Chinese 5 Spice Rolls

Yeah, my daydreams look like this.

*sigh*

These are pretty much cinnamon rolls with a Charleston Spice Co. twist.

If you have ever wanted to make Cinnamon Rolls I urge you to follow that dream! People will tell you that cinnamon rolls are hard to make and just not worth the effort.

But they’re worth it.

The only hard part is planning ahead, these beauties take time.

Lucky for you, most of that time is not active time, unless you want to sit around and watch dough rise.

So grab life by the dough, roll it, paint it with Chinese 5 Spice, bake it, and smother it with cream cheese frosting.

Live your sweetest dreams.

Here’s what ya need, this recipe is from FoodieCrush with only very minor tweeks like, uh, using Chinese 5 Spice instead of cinnamon:

For  the dough

4 large eggs, at room temp

3/4 cup whole milk, warm (100-110ºF)

1/4 cup honey

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/4 teaspoon instant or active dry yeast

2 teaspoons salt

10 tablespoons butter, room temp, cut into 1 inch pieces

For filling

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 heaping tablespoon Chinese 5 Spice

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons of butter, melted and cooled

For icing

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp

4 ounces cream cheese, room temp

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 tablespoons Ginger Sugar, optional

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup powdered sugar

Part One

Grease a large bowl and set aside. In a liquid measuring cup combine milk, eggs, and honey.

In your electric mixer with the paddle attachment, combine flour, yeast, and salt ~ stir on low to combine. Add milk mixture and stir on low to combine. Slowly add butter one piece at a time. Once all the butter is added increase the speed to medium and beat until the pieces are all incorporated. Transfer the dough to your prepared bowl.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes. Uncover, place your fingers underneath the dough and gently pull the dough up and back over onto itself. Turn the bowl and repeat this folding action again about 6 to 8 times. Cover the bowl and let rise another 30 mins. Repeat the folding three more times for a total rise time of 2 hours. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 72 hours.

Part Two

On a floured surface knead the dough 10 to 12 times. Shape it into a ball, sprinkle a little flour over top, cover with a tea towel and allow to come to room temperature.

Grease a 9×13 inch pan. In a small bowl combine brown sugar, Chinese 5 Spice, and salt.

Roll out your dough into a 16 x 12 inch rectangle. Paint the dough with your melted butter and sprinkle on the Chinese 5 Spice mix. starting on the long side roll the dough up into a tight cylinder. Position the dough seam side down and cut into pieces with a sharp knife or scissors. I cut mine into 11 pieces and thought they were a decent size. The fewer pieces you cut the larger your rolls, so listen to your heart. Place your pieces in the prepared ban, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Remove the plastic wrap and bake rolls for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating halfway through until they are golden.

While the rolls are baking make your icing: In the bowl of your stand mixer beat butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla, ginger sugar, and salt and mix on low to combine. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low to combine. Scrape down the sides and mix until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove the rolls from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Add a thin layer of icing to the rolls while they are warm so that it drips into all the cracks. Top with more icing and serve while still warm or even just at room temp! They will be great one to two days after baking if you manage to have a few left over after the first day.

Stay sweet,

Charleston Spice Co.

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