Of grams and not cups...

Our summer has been filled with weekends away and plenty of fun things to do. I decided I'd give these cinnamon rolls a try on a weekend we didn't have too much going on. This recipe is done in grams. Don't shoot me, I didn't write it. It was VERY challenging as I'm used to using my cups to measure out ingredients. I will say it was REALLY easy to use my scale and just keep zeroing it out to add more ingredients. I will also say this used A LOT of butter... over a pound. I'd suggest using a wider pot to make your browned butter - the more surface area - the better your browning will go. Mine was a tad small and I ended up will less browned butter since it kept climbing the sides and imminent doom was upon me. These rolls are delicious. The frosting was good - but even better on reheat. I zapped a roll for 45 and topped with the chilled frosting - oh so delicious. So if you have a kitchen scale, LOTS of butter, and willingness to read carefully... these are for you.

Brown Butter Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Brioche Dough
2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
250g whole milk, lukewarm
4 Tbsp (50g) sugar
565g all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
100g unsalted butter, at room temperature

Brown Butter
500g Unsalted Butter

Filling
250g Browned Unsalted Butter, spreadable texture, at room temperature (see notes)
375g dark brown sugar
3 Tbsp Cinnamon
Pinch of salt
½ tsp vanilla bean paste

Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
100g Browned Unsalted Butter, spreadable texture (see notes)
200g cream cheese, at room temperature
250g powdered sugar, sifted
½ tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla bean paste

BRIOCHE DOUGH
Place the lukewarm milk, 1 Tbsp of the sugar, and the yeast in a medium sized bowl, and stir to combine. Leave for 10-15 minutes, or until foamy.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, place the flour, salt, and remaining sugar, and mix briefly to combine.
Add the milk mixture, egg and vanilla to the dry ingredients, and mix on low for 2-3 minutes. Increase the speed of the mixer to medium, and mix for a further 5 minutes. Add the Lewis Road Creamery butter a little at a time, waiting until it is incorporated until adding the next piece. Mix for a further 7-10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and soft.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm place until doubled in size, 45 minutes to an hour. Alternatively you can do the first rise overnight in the fridge.

BROWN BUTTER FOR FILLING AND FROSTING
Place the butter in a medium saucepan, and place over medium heat. Cook until the butter has melted, and then continue to cook, swirling the pan often, until the butter foams and turns golden brown and nutty - this should take 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, allow to cool slightly, then transfer the bowl to the freezer and chill the butter until solid. Remove from the freezer and bring to room temperature, stirring often, until soft and spreadable.

FILLING AND ASSEMBLY
Line a quarter sheet pan or baking dish (9”x13” or 23cm x 33cm) with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the browned Lewis Road Creamery Butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla bean paste. Mix to combine.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and roll into a rectangle that is 24” x 16” (60cm x 40cm), squaring off the edges often as you roll. Spread with the brown butter filling mixture, ensuring the filling is spread evenly over the surface.
Starting with a long side, roll up into a tight spiral. Cut the log into two pieces and place them side by side on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Lightly cover the dough logs with plastic wrap, and transfer to the freezer for 20 minutes in order to firm up slightly (this helps give a neater cut). If you have chilled your dough overnight, you can skip this step if it feels like the rolls are going to hold together well.
Once the dough logs have chilled, remove from the fridge. Using a sharp knife, slice each log into 6 equal pieces (I like to use a ruler), and arrange on the prepared baking sheet or baking dish, evenly spacing between.
Lightly cover the pan with plastic wrap, and leave to rise for 45 minutes to an hour, or until puffy, and a small indentation is left when poked gently with your finger.
While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 350°f / 180°c.
Bake the rolls for 35 to 40 minutes, or until deeply golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 15 minutes or so before icing with the Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting.

BROWN BUTTER CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Place the chilled spreadable browned Lewis Road Creamery Butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until well combined. Add in the powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla bean paste, and whip until light and fluffy.
Spread onto the cinnamon rolls while they are still slightly warm.
Store leftover cinnamon rolls in an airtight container at room temperature. Rewarm in the microwave before serving.

NOTES
The quantity of the brown butter called for in the recipe is less than the quantity of butter called for making the brown butter. This is because the butter browning process cooks moisture off from the butter, so it therefore reduces in quantity. I have accounted for this in the recipe, so you will see 500g butter called for to make the butter, but only 350g worth of brown butter used in the filling and the frosting. This is not an error - I just accounted for moisture loss when calculating the initial quantity.