Espresso Rolls
Prep time: 5 Hours (5 inactive)
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 6
Last week, I, like pretty much everyone who’s ever been hungry, had a dangerously powerful craving for a steaming, spicy cinnamon roll to burn my mouth with. But, like with a lot of dishes I felt kinda bored with the traditional flavor profile of the cinnamon roll, which while good, has not been altered or changed in my house and many since its inception. Now, I’d never ever suggest anything like these are better than the OG cinnamon rolls, but the I’d say these can go toe-to-toe with any Cinnabon or Pillsbury equivalent; and that’s a compliment, Cinnabon and Pillsbury are giants in the world of unethical breakfast choices. That being said, I came up with the best flavor pairing I’ve had in weeks: Black Sesame and Espresso
Don’t let the black sesame fool you into thinking this is an Asian styled dish. The black sesame only serves to deepen the aroma of the coffee, and makes this a dark, rich bundle of cardiac arrest. Also, this recipe can also be adapted for a Mocha Roll by substituting the sesame with some cacao powder, sugar, and chopped chocolate, but I wanted to try something experimental for this recipe. You can also totally flavor the frosting, I was thinking matcha or chocolate or maple but I kept it simple as there was a ton happening with this recipe already. Now, if you’re normal and don’t have 5 hours to kill for these rolls, the sesame filling is more than worth it to put in the premade cans, or even as a topping for other sweets.
Also, pro tip: the best way to eat the cinnamon roll is to peel the outer layers towards the center, which is the softest and has the highest filling ratio attached to it, and is therefore the best part. Now, never let me catch y’all with a fork and knife in front of your cinnamon rolls
The Recipe:
Ingredients:
Espresso Rolls
¾ stick of butter (6 oz or 160g), softened
16 Oz of bread flour (454g)
½ Cup of white sugar
1 ½ - 2 Tbsp instant espresso powder (I use 3 Tbsp but you should make healthier choices)
1 Large egg
1 pack of instant yeast (¼ oz or 7g)
Just less than ½ cup buttermilk (7 oz)
1 Tsp salt
Extra butter for brushing
(Optional) ½ -1 Cup heavy cream
Sesame Filling
½ Cup black sesame seeds
3/4 cup brown sugar
Pinch of salt
(Optional) 1 Tbsp pure sesame oil
Frosting
⅜ Cup of butter softened
¼ Cup cream cheese
1 ½ Cups powdered sugar
Milk
The Process:
Espresso Rolls
Beat together the white sugar, salt and butter until fluffy and whipped before adding an egg, beating together too.
Mix together the coffee and buttermilk until barely dissolved or at least evenly dispersed
Add the buttermilk, flour, and instant yeast until combined and knead until mostly smooth.
It’ll probably be sticky by the end of it, but holds together, passes the ‘windowpane’ test, and really fun to play with
Proof for 2 hours or until doubled in size
Oil work surface, knead lightly and roll out into a rectangle about 20”x14” with a greased rolling pin
Brush rectangle with some additional melted butter and sprinkle with sesame sugar
Loosely roll into a long log and cut into a dozen rolls
Place into a greased casserole at least an inch apart and let proof for an hour
Brush tops with melted butter and place into a 375 Fahrenheit oven (190 Celsius) and bake for 25 minutes or until risen and slightly browned on top
If you want some really nice pull apart action, gently brush the sides of each bun with more butter.
(Optional) If you’re into the softer, Cinnabon style texture, this is where they apparently pour about some of the optional warmed heavy cream over the buns to make it nice and gooey, maybe baking for another minute to warm it up
You can also infuse the cream with some tasty aromatics and I encourage you to be adventurous: Cardamom, saffron, nutmeg, all good choices, or even an espresso infused cream if you did a chocolate batter for a bit of a tiramisu vibe
Spread the frosting immediately after the buns come out, and then let cool on a wire rack or cool plate or in the pan if you used the heavy cream
Letting the buns stay in the pan may incur some risk of burning, unless you poured the cream, which adds a buffer of liquid while the pan cools
Enjoy with some good friends, or by yourself while writing recipe articles at 2 am :)
Sesame Sugar
In a heavy bottom pan, toast the sesame seeds over medium heat until just fragrant
Be conservative with the heat. These seeds burn much faster than you might expect, and don’t leave unattended.
Grind the sesame seeds with either a mortar and pestle or in a blender into a dry paste
Mix with the oil, salt, and sugar by hand and set aside.
Frosting
Leave all ingredients in a bowl and let come to room temp
Beat together with a whisk until smooth
Thin out with milk until it’s just loose enough to fold over on itself, much like a softly whipped cream.
