Vanilla Cinnamon Rolls

Dough

• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup Heilala Vanilla Sugar
• 4 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tsp active dry yeast
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (divided)
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

Filling

• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 115g butter (6 tbsp)
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Heilala Vanilla Icing

• ¼ cup cream cheese
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp Heilala Vanilla Bean Paste
• ½ cup icing sugar

Dough

1. Whisk together warm milk, Heilala Vanilla Sugar, and melted butter. Sprinkle yeast over the milk mixture and stir. Allow mixture to sit in a warm place for 10 minutes until foamy.
2. Add 2 cups of the flour to the milk mixture and stir until combined. Cover with plastic wrap, put bowl in a warm place and allow to rise for 1 hour until doubled in size. Meanwhile make the filling.

Filling

1. Mix together the brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Assembly and baking

1. Butter a 23cm round baking pan.
2. Remove plastic wrap from the dough bowl and add the remaining ½ cup of flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir well and tip dough out onto a floured surface. Knead dough for 10 minutes adding flour as necessary until it is smooth, elastic, and bounces back when poked lightly. Try to use the least amount of flour as possible.
3. Roll the dough into a 1cm thick rectangle. Sharpen the edges with a spatula or bench scraper. Try your best to make the dough as even as possible.
4. Spread the filling evenly over the dough.
5. Start rolling the dough from the short end into a log. Pinch the seam. Carefully adjust the log until it looks to be an even thickness. Place seam-side down.
6. Cut the log with a very sharp serrated knife into 6 even-sized pieces.
7. Arrange cinnamon rolls in the prepared cake pan, one in the center and 5 around the edge. Cover with plastic wrap and put in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes.
8. Preheat oven to 180°C.
9. Remove plastic wrap and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Meanwhile make the vanilla bean icing by whisking together cream cheese, butter, milk, Heilala vanilla bean paste, and icing sugar until smooth.
10. While still warm, drizzle the Heilala vanilla icing evenly over the cinnamon rolls.