Solitary Cinnamon Roll
One lonely, all alone cinnamon roll. Ah but sometimes one isn’t the loneliest number. There’s strength in one. One singular sensation. Uno cinnamon-roll-o. One single-serve cinnamon roll for only you. You are the one who gets to eat this soft pillowy cinnamon roll with a gooey center and maple frosting.
I’ve been following Sarah of Broma Bakery for several years. She is a delight. Funny, talented and creative. She also teaches Foodtography (food photography) classes. She has a beautiful baking blog is currently working on a book to be released this October. She recently posted a Cinnamon Roll for One and it’s too good - and brilliant - not to share.
While small batch sweets and desserts for one are all over the internet and fodder for several recent cookbooks, this may be the first time I’ve seen a recipe for one cinnamon roll. These recipes speak to me directly. Digressing for a moment, I confess that almost every day I browse recipes from newsletters, blogs and Instagram and download the chosen ones to my Paprika recipe app. With so much baking content swirling around in the metaverse, I can’t realistically make everything that appeals to my tastebuds, nor can the Mister and I eat it all. Which makes these pint-sized recipes even more enticing. You may remember I fell for the Emergency Chocolate Chip Cookie and other small batch bakes from Edd Kimber. After all, there is something sublimely satisfying about creating one cute perfect item. It’s the cuteness factor plus the satisfaction gained in trying a new bake.
Recipe for making one (good-sized) cinnamon roll
Recently Sarah posted a video of her making the single-serve cinnamon roll.
You might say, all that work for one cinnamon roll. I’m here to tell you that it was easier and less time consuming. Obviously good if you don’t want to be tempted to eat the entire tray, but mostly it’s just fun and super cute and satisfies a craving. One and done. This was my little accomplishment on a rainy Sunday before watching the Oscars earlier this month. After all, one must be productive. Also I just happen to own similar individual-sized Le Creuset Dutch ovens (think her’s are Staub) that don’t get used very often. You could also use a large ramekin or small baking pan.
I also liked that this small batch of dough required hand kneading vs. using a dough hook for a big batch. It was sort of a meditative little break in the day. Below are the ingredients, which especially if you’re a baker, you probably have on hand. Full recipe here.
Ingredients for Dough:
1/4 cup milk (she says any dairy or nondairy milk will work)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon Rapid Rise Instant Yeast
2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
For The Cinnamon Sugar Filling:
1 tablespoon light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
Sarah tops her cinnamon roll baby with traditional cream cheese icing. I chose maple. Of course I did. I love maple. And my mom always made her cinnamon rolls with maple frosting. It’s basically the definition of a cinnamon roll for me. My mom was a lunch lady and known for her cinnamon rolls by her five kids and many school children no doubt. I also frosted the sides once I removed the cinnamon roll from the ramekin. Duh!
If you’re team maple, for this small batch, just stir a simple icing in a small bowl. I like to keep mine thick enough to frost so you get a good thick layer. I used Sarah’s quantities as a guide and did this for the maple frosting:
Maple Frosting:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
Maple syrup – start with 1 tablespoon
Sprinkle in more sugar or syrup as needed to reach desired consistency.
I totally could have eaten the entire thing in one sitting but I chose to be nice and share with my hubby.
However, I did wake up the next morning dreaming about that cinnamon roll. It occurred to me that I actually own three small Le Creuset ramekins. Next time, I’ll triple the recipe.
One for the Mister, one for me, one for me.
