Filling
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened and spreadable
- 1 tbsp molasses
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅔ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup heavy cream warmed
Maple Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp whole milk
Instructions
Dough
- First, warm your milk. Microwave it in two 15-second increments. Since we are using instant yeast here, this isn’t a necessary step to activate the yeast, however I find it helpful to make sure all of the ingredients are room temperature - this will ensure nothing curdles.
- In a bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and salt. Set aside.
- Once your milk is warm, pour it into a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top and lightly whisk them together with a fork. Add the granulated sugar, egg and melted butter. Gently whisk until the mixture is combined.
Kneading
- Add in the flour mixture.
- If you are making the dough by hand, mix the flour until it is incorporated and a dough forms. Lightly flour your work space (and your hands) and begin to knead the dough. If the dough is super sticky, add more flour tablespoon by tablespoon. You may need to add an extra 6-8 tablespoons of flour so it is not super sticky. Knead the dough by hand for 8-10 minutes. The dough should come together and be slightly sticky. After the 8-10 minutes of kneading, if you gently press your finger into the dough, it should bounce back.
- If you are using a stand mixer, using the dough hook, start by mixing the flour on low speed so the flour doesn’t fly out the bowl, scraping the flour off the sides of the bowl if necessary. Once the dough forms, turn the mixer up to medium speed and knead using the dough hook for 8-10 minutes. If the dough is sticking to the bottom the bowl, add more flour tablespoon by tablespoon. You may need to add an extra 6-8 tablespoons of flour. The dough should come together and be slightly sticky. After the 8-10 minutes of kneading, if you gently press your finger into the dough, it should bounce back.
- Once the dough is ready, place it in a well-oiled boil with a damp paper towel/kitchen towel and leave it in a warm environment (in the microwave/in the oven – both OFF) to prove for 1 ½ hours. It should double in size.
Filling
- While the dough is proving, make the filling. Take the butter out of the fridge and leave it at room temperature for a while so it becomes super soft and spreadable. Once it is that texture, mix the butter with the molasses. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, ground cinnamon, ground ginger and ground nutmeg. Set aside.
- Once the dough has finished proving, grease an 8x8 inch, 9x9 inch, or pie pan and set aside. Remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into an 11 x 17 inch rectangle. Spread the molasses butter onto the dough, then sprinkle the spiced brown sugar filling onto the butter. Gently rub the sugar mixture into the butter.
Preparing the rolls
- Gently begin to roll the dough into a log, beginning from the long side. Once the dough is completely rolled, with the seam side down, gently press on the top of the dough just to secure it.
- Using a piece of floss, place the floss underneath the dough with the ends coming up on the sides. Criss cross the floss over the dough and pull until a piece of the dough comes off. They should be about 1 inch in width. Repeat this process with the entire log.
- Place your rolls into the prepared pan and lay the same damp towel you used for the first prove over the pan. Leave the rolls to rise for another 30 minutes.
- When the dough has 5-10 minutes left to prove, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Measure out the heavy cream and warm it in two 15-second increments in the microwave. You don’t want it to be hot, just warm. Once the dough is done with its second rise, pour the heavy cream in the pan in and around the dough. You really want the dough to soak it up – this is key to having ooey, gooey rolls!
- Place the rolls in the oven and bake them for 24-26 minutes, or until slightly golden on top.
Glaze
- While the rolls are baking, prepare the maple glaze. In a medium sized bowl, combine the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, maple syrup and milk. You may need to add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of milk depending on your desired consistency of the glaze.
- Once the rolls are done, let them cool for 5 minutes. Pour the glaze all on top of the rolls and enjoy!
Tried this recipe? Make sure to rate and review and tag @sturbridgebakery on Instagram!
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