Cinnamon Rolls (Walnut & Cinnamon Swirls)

🌟 Difficulty	⏱️ Time	🍽️ Serves	🔪 Skill level
★★ Intermediate	2 hr (including rising)	12–14 rolls	Intermediate

Like cinnamon? Crazy with cinnamon? You just start dribbling when you smell cinnamon? Then you will love cinnamon rolls :)
If you have never tried them, trust me, you should.
If you are already addicted to them, and you were always bought them, find today a simple recipe to make them yourself for you and your dear ones...
The recipe is very easy, you just need to have quite some time available as there is one hour of waiting time in between the steps of the preparation.

Ingredients 

Dough:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 package instant yeast
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp sugar (for yeast) + 2 tbsp sugar (for dough)
• ¾ cup butter (divided)
• Pinch of salt

Filling:

• 1 cup walnuts, grated
• 2–3 tsp cinnamon (adjust to taste)
• 2 tbsp sugar

For brushing:

• 1 beaten egg

Instructions (see photos at the end)

1. Activate Yeast:
   Warm milk, add 3 tbsp sugar and yeast. Let sit 10 min until foamy.

2. Prepare Dough:
   Melt ½ cup butter and combine in a large bowl with flour, salt, yeast-milk mixture, and beaten egg. Knead until smooth and soft, not sticky.

3. Prepare Filling:
   Mix walnuts, 2 tbsp sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl.

4. Roll & Assemble:
   Roll dough into a 40 × 20 cm rectangle. Brush with remaining butter. Sprinkle walnut-cinnamon mixture evenly.

5. Shape Rolls:
   Roll dough tightly from one side. Seal edges with a little water. Cut into 2–3 cm slices. Place on parchment-lined baking pan, leaving space between rolls. Optional: arrange as “flowers.”

6. First Rise:
   Preheat oven at 50°C for 5 min, then turn off. Cover rolls with a towel and place in oven for ~1 hour, until doubled in size.

7. Bake:
   Brush risen rolls with beaten egg. Bake at 180°C for 25–30 min until golden brown.

8. Cool & Serve:
   Let cool 10 min if you can resist! Serve fresh. Store leftover rolls in sealed plastic bags for the next day.

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Serving Tips & Variations

• Serve warm with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.

• Add a drizzle of icing sugar glaze for extra sweetness.

• Swap walnuts for pecans or almonds for variety.

• Cinnamon-sugar ratio can be adjusted for more or less spice.