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I spent 3 hours making Joanna Gaines’s cinnamon rolls to see if they were worth it

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I spent 3 hours making Joanna Gaines’s cinnamon rolls to see if they were worth it

A woman holding a plate with cinnamon rolls on it.
I made Joanna Gaines' cinnamon rolls and it was worth the effort.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

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  • Joanna Gaines released frozen cinnamon rolls in September, but they weren't my favorite.
  • I decided to make her homemade cinnamon rolls instead to see if I liked them better.
  • The rolls were a lot of work, but the taste was definitely worth it.

I'm no stranger to Joanna Gaines' baked goods.

I've made her biscuits from scratch, and I got to sample several of her recipes when I visited Waco, Texas, back in 2022.

Somehow, though, I had never tried her cinnamon rolls, which felt like a glaring oversight when I tried her Magnolia Table brand's frozen version of the pastry a few weeks ago.

I knew I had to rectify my mistake ASAP.

I wanted to make Joanna Gaines' cinnamon rolls after trying her frozen version, which I found lackluster.
Joanna Gaines (R) and Sam Ponder converse during Joanna Gaines's "The Stories We Tell" Book Launch Luncheon at La Mercerie Cafe on November 07, 2022 in New York City.

Craig Barritt/Getty Images for HarperCollins

When Joanna Gaines launched her Magnolia Table frozen baked goods in September, I was pumped to try all six. Most were tasty, but the cinnamon rolls were disappointing — they had an artificial flavor, and the icing was runnier than I'd hoped.

I knew Gaines had a homemade cinnamon roll recipe, and I couldn't help wonder how it compared to the frozen version.

It's no secret that homemade cinnamon rolls can be time-consuming and a bit challenging to bake, and Gaines's rolls are no exception. According to the recipe she shared on the Magnolia website, the rolls require 17 ingredients to make the dough, filling, and icing, and they take over three hours to make because of the proving and baking process.

Despite the challenge, I decided to take on the rolls anyway. I had to know if her homemade cinnamon rolls were worth the effort.

Gaines' recipe is separated into three parts.
Ingredients for baking are assembled on a wooden surface.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

To make Gaines' cinnamon rolls, I first prepared the dough, the most time-consuming aspect of the recipe, as it requires two rises. It first rises for 90 minutes in a round ball, and the rolls rise again for 25 minutes after they've been filled and shaped.

The rolls call for:

  • ¼ cup of warm water (110°F)
  • 1 tablespoon of active dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
  • 4 cups of all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
  • 1 cup of warm whole milk (110°F)
  • ½ cup of canola oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • Cooking spray

I didn't have cooking spray on hand, so I substituted butter when the recipe called for it.

The first step in preparing the roll was activating the yeast.
A photo of yeast rising in a bowl.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

I was pretty nervous about this step, as my baking experience is usually limited to unboxing a pre-made mix, but it turned out to be simpler than I thought.

I combined warm water I heated over a skillet, yeast, and sugar, and let them rise for five minutes. After that, the mixture puffed up and started to bubble slightly, indicating it was ready.

Next, I added the remaining dough ingredients to my stand mixer.
Ingredients in a stand mixer.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

I heated the milk in a small pot, which I then mixed with oil and eggs in my stand mixer using the dough hook attachment. After they combined, I added the yeast mixture slowly.

Soon, the ingredients thickened and became dough. I could tell it was finished when it had a thick, sticky consistency.

Once the dough was ready, it needed to prove.
Rounded dough sits in a silver bowl.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

I removed the dough from the mixer and shaped it into a round ball.

Gaines says to put the dough into a bowl that has been coated with cooking spray, but because I didn't have any on hand, I used butter instead.

The dough needs to prove for 90 minutes in a warm place, so I covered the bowl with a dish towel and tucked it into my oven.

While the dough was rising, I prepared the cinnamon sugar filling.
Ingredients for cinnamon roll filling on a wooden surface.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

Of course, no cinnamon roll is complete without its filling, and Gaines' recipe was very simple. It included:

  • 2 sticks of softened butter
  • 2 cups of brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of cinnamon

I let my butter sit out for a few hours before starting to bake, so it was nice and soft by the time I made the filling.

Gaines suggests using a hand mixer to combine the ingredients for the filling, but I only had a stand mixer available. I just used that with the whisk attachment.

The spread was thicker than I thought it would be when it was complete.
Filling for cinnamon roll dough sits in a silver bowl.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

Gaines' recipe said the filling would be ready when it was "fully combined and smooth."

My mixture came together in just a few minutes, and while it was definitely smooth, it was thicker than I had anticipated. It almost had an ice cream-like texture.

When my dough finished proving, it had doubled in size.
Risen dough in a silver bowl.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

After the filling was finished, I checked on my dough. To my delight, the yeast had worked. It had doubled in size.

After removing it from my makeshift proving drawer, I punched it down to release the gases; a "The Great British Baking Show" moment I'd long anticipated, and it was just as satisfying.

I was also relieved to find that butter worked perfectly in place of cooking spray; the dough slipped right out of the bowl.

Next, I had to roll out the dough into a 12-inch by 18-inch rectangle.
Dough rolled out on a wooden surface covered in flour.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

I'm not much of a baker, but my husband is, so I had a rolling pin and baking ruler on hand. I used both to roll out the dough on a floured surface, shaping it into a rough rectangle that ended up a bit too dense at the edges. I folded the ends under to fix the proportions, but I should've rolled them inward so the edges weren't so thick.

Spreading the filling proved to be a little trickier than I anticipated.
Dough covered in filling for cinnamon rolls.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

Once the rectangle was ready, it was time to spread my cinnamon sugar filling onto the dough.

I imagined the mixture would spread as easily as icing, but it stuck together as it was quite thick. I was worried about pressing too hard to spread it because I didn't want to rip my dough.

I ended up scattering small dollops of the filling all over the dough, and pressing it in with my fingers and a rubber spatula. It took a few minutes, but eventually all of the dough was coated with the filling.

By this point, my kitchen was starting to smell like an Auntie Anne's in a great way.

My rolls ended up the same width but different lengths.
Cinnamon rolls being sliced before going into the oven.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

Once the filling was on the dough, I rolled it lengthwise to create the cinnamon roll shape, keeping the seam on the bottom before slicing.

That's when I realized I had made a mistake — the dough was uneven, making the ends thinner than the center.

Using a bench scraper, I cut 1½-inch rolls and scrapped a few from the ends that were too thin. Still, I was proud to have rolled the dough without much stress.

I nestled them into a ceramic dish for additional proving and baking.
Unbaked cinnamon rolls sit in a tray to be baked.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

After coating the dish in butter, Gaines suggests placing the rolls in four rows of three, but my rolls fit better in two rows of six.

Once they were in the dish, I squealed, thrilled to see my creation looking very much like cinnamon rolls.

After they were assembled, I let them rise covered with a dish towel on my counter for 25 minutes before placing them in the oven for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Finally, I had to prepare the icing.
Ingredients for icing sit on a wooden surface.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

No cinnamon roll is complete without icing, and as a cream cheese icing enthusiast, I was pumped for that aspect of Gaines' recipe.

To make the icing, I needed:

  • 8 ounces of room temperature cream cheese
  • 4 tablespoons of room temperature unsalted butter
  • 2 cups of powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons of whole milk

I only had vanilla essence at home, so I used that instead of the extract.

I wasn't totally thrilled with the way the icing turned out.
A bowl of icing.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

I mixed the ingredients for the icing in my stand mixer using the paddle attachment, as instructed by Gaines.

I had a mixture that looked like icing fairly soon, but Gaines' recipe said to make sure it didn't have any lumps of powdered sugar in it. Sadly for me, I mixed for close to 15 minutes and still had lumps.

I was concerned I was overwhipping the icing, so I eventually stopped, knowing there were still a few lumps but hoping the warm cinnamon rolls would melt them.

My rolls were perfectly cooked after 35 minutes.
A tray of baked cinnamon rolls.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

Gaines' recipe says the cinnamon rolls are typically ready between 35 to 40 minutes or when the rolls are "a deep golden color."

I checked my rolls at 35 minutes, and they looked perfect, even if a few were smooshed together. The tops were golden brown and slightly firm to the touch.

My mouth watered as I inhaled their heavenly scent.

Once I added the icing, they looked even better.
A tray of cinnamon rolls covered in icing.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

The rolls cooled for 10 minutes before I covered them in the cream cheese icing, generously covering each roll.

I didn't see any lumps in the icing as I spread it on top of the rolls, which made me feel a little better.

Once they were all assembled, the cinnamon rolls looked pretty darn delicious.

After all my hard work, I couldn't wait to try the cinnamon rolls.
A cinnamon roll sits on a white plate.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

After more than three hours of baking, it was time to try a warm roll. I cut myself a corner piece, making sure I grabbed a slice with plenty of icing.

When I took a bite of the decadent roll, it melted in my mouth. It was buttery and cinnamon-forward, with a soft and gooey texture.

The icing was sweet and inviting, but it was the one aspect of the rolls that didn't taste quite right. I'm not sure if it was the vanilla swap, the potential lumps leftover from the powdered sugar, or potential overwhipping, but it had an almost tangy or overly buttery quality that wasn't quite right.

Still, I loved the rolls, as did my built-in taste tester, my husband. There was nothing about them that tasted artificial, and I was really proud of myself for getting the texture of the rolls just right.

I'd definitely pick Gaines's homemade cinnamon roll over her frozen version, even if they take a lot more effort.
A selfie of a woman holding a plate with a cinnamon roll and a fork on it.

Samantha Pettyjohn/Business Insider

Gaines's delicious homemade rolls were completely worth the time it took to make them. Although they were time-consuming to make, the stand mixer made the process a lot easier.

I'd like to try the recipe again with cooking spray and vanilla extract to see if it makes a difference in the icing, as well as ensure I get all the lumps out completely.

Still, even if the icing didn't taste perfect, I'd choose Gaines's homemade cinnamon rolls over the frozen version every time.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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