Apple Pie Stuedel Cinnamon Rolls

These make the softest, fluffiest cinnamon rolls.

We use all the common hacks to ensure soft rolls:

• Tangzhong
• Oil instead of just butter
• Greek yogurt
• Baking soda and baking powder to give the yeast a little help

While butter has a better taste than oil, the use of oil results in a roll that stays fresh longer, and the receipe still uses butter, but the main fat source is oil.

Dough

This dough is part brioche, with the addition of baking soda and baking powder to give the yeast a little bigger boost.

Dough Ingredients

• Tangzhong

  • 1/2 cup (120 g) milk, whole preferred
  • 3 tbsp (24g) bread flour

• Dough

  • 5/8 cup (150g) whole milk, warmed to 105-110°F (40-43°C)
  • 1/4 cup (50g) packed brown sugar
  • 3 1/8 tsp (9-10g) active dry yeast
  • 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp (90g) fat-free Greek yogurt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp + 1 tsp (30g) vegetable oil (avocado preferred)
  • 4 1/2 cups (540g) bread flour total, including tangzhong flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp (9g) salt
  • 4 tbsp (56g) butter, softened and cut into small pieces
  • 3/4 tsp (3g) baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp (1.2g) baking soda

Making the dough

1. Make the tangzhong

   Whisk 120 g (1/2 cup) milk and 24 g (3 tbsp) bread flour in a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth. Remove from heat and cool to about room temperature.

2. Activate the yeast

   Warm 150 g (5/8 cup) milk to 105-110°F (40-43°C). Stir in 50 g (1/4 cup packed) brown sugar. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand 5-10 minutes until foamy.

3. Add wet ingredients

   Add the activated milk/yeast mixture to the bowl, followed by the cooled tangzhong, oil, Greek yogurt, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Mix briefly at low speed until combined.

4. Add flour to the liquids

   Combine the remaining bread flour with the salt. With the mixer running at low speed, begin adding the flour mixture gradually to the liquids. Start with about 475-490 g of the 516 g available for the main dough. Allow each addition to hydrate before adding more. Once a soft, shaggy dough forms, stop adding flour and reserve the remainder.

5. Develop the initial gluten

   Increase to a moderate kneading speed and let the roller work the dough for about 6-8 minutes. The dough should become smoother, elastic, and increasingly cohesive. It may remain tacky. Do not add flour simply because some dough adheres to the bowl. A small piece should stretch substantially before tearing, although a perfect windowpane is not required yet.

6. Add the softened butter

   Add 56-57 g (1/4 cup / 4 tbsp) softened butter a few small pieces at a time. Let each addition become substantially incorporated before adding more. Continue kneading about 4-7 minutes after all the butter is incorporated.

7. Final windowpane test

   Stretch a small piece of dough gently. It should form a thin, translucent membrane without immediately tearing. If it tears easily, continue kneading another 1-2 minutes and test again. The finished dough should be soft, smooth, elastic, extensible, and slightly tacky.

8. Add baking powder and baking soda

   After the final windowpane is achieved, sprinkle 3 g (3/4 tsp) baking powder and 1.2 g (1/4 tsp) baking soda evenly over the dough. Mix at low speed only long enough to distribute them, about 30-60 seconds. Avoid prolonged kneading after this addition.

First rise

Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

Let rise until doubled in size.

Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, this may take 45-60 minutes (it took 45 minutes in mine)

Filling

This is an apple pie enspired filling, but tailored to a cinnamon roll dough.

Apple Pie Filling Ingredients

• 4 medium apples, about 675 g / 1 1/2lb, peeled, cored, and diced small
• 6 tbsp butter
• 3/4 cup 150 g packed brown sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice, optional
• 3/8 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tbsp 12 g cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tbsp 22 ml water

Making the filling

1. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt, and lemon juice. Cook for about 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are just tender but still hold their shape.

2. Mix the cornstarch and water, stir it into the apples, and cook another 1–2 minutes until thick and glossy. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

3. Once cooled, set 1/3 of the filling aside and place the remaining 2/3 in a food processor then pulse 3-4 times to make the apple pieces smaller, which will make rolling much easier.

Important: Let the filling cool completely before spreading it over your cinnamon-roll dough. A warm or runny filling makes rolling and cutting much harder.

Streusel topping

You can use a caramel topping, but I prefer a streusel topping to avoid competing with the apple pie flavor.

Streusel ingredients

• 1/4 cup (30 g) flour
• 3 tbsp (17 g) packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• dash nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp (19 g) butter, cold and cubed
• 3 tbsp (17g) old-fashioned rolled oats

Making the streusel topping

1. Combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Using a food processor, pulse the ingredients 4-5 times until you get pea-sized pieces of butter.

2. Add oats and pulse 1-2 more times until distributed.

3. Refrigerate until the final rise of the rolls.

Assemble the rolls

1. After the first rise of the dough, place on a work surface and roll into a rectangle 12" by 18".

2. Spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2" edge on the far side.

3. Starting from an 18" side, roll tightly into a log. Pinch the seam closed and cut into 12 equal rolls, about 1 1/2" each. Arrange in a greased 9" x 13" pan, and then cover.

Final rise

For the final rise, you have two choices:

1. Immediately

2. Overnight (this is what I typically do)

Immediate rise

Proof about 20-30 minutes. A lightly floured finger pressed about 1/2" into a roll should spring back slowly while leaving a slight indentation. Immediate spring-back means more time; no spring-back may indicate over-proofing.

Overnight rise

Place the covered pan in the refrigerator overnight, no longer than 16 hours.

Remove pan from the refrigerator, and let rise until the finger test (above) is passed, usually around 45-60 minutes (45 minutes in my kitchen).

Add struesel, remaining filling, and cream

Once the final rise is done, pour about 6 tbsp of heavy cream around the edges and in between the rolls. Divide the remaining apple pie filling evenly between the rolls, then divide the struesel topping evenly between the rolls.

Bake the rolls

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

• Bake, uncovered for 10 minutes, then loosely place foil over the top of the pan to prevent over browning.

• Continue to bake until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of a roll reads between 185-190, approxmiately another 20-30 minutes.

• Remove from oven, remove foil, and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.