Cinnamon Rolls

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1
  Crumble the yeast into a mug with cold milk and let it soften for a minute.
• 2
  Measure flour, sugar, and salt into a bowl and mix with a whisk. Stir the milk with the yeast, as it will have settled at the bottom, and pour into the flour mixture. Add the egg and start working the dough. Once everything looks like coarse crumbs, add the cold butter cut into cubes in two or three batches. Knead by hand or in a stand mixer until the dough is soft, smooth, and non-sticky – this will take about 5 minutes in a mixer, or about 10 minutes by hand.
• 3
  Prepare the filling: mix softened butter with sugar and cinnamon and stir with a wooden spoon or beat in a stand mixer until a slightly fluffy and well-combined mixture forms. The better you cream the butter with sugar and cinnamon, the easier it will be to spread on the dough.
• 4
  Divide the kneaded dough into two halves. Gradually roll out both into a thin rectangle, approximately 35 x 25 cm, and immediately spread each with half of the sweet cinnamon butter. Roll up the spread sheet from the long side into a log. Place the log seam-side down and cut it first in half, then into quarters, and finally each quarter into three equal pieces. Place them cut-side up at equal intervals on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You should be able to arrange them perfectly in a 6x4 layout. Try to work quickly so the dough doesn't get too warm.
• 5
  Carefully cover the baking sheet with the rolls with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight. The ideal proofing temperature is around 5-6 degrees, which will allow the dough to rise gently but not overproof. The exact time doesn't matter; you can leave the dough to proof in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours, whatever suits your schedule.
• 6
  The next day, start preheating the oven to 210 degrees Celsius without convection. Remove the baking sheet from the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap, and let it stand at room temperature for 15-20 minutes. The oven will heat up nicely in the meantime and won't lose heat when you open it.
• 7
  Crack the egg into a bowl, add a tablespoon of cold water, and whisk thoroughly with a fork. Brush the proofed rolls with this mixture just before baking using a pastry brush or feather.
• 8
  Place in the oven, roughly in the middle position (definitely not too high near the top heating element), and bake for 15 minutes, or until the rolls have increased in volume and are beautifully golden brown on top.