"Fluffy" does not even begin to convey how giant, pillowy soft, light, and airy these cinnamon rolls are.
For starters, the dough rose above and beyond expectations. Literally. It began as one of the softest, most pliable, most delightful-to-knead doughs I have ever handled, and then had a growth spurt worthy of being recorded in the book of Guinness World Records.
Upon punching down the dough and assembling the rolls, I put them in the pan...and a few minutes later they had expanded again before my eyes.
Taking our first bites of the rolls the next morning, my family exploded with comments about how fluffy they were. "And that would be the whopping two tablespoons of yeast at work" was my reply. More yeast than I've ever seen in a cinnamon roll recipe, but it definitely works.
These rolls are the closest I've ever come to my ideal cinnamon roll: easy to make but sweet and beyond soft. I'd rather eat no cinnamon roll than a dense one with a hard crust on top. The best cinnamon roll I ever ate was while we were camping a few years ago. From a Mennonite shop, they were ginormous, pillowy soft, and so sweet. They were perfect in every way except that, upon looking at the package, I saw that they were made of a potato dough, which does not meet the "easy to make" criteria. So, now the search is over; I cannot imagine finding a better recipe than this one.
Not only is the dough practically perfect, but so is the frosting (in my opinion). It is not your average cinnamon roll frosting--what with all the almond extract, nuts, and cream--but it is absolutely divine.
That said, my brother and dad said that the only thing that could make these rolls better was a plain buttercream or cream cheese frosting. Sigh. But as long as I do the baking, I get to control the flavoring, amiright?
You may be wondering about the "Trilogy" part of the title. I was too, at first. These are the cinnamon rolls that are served on the Trilogy cruise ships. They have posted their
original recipe on their website, but the recipe I used from
Crazy for Crust is a bit easier, but is based closely off Trilogy's recipe.
By the way, apologies for the pictures. They do not do justice to these rolls! I had to use my iPhone because of camera problems.
I am dying to try my own versions of these rolls. Think of all the filling options: chocolate, lemon, strawberry, blueberry and cinnamon, mocha, maple, apple pie... Can't wait to start!
Fluffy Trilogy Cinnamon Rolls
Makes: about 24-27 rolls
Ingredients:
Dough:
1 1/2 cups warm water (~100-110ºF)
2 Tbs. active dry yeast
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
5 cups all-purpose flour
Filling:
6 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup brown sugar
2-4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Icing:
1/2 cup finely chopped Macadamia nuts (or your favorite nut)
6 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. lemon extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. heavy whipping cream
Make the dough:
1. In the large bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached, put warm water and sprinkle yeast, sugar, and salt over it. Give it a quick mix with a wooden spoon, then let sit for 5 minutes until frothy.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and oil. Add egg mixture and 1 cup of flour to the yeast mixture. Stir with dough hook while slowly adding the remaining 4 cups of flour.
3. Mix with dough hook for 5-10 more minutes until dough is elastic. It will be soft and a bit sticky. Remove to a lightly floured surface, and knead a few times until dough is no longer sticky. Place dough in an oiled bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap, and let rest in a warm place until doubled in size.
4. Grease three 9"x9" pans or two 9"x13" pans.
5. Punch down dough and split into two balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into a 12"x15" rectangle.
6. Spread each rectangle with melted butter, and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon to taste. Alternatively, mix sugar and cinnamon into melted butter and spread on with a spoon.
7. Roll dough lengthwise, as tightly as possible. Pinch edges to seal.
8. Cut rolls into 1-inch pieces and place in pan so that they are just touching.
9. Either: Let rise for 20-30 minutes, until doubled in size, then bake. OR Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator overnight. Let come to room temperature before baking.
10. Bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes.
Make the icing:
1. In a small bowl with a hand mixer, beat butter and powdered sugar until combined. Add extracts, salt, and whipping cream, beating until smooth.
2. Sprinkle nuts on baked cinnamon rolls, then spread on icing. Serve.
3. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Unbaked, unfrosted rolls can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Recipe from: http://www.crazyforcrust.com/2016/06/famous-trilogy-cinnamon-rolls/
Original Trilogy recipe: http://www.www.sailtrilogy.com/pages/recipes.php
