Ultimate Cinnamon Roll Showdown - Triple Tested #2

My fellow Steemians,

This was the most delicious research I will ever do. Oven fresh, homemade cinnamon rolls.

I’m salivating just thinking about it.

There is a plethora of recipes for cinnamon rolls on the internet. But how do you know which one is worth your time? I picked three recipes from the first page of results, made them all and compared them. The findings were delicious.

Let’s start with the contenders for this showdown:

Recipe #1 - Cinnabons Cinnamon Rolls
http://www.jocooks.com/bakery/breads/cinnabons-cinnamon-rolls/

Recipe #2 - Cinnamon Rolls
http://chefmichaelsmith.com/recipe/cinnamon-rolls/

Recipe #3 - Cinnamon Roll Recipe
https://addapinch.com/cinnamon-rolls-recipe/

These recipes were all similar in process and ingredients — to a certain extent. However each one brings something to the table. Recipe one set the bar, recipe two mixed things up by using brown sugar and vanilla extract in the dough and recipe three swapped out regular, boring salt for kosher salt. There was not a disappointing roll in the bunch. But which was the most effective specimen?

These came out looking amazing, large with a nice golden colour. There were no complaints with texture. They were tender and very light. However the flavours weren’t balanced. The dough had zero flavour and the filling was a 10 on the cinnamon scale. It was so intense it verged on bitter. Still a good eat, especially when paired with the cream cheese frosting. Very yummy.

This contender used the smallest quantity of cinnamon. And I’m curious if that was the reason the filling oozed out more easily from the rolls. They came out of the oven with a sugary glaze of sorts on the bottom from the filling oozing during the baking process. It was also noticeable while slicing the dough into rolls that the filling was messier. As well as being messy it did not pack a flavour punch. These rolls were a delicious, sweet treat but they didn’t really taste like cinnamon. The dough had a nice, sweet flavour which probably contributed to the overall taste significantly. Again no complaints about texture, moist and tender. These will make a nice treat but if you’re looking to be slapped in the face by cinnamon then skip these ones.

The dough for these came out tender and moist with a hint of sweetness. This was paired with a balanced cinnamon filling. They came out looking gorgeous.

For me there was a clear winner of this showdown: Recipe #3

It was the perfect balance of flavours. The filling tasted sweetly of cinnamon and the dough was delicious even without the cinnamon or frosting’s help. I think this might be attributed to the fact it had more butter per cup of flour and it called for more salt. It all came together to make the ultimate cinnamon roll! And if you like the cinnamon to have more attitude I would recommend going with this recipe and just adding another half tablespoon to the filling recipe.

These delicious beasts are not for the faint of heart. Here are bits of wisdom I gleaned from my experience:

• The recipe may not tell you to, but let your eggs come to room temperature. They’ll mix in with the warm butter and milk much easier.
• If the recipe calls for dry active yeast (and not instant yeast) look to see if it tells you the temperature to warm your milk to. If it doesn’t then do your yeast research before proofing. If the liquid is too cool or too hot your yeast won’t be happy.
• Don’t just scan the recipe before beginning, READ IT. And then read it again! More than once I found myself part way through a step and either unsure how they wanted me to proceed or second guessing something I had done in a previous step.
• When it came to rolling out the dough parchment paper was my best friend. It made for easy work and clean up.
• Rolling your dough log tightly is harder than it looks. Take the time to do it right.
• Also slicing to the correct number of rolls is tricky, don’t take this step lightly.
• Oh and the recipe might reference using dental floss to slice your rolls. I tried twice and couldn’t get this to work. A sharp knife and patience will get the job done.

Every recipe I tested was a bit vague in the instructions and even on my third go around I was still doubting myself. If you’re attempting these alone as an inexperienced baker you might have a trying time. Just don’t rush, do all of your research before you’re ready to begin and take it step by step. The rewards will be scrumptious.

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Written by Robin Luis with Photography by Shane Luis