Giant Family Cinnamon Roll Recipe | Apis Cera Candles
The only thing more delicious than cinnamon rolls? Why, a GIANT cinnamon roll of course! And guess what? It’s your lucky day because a giant cinnamon roll is just what I have in store for you.
In my usual procrastinatory fashion (you better believe I had to google procrastinatory just now to make sure it was the right adjective), I’d wanted to get this recipe out to you all before Christmas. That’s when we make this cinnamon roll. It’s truly the perfect morning for something so spectacular…think the breakfast present of Christmas morning! However, it’s equally delicious any other day and would be quite scrumptious to wake up to on a weekend morning.
I couldn’t tell you how this recipe originated. All I know is that we’ve been making it as long as I’ve been in my family, and it’s been tweaked and adjusted several times to accommodate each family member’s tastes. Nuts for Dad. No nuts for sister. You get the idea. What I do know is that everyone loves it, and it’s a fun twist on the classic cinnamon roll flavor we love.
So let’s get into some ooey gooey details of this giant cinnamon roll…
To start, you can use your own bread dough or sweet roll dough. We now make our dough from scratch, and I utilize my Bosch Universal Plus Mixer for making this dough. If you’re short on time, don’t fear. This bread dough is what we used for many years, and it turned out deliciously (found in the frozen section). I’m certain many other dough types could be substituted for equally delicious results.
If you’re going to make the dough, this is a recipe I’d recommend making the dough the night before. Otherwise, you need to get up early and plan for a couple hours in the kitchen. For either fresh or frozen bread dough, you’re going to want to let it rise before assembly so make sure to keep this in mind as you’re planning out your time.
Giant Cinnamon Roll Assembly:
Once the cinnamon roll dough has risen, we put this giant together in assembly line fashion. We prep melted butter, a cinnamon sugar mixture and a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. (You really don’t want to bake this without the parchment unless intense cookie sheet cleanup is your favorite hobby. Then by all means, go ahead.)
Once assembled, we let the cinnamon roll rise again for another 30-40 minutes then pop it into the oven for the bake. While it’s baking, you can mix together the cream cheese icing. I should warn you that my icing recipe makes quite a lot. We are icing fans in my family and love to have extra on the side to drizzle after cutting a slice. If you prefer just a light layer, you can cut the icing ingredients in half.
Once the cinnamon roll is baked, I usually give 10-15 minutes of resting time and then pour on the icing. After that, dig in because hot, melty and gooey is most definitely the way you want to eat this treasure.
Photo Details:
While this giant cinnamon roll is a twist on the traditional, it’s still the classic cinnamon roll flavor you love. If there’s one thing that’s equally as classic as a cinnamon roll, it’s candles. And there was no better way to photograph this cinnamon roll than to feature it alongside the most beautiful beeswax candles from Apis Cera.
I’ve followed the work of Apis Cera (which means beeswax in Latin) for a while now and have always loved the simple yet elegant beauty of the products they create. Owned and run by Charles van Valkenburg, the company’s mission is to return candles to their former glory. They make quality candles (and soaps) from entirely natural wax that is non-toxic, non-carcinogenic and non-polluting and also naturally aromatic.
Featured in my photos are the Lucienne candles and the Ambroise candles. They are beautifully made and my favorite candles to date. For more information on Apis Cera and to learn more about their process, visit their blog and Instagram. See below for more photos of the stunning candles they make.
Giant Family Cinnamon Roll
Ingredients
For the cinnamon roll dough:
- 2 1/2 cups hot water (115-120 degrees)
- 5 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1/4 cup honey or pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp instant yeast
- 1 tbsp salt
For the cinnamon roll filling:
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup sugar
- 4-6 tsp cinnamon
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 1 package cream cheese, softened (8 oz)
- 1 1/2 cups powdered/confectioners' sugar
- 2 tbsp milk
Instructions
For the cinnamon roll dough:
- ***Please note that I make this dough in a Bosch Universal Plus Mixer that has specific mixing times. Making this dough by hand or in another mixer will cause the kneading times to vary.
- 1) Using a stand mixer with a dough hook attached, pour in the hot water. Add 4 cups of flour followed by the oil, honey and yeast. Pulse the mixer a few times to gently incorporate the ingredients and prevent a flour "cloud". (If doing by hand, this is not a concern.) Once roughly incorporated, turn the mixer to medium and combine ingredients until well mixed.
- 2) Once ingredients are well combined, continue to add 1-2 cups of flour and mix on low until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Don't take too long to mix in the final amounts of flour as the gluten can begin to break down creating a very sticky dough and dense bread. It's better to add slightly less flour than too much.
- 3) After the sides of the bowl come clean, return the mixer to medium speed and knead for 5-6 minutes until gluten is developed (7-10 minutes if kneading by hand). You can check the development of gluten by breaking off a golf-ball sized piece of dough and slowly streching between your fingers. If you can stretch your dough to translucent thinness without tearing, gluten has formed.)
- 4) After kneading, pour dough into a greased bowl and let rise until doubled in size (30 minutes-1 hour). You can also place your dough in the frige overnight if preparing for the following day. If using frozen bread dough loaves, pull out two loaves to thaw overnight in the fridge.
Assembly:
- 1) Prepare your assembly station. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper (you do not want to skip the parchment as the sugar from the cinnamon roll will melt and caramelize on the bottom of the pan creating messy cleanup). In a medium bowl, melt 1 stick of unsalted butter. In another medium bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. You can add more or less cinnamon depending on preference.
- 2) Once your dough has doubled in size (or the morning after it has been the fridge), pour out onto a floured surface and cut into 4 equal pieces. (If using frozen bread dough, cut each loaf lengthwise into 2 equal slices.) Take each piece and roll into a 16-18" log.
- 3) After logs are formed, take each log, one at a time, dipping into the butter and cinnamon sugar bowls respectively, ensuring each log is coated well. Begin to create the giant cinnamon roll by taking the first log and rolling it into a spiral in the center of the cookie sheet. For each consecutive log, connect it to the previous spiral by simply pinching and tucking the ends together. Make sure they are pinched well so they do not separate in the oven. Continue this method with all 4 logs until a giant spiral is formed.
- 4) Pour the remaining butter and cinnamon sugar mixture on top of the cinnamon roll. Let the cinnamon roll rise in a warm location for another 30-40 minutes. After the second rise, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake cinnamon roll for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
For the cream cheese icing:
- 1) Blend all ingredients in a bowl, adding additional milk if needed to reach desired consistency. Drizzle/pour cream cheese icing over warm cinnamon roll.
linda
Is the dough recipe used for individual cinnamon rolls or only the giant one;
Bekah
Hi Linda! I haven’t used it for individual cinnamon rolls, but I think you could although I haven’t tried it. I’ve just used it for the big one so far!