Tres Leches Cinnamon Rolls

Print Recipe

No ratings yet

Tres Leches Cinnamon Rolls

Prep Time30

Cook Time25

Resting Time1 30

Total Time2 25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Mexican

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: cinnamon rolls

Author: Isabel Orozco-Moore

Ingredients

For the dough

3 cups + 2 tablespoons bread flour, spooned and leveled
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon fine salt
1 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
1 large egg, room temperature
½ cup heavy cream

For the filling

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
½ cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

For the tres leches mixture

½ cup whole milk
½ cup evaporated milk
½ cup sweetened condensed milk

For the icing

4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
⅔ cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For topping

Ground cinnamon
Fresh strawberries (optional)

Instructions

Make the dough. In a large bowl of a stand mixer, combine the bread flour, granulated sugar, and salt until well mixed. Set aside.
In a separate, small, heat-proof bowl, warm the milk and butter to 105°F-110°F. Whisk in the yeast until fully dissolved.
Pour it into the bowl of dry ingredients, along with the egg. Mix with a paddle attachment on low speed until the ingredients are just combined.
Using the dough hook attachment, knead the dough on medium speed for 5-8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky but not sticky. If the dough is still too sticky, add more bread flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
Transfer the dough to a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Rest the dough for 15 minutes while you make the filling.
Make the filling. In a small bowl, mix together the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon until it's well combined and forms a soft paste.
Fill and assemble the rolls. Roll the rested dough on a lightly floured surface to a 10x14-inch rectangle. Spread the filling evenly over the entire surface of the dough. Tightly roll up the dough to create a 14-inch log. Cut the log into 10-12 even pieces (about 1 ½ inches each). Arrange the cinnamon rolls onto a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and set in a warm place to allow the cinnamon rolls to rise for 60-90 minutes, or until they have doubled in size.
Make the tres leches mixture. While the rolls are rising, whisk together the whole milk, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk in a small bowl until combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Bake. Preheat the oven to 375℉. Pour the heavy cream into the bottom of the baking dish and bake for 24-26 minutes until the cinnamon rolls are golden brown and cooked through. If the cinnamon rolls brown too quickly, carefully cover them with aluminum foil and finish baking. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
Soak. Poke holes all over the cinnamon rolls using a toothpick or wooden skewer. Slowly pour the reserved tres leches mixture over the cinnamon rolls and allow it to soak in for about 10 minutes until fully absorbed.
Make the icing. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whisk together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and combined.
Serve. Spread the icing over the soaked cinnamon rolls. Dust with a little ground cinnamon, garnish with fresh strawberries if desired, and serve immediately.

Notes

Using bread flour. Bread flour gives the cinnamon rolls a chewy texture and sturdy structure that can hold up well to the tres leches mixture. For a softer and more tender cinnamon roll, use all-purpose flour.
Using a stand mixer. This recipe uses a stand mixer, but you can easily make them without it. When making the dough, simply use a wooden spoon to mix the ingredients together, then knead by hand for about 5 minutes before resting the dough ball.
Using instant yeast. Instant yeast cuts prep and rest time by a significant amount, with this recipe only requiring one rise. Active dry yeast will also work well with a few adjustments. Add active dry yeast to the warmed milk and butter mixture along with an extra tablespoon of granulated sugar. Cover and allow the yeast to bloom for 10 minutes until foamy, then add to the dough as instructed. Also note that you will need to add an additional rise time. Make the dough ball as instructed, then cover and allow to double in size for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Roll, fill, and cut the rolls then cover and allow the shaped cinnamon rolls to rise for an additional 45 minutes to 1 hour until doubled in size before baking.
Temperature of ingredients. To ensure the best results, make sure the ingredients are to the correct temperature that is specified. This can help avoid any common mistakes like lumpy icing, or underproofed dough.

Nutrition