1/3cupsalted butter, or add a pinch of salt to the dough if using unsalted butter
1TablespoonActive Dry or Instant yeast
1largeegg
3cupsall-purpose flour
Filling:
1/2cupbrown sugar
2Tablespoonsall-purpose flour
4teaspoonscinnamon
6Tablespoonsbutter, cold, cut into 6 pieces
Glaze:
1cupicing/confectioners' sugar
3Tablespoonsbutter, melted
3Tablespoonsmaple syrup
1-2teaspoonsmilk, to thin a bit, as necessary
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Instructions
Warm the milk, maple syrup and butter in the microwave for about 1 minute or in a small saucepan on the stove-top until just hot. Set aside to cool to about 110F (comfortably warm, but not hot). If you have a thermometer, check the temperature to be sure.
Add the yeast to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a kneading hook. Pour in the milk/syrup and stir to combine. Add the egg and mix in. Add 2 cups of the flour and mix/knead until you have a wet dough with all the flour mixed in. Begin adding in the last cup of flour, a bit at a time, kneading until you have a soft, smooth dough that is moist, but not tacky. If using a stand mixer, remove from mixer and knead on the counter a bit, adding addition flour, if needed.
Form the dough into a ball. Place into a greased bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until doubled, about 2 hours.
When dough has almost doubled, prepare the filling by stirring together the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in small bowl. Add the butter pieces and using a fork, work the butter into the cinnamon-sugar mixture, until all the dry mixture is moistened (no dry mix visible) and you have a crumb mixture. Set aside.
Grease a 9-inch square baking pan and set aside. (Alternately a 10-inch round would work).
Remove dough to a floured work surface. Roll dough into an 11x17-inch rectangle. Sprinkle the filling mixture evenly over the dough. Staring on the LONG (17-inch) side, roll the dough up jelly-roll style. Pinch the seam together and place the log onto a cutting board, seam side down.
Trim 1/2-inch from each end of the log, leaving a 16-inch log. Use a tape measure or ruler to score 1-inch intervals along the log, then cut the log into 1-inch slices. Place the sliced rolls into your prepared pan in 4 rows of 4. Cover the pan with a clean tea towel and set aside to rise for an additional 30 minutes. (After 30 minutes, they will only rise a bit more, but the dough will look puffy).
Preheat oven to 375F.
Bake rolls in preheated oven for 20-15 minutes, or until quite golden. Remove from oven and set baking pan on a cooling rack to cool completely.
When rolls have cooled, prepare glaze by stirring together the glaze ingredients until smooth. Pour over rolls, then use the back of a spoon to spread the glaze round and over all the rolls.
Rolls are best enjoyed on the day they are baked. Left-overs can be frozen to enjoy later.
Notes
These rolls are made with quite an enriched dough, meaning that it has an egg and a good amount of butter in it. These things make for lots of great flavour and texture in the finished rolls, but the downside is that they don't tend to stay fresh as long as a lesser-enriched dough. So ... enjoy them the day you bake them or if you can't eat them all right up, wrap well and freeze to enjoy later.This dough is a slow riser. The first rise will probably take 2 hours. After forming, they will only rise an additional 30 minutes. During the second rise, they won't grow substantially, but will a bit and the dough will be a bit puffy. They will rise much more once they get in the oven!Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe Card, where I share some valuable tips, options, substitutions and variations for this recipe!