Rich, gooey, and delicious! The flavors of the rum chata compliment my take on a traditional cinnamon roll.
Ingredients
Warm milk: This needs to be between 110-115 F. Microwave until it reaches this point. Milk will make the dough richer than water.
Yeast: I used active dry yeast which needs to be activated prior. You could easily swap out instant yeast as well. 2 and 1/4 tsp of yeast is the same as a .25 ounce package.
Salt: This is going to stabilize the growth of your yeast.
Flour: I personally think all purpose flour works best. Some people swear by bread flour, but I think it makes it too chewy.
Eggs: You will use one whole egg and one egg yolk. The egg yolk makes the dough enriched but also keeps the dough wet because too much egg white will dry out the dough.
Granulated sugar: There’s a good amount of sugar in the dough to not only feed the yeast, but makes the dough sweet!
Unsalted Butter: Adding fat to a yeast dough will make it enriched, but it will also slow down the growth time because it weighs it down. Unsalted butter will be the best fat to use and taste the best.
Making the Dough Tips:
- All ingredients should be relatively warm. The eggs should be taken out 30 minutes prior to come to room temperature. The melted butter should be somewhat cool. This helps make sure the yeast will grow in the adequate temperature.
- Always add flour slowly so that it is well incorporated. I added about 3.5 cups of the flour and then kneaded the next 1/2 cup in.
- If mixing by hand, use a rubber spatuala to mix everything together.
- Knead 6-8 minutes by hand or until it reaches a point where you can push into the dough and it springs back slightly. If mixed with a stand mixer, it should take less than 5 minutes.
I really enjoyed using brown sugar for my filling. You can play it up by using granulated sugar. By melting the butter and combining it with the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture made it really easy to spread throughout the dough.
Roll up the dough hot dog style (lol do people still say that?)
Slice dough into 12 slices with either a chef’s knife or you can also use dental floss (make sure it’s non minty!)
For the 2nd rise, put it in a greased 12 inch cast iron. Let rise for about 45 minutes until it’s puffed out again.
You can also use a 13 by 9 pan. I think it looks nicer in the skillet!
Once puffed, add your cream/rum chata mixture on top. This will create a richer dough, and then you will be able to taste the rum chata within the dough!
This will bake through! I promise 🙂
It will pop out of the skillet once cooled.
I really went back and forth with what’s best. Cream cheese frosting or normal glaze. The people I had asked unanimously said cream cheese! I like this recipe because you can thin it out as you see fit. You can also play around with the ratio of cream cheese and unsalted butter.
Do you have a preference? Leave a comment!
Cast Iron Rum Chata Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 1/3 unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup warm milk 110-115 F
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 4 cups all purpose flour
Brown Sugar Mixture Filling
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1.5 tbsp ground cinnamon
For Pouring Over Rolls Before Baking
- 1/4 cup rum chata
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
Cream Cheese Rum Chata Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter softened
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup rum chata
Instructions
- Melt 1/3 cup unsalted butter in saucepan. Let cool.
- Mix warm milk and yeast together. Stir together and wait for it to bloom.
- In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 tsp salt, cooled melted butter, and yeast mixture. Add eggs one at a time.
- Add 3.5 cups flour slowly. Once you are able to touch the dough without it sticking too much to your hands, you are good.
- Use remaining 1/2 cup flour to flour your surface. Knead dough for 6-8 minutes until smooth ball.
- Grease a large bowl with oil. Oil your dough ball. let rise in warm place until doubles in size; 1-2 hours.
- Once doubled in size, punch down dough to redistribute growth. Roll out dough to a 15x10 rectangle. Spread brown sugar mixture filling over dough. Roll dough lengthwise. Cut into 12 rolls.
- Grease 12 inch cast iron skillet. Put rolls on skillet. Cover, let rise another 45 minutes.
- Mix together 1/4 cup rum chata and 1/4 cup heavy cream. Set aside until ready to bake.
- Once risen for a 2nd time, add rum chata cream mixture. Bake at 375 for 22-24 minutes. Once slightly cooled, put frosting on top.
Filling Instructions
- Melt 6 tbs unsalted butter. Mix with brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside until ready to roll.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Mix together softened cream cheese, softened butter, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl until completely combined and smooth. Mix in powdered sugar until fully blended. Add rum chata, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture reaches a pourable, but still thick, consistency.