March 29, 2024

thebeerhousecafe

World's finest Food

Fluffy Gingerbread Rolls

Fluffy Gingerbread Rolls – A Cozy Kitchen

Fluffy Gingerbread Rolls are the ideal winter breakfast treat. A sweet and spicy, molasses-infused yeasted dough is rolled up with a gingerbread-inspired filling and topped with a vanilla cream cheese frosting. Plan on making the dough the night before and assembling them in the morning for freshly baked rolls!

Fluffy Gingerbread Rolls

GINGERBREAD ROLLS VS. REGULAR CINNAMON ROLLS

  • Replacing some of the milk with some molasses.
  • I adapted my cinnamon roll recipe and added less milk. The molasses took its place. 
  • A festive ginger spice blend, as well as molasses, added both to the dough and the filling evokes the traditional flavors of gingerbread. The added molasses makes the dough extra soft.
Fluffy Gingerbread Rolls

TRADITIONAL GINGERBREAD FLAVORS

Gingerbread can be everything from a cake to a cookie and can encompass flavors ranging from ginger to allspice to cloves to nutmeg to cinnamon, and some form of sweetness either from honey, sugar, or molasses. These rolls feature a combination of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice pulled together with sugar and molasses. They are jam-packed with spice because there’s nothing worse than gingerbread that’s bland and doesn’t have enough spice.  We went for balance so there’s a bit in the dough and some in the filling.

Fluffy Gingerbread Rolls on Plates

HOW TO MAKE FLUFFY GINGERBREAD ROLLS

  1. First, activate the yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer. 
  2. I like to pour the yeast into the warmed milk and 1 teaspoon of sugar and mix it in and allow it to sit until all foamy for about 8 minutes. If it’s not foamy, it’s not activated.
  3. While the yeast is activating, whisk together the flour, gingerbread spices, and kosher salt.
  4. To a small bowl, mix together the eggs, molasses, and vanilla, and then add that to the yeast mixture. Add the flour mixture and mix everything up on low until mostly combined. 
  5. Slowly add the cubes of butter until a smooth and elastic dough forms. Knead it on medium speed for about 5 to 7 minutes. If you’re doing this by hand, you can knead it on the counter for about 10  to 15 minutes.
  6. Transfer it to a greased bowl. If you want to use it right away, keep it out at room temperature, cover it with a clean towel, and let it rise for 1 1/2 hours. Alternatively, you can cover it and transfer it to the fridge to rise for 2 hours. 
  7. If you want to make it the next day, cover it and transfer it to the fridge and let it rise overnight.
  8. Make the filling by beating together the butter, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt.
  9. Roll the dough out into a 12-inch by 20-inch rectangle. And spread the filling out onto the dough. Roll it up and cut the dough into 2-inch slices. Place them in baking pans and allow them to rise again for about 1 hour.
  10. Bake them up! While they’re baking, make the glaze by beating together butter and cream cheese. Next, add the powdered sugar, vanilla, heavy cream, and salt. Beat for a full minute.
  11. Spread the frosting on the tops of the rolls and DONE!
Gingerbread Dough
Gingerbread Roll Log
Gingerbread Roll Cut

TIPS AND TRICKS

  • Use floss to cut the dough – After you add the filling to the top of the dough and roll it up, you’ll end up with a log that needs to be cut up. The easiest way to cut it up is using a string of floss. Use it to slice through the dough. It yields super clean cuts.
  • You could also cut the log in half and transfer them to the freezer to chill for 10 minutes. This will help with getting clean slices. It will take some additional time for the rolls to rise since they’ll be super cold.
  • Store the dough in the fridge overnight, covered with plastic wrap or a lid. You can roll out the dough the next day in order to assemble the rolls.
Gingerbread Rolls in Pan
Gingerbread Rolls