Cinnamon rolls and dinner rolls
My question is really only one question, but it seems to have a few parts that bring it to this one part. I know that a yarn is often helpful to some to better the understanding, so without further ado...
When I was younger, my family resided in a small town in South Carolina. There were few street lights, children rode horses to the local schools, and the area was not very populous or prosperous. We were happy with the things we did have, however. There was a restaurant along Main Street called Grandy's. This was mostly southern comfort and fried type foods, but one of the things they made exceptionally well was their Cinnamon Rolls. These were made fresh daily in the early morning. They were massive, light, fluffy, and delectable. Easily 4 inch square, from baking next to each other and 3 to 4 inches tall. They were made from a dough that had a soft, smoothness with a light sweetness. The inside was, I think, brown sugar with cinnamon and golden raisins. The top was glaze, much like that of a doughnut. I have been trying to replicate this softness for near 15 years, trying different recipes, flours, kneading more and less, proofing techniques... all seem to generate wonderful flavors and nice tight crumbs, but not the light fluffy softness. These were a triumph of flavor, sweetness, and delicious taste. This is a treat we would savor every morsel of. Eating it slowly to make it last longer, but wanting to eat it all and have more afterward. My family would be able to get a single dozen of them as a treat every few months. Since moving in 1990, I have not seen that restaurant ever again, nor been able to make anything close to their Cinnamon Rolls. Now, I have been complimented, and questioned for how I make my own many times, but they are not on the same level. I would say, the difference is a household cook making a familiar recipe versus a Pastry Chef with 3 decades of experience. They were not fancy to look at, no... but the taste could knock you off of your feet.
The only other places I have found a softness that could be a close match, would be the restaurant rolls at a steakhouse recently eaten at called Texas Roadhouse and the packaged dinner rolls from the King's Hawai'ian company that sells in the local grocer.
The parts are all lined up; the softness of the restaurant roll and King's roll, the touch of sweetness in a dinner roll, and the sizing. Even the part about the crumb of the finished piece. Ultimately, I am just hoping you can give me some tips in the industry I just don't know of.
Thank you for taking the time,
Samuel Wood
Comments
Hi Samuel - Cinnamon rolls are usually made from a rich brioche dough with a healthy amount of butter, milk, and eggs, which all contribute to the softness of the dough. In bread roll recipes I have developed over the years, I've found that using a portion of potato makes for a particularly soft, fluffy roll. This could come in the form of an actual mashed potato, dehydrated instant potato flakes, or potato starch. That’s because the starches in potatoes dilute the gluten-forming proteins, which weakens the structural network and makes it softer, moister, and more tender. I'd also recommend trying the tangzhong method. This Asian technique cooks a small percentage of the flour and liquid (water or milk) in a yeast recipe very briefly before combining the resulting thick slurry with the remaining ingredients. This pre-gelatinizes the starches in the flour, meaning they can absorb more water. The bread or rolls may rise higher, due to more water creating more internal steam (which makes bread rise in the oven — along with the carbon dioxide given off by the yeast). Additionally, having retained more water during baking, bread and rolls will be moister, and will stay soft and fresh longer. King Arthur has a great recipe for cinnamon rolls using this method which you can find here. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.
Using gelatinzed dough recipes will most certainly improve the moistness of a bread. The technique is actually Japanese, adapted and marketed as a Chinese technique. The Japanese term is yudane, which means something like "hot water seeding." Love giving credit where credit is due! ;)