Overnight cinnamon rolls

veryone seems to have their own idea of what the perfect cinnamon roll is: For some it's about the raisins, for others the ratio of dough to icing, for still others maybe it's about the nuts--lots of pecans or none at all...

After searching extensively online and in various cookbooks for the cinnamon roll to suit my needs, I eventually ended up combining a little of this, a little of that, and managed to mix together what is, for me, a perfect cinnamon roll: No raisins, a powdered sugar glaze rather than cream cheese frosting, and a dough that is a buttery beauty but not too puffy or gooey.

I've seen many recipes that look mighty similar all over the internet, but nothing exactly like this one to link to (famous last words, of course. Let me know if you believe I've ripped off YOUR recipe.).

The other bonus of these rolls: They freeze beautifully for future breakfasts. I was prompted to post today because of the lovely breakfast husband and I enjoyed with a couple of cinnamon rolls pulled from the freezer. I defrosted them briefly in the microwave and then further warmed them in the oven. Delightful.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
makes 12

Dough
1 cup milk
1/3 cup butter
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/2 cup white sugar
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat and it didn't weigh it down at all)
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs

Filling
1 1/3 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

Glaze
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons (or more) whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Stir in butter until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well. Add eggs and the milk mixture; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, adding more flour as needed, about 5 minutes.

Cover the dough and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together filling ingredients.

Roll out dough into a 9×12 inch rectangle. Spread dough evenly with filling mixture. Roll up dough from the long end and pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 equal size rolls and place cut side up in a 9×12″ baking pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, remove cinnamon rolls from refrigerator and let sit on the counter for about 30 minutes to take the chill off. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until browned. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together glaze ingredients, adding more milk to thin glaze, if necessary. Remove rolls from oven, and pour glaze over hot cinnamon rolls. Serve warm.