Brown Butter Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls

Step 1 Make the roux: In a medium sized pot, combine the flour and water. Turn heat on to medium and cook while whisking until you get a thick paste, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add to the bowl of your stand mixer. Step 2 Make the dough: Combine the water with the yeast and set aside until frothy. When the roux is no longer too hot to touch, add the yeast and water mix, as well as the remaining ingredients for the dough. Fitted with the dough hook, turn the mixer on and knead for about 7 minutes, until you have a soft, stretchy dough. Add more flour if needed (up to 1/2 cup more), dough should be sticky and will not form into a ball. Turn dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set in the fridge overnight, or for a 2 hour rise at room temperature. Step 3 Make the brown butter: in a saucepan, add 12 tablespoons of butter, chopped. Cook on medium high until the butter foams, sputters and separates. Once it goes quiet and you can smell nuttiness and see specks of brown at the bottom of the pan, pour it into a heatproof bowl and set in the fridge for about an hour, until it is creamy but not hard. Step 4 Make the filling: combine together ½ cup of the now set but soft browned butter, brown sugar, cinnamon salt and vanilla. Step 5 Make the rolls: Prepare a 9×13” aluminum cake pan with parchment paper. Roll out the dough onto a well-floured surface to the size of a standard cookie sheet (so about 13×18 inches). Spread the filling over the dough, leaving a one inch border on each side. Roll the dough up from the longer side into a log. Use dental floss (unwaxed) or a sharp knife to first trim the edges, then slice it into twelve 1” size rolls. Place them in the pan and set in a warm place to rise until puffy, about an hour. If you did the first rise in the fridge this can take longer. Remove heavy cream from the fridge to allow it to come to room temperature. Step 6 Bake the rolls: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Right before you set the rolls into the oven, pour the heavy cream over the pan – ensuring equal portioning and especially getting between rolls. Bake the rolls for about 20-30 minutes until puffy and browned. Step 7 Make the icing: Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl. You should have leftover brown butter, add 1 tablespoon of it, the salt, vanilla, heavy cream, and cream cheese and whisk until smooth. If it’s too thick, add a bit more heavy cream. If too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar. Pour the icing over the rolls while they are still warm but not hot. Step 8 Serving and storing: these are best served warm Step 9 within an hour after coming out of the oven. They should be stored in an airtight container and can be reheated gently in the microwave right before eating.