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This recipe started with one idea, one dream: Cornmeal Brown Butter. And let me tell you, once you try cornmeal brown butter, I don’t think you’ll be able to feel the same way about desserts (desserts/dessert-breakfasts?) ever again. The first time I made cornmeal brown butter was for a pizza collaboration I’m doing with Leland Eating and Drinking House in Brooklyn (mark your calendars! We’re rolling it out soon!), and it was meant to be completely savory. I dry toasted yellow cornmeal, then added in butter and let everything get all golden brown and delicious.
When I served it to the team at Leland, the chef said it was delicious (I’ll never forget it, and thank you Delfin), and the owner said it reminded him of something he had tried once, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. I’ve since dubbed it something that tastes deeply nostalgic, but we just aren’t sure what. And after wondering what to put it in (Muffins? Bombolini? A tart?), these rolls felt like the only answer!
Table of contents
- How I use the cornmeal brown butter in these rolls
- Ingredients for the cinnamon roll dough
- Ingredients for the cornmeal brown butter filling
- How to make the cornmeal brown butter filling
- What you will need for the cornmeal butter crumble
- My tricks for shaping the perfect cinnamon rolls
- Why drizzle heavy cream on top of a cinnamon roll?
- How to bake these Cornmeal Brown Butter Cinnamon Rolls
- How to make these rolls ahead of time
- Why is this recipe in grams?
- Looking for similar recipes?
How I use the cornmeal brown butter in these rolls
The reason I chose rolls to be the vehicle for this is because 1) they are universally delicious but 2) I wanted to be able to use the cornmeal brown butter in multiple places.
In this recipe the cornmeal brown butter serves as the filling of the rolls (with the delicious addition of brown sugar), but there’s also a cornmeal brown butter crumble topping. Together, it’s absolute magic.
I like to make the cornmeal brown butter the day before, the same day you are prepping the dough. It makes it so that the process of baking these rolls is pretty streamlined. Prep happens the day before, and assembly and baking happens the day after.
Ingredients for the cinnamon roll dough
When I make a dough, I want it to be fool-proof. There are some doughs that I’m like…this may give me trouble. I avoid those doughs at all cost. In fact, you will not find any doughs like that on the blog.
And I can confidently tell you that this cinnamon roll dough will give you NO issues. It might be the best, tastiest and easiest cinnamon roll dough you’ll ever work with. I know it’s that for me. Rolling it out is simply therapeutic. You don’t even need to flour your work surface, this dough is just that good. I adapted it from the famous cinnamon bun recipe from Braud & Co, and it remains my home-baker favorite.
Here are all the ingredients you’ll need for it:
- 23gramsactive dry yeast,5 1/2 teaspoons
- 330gramswarm water (between 80-95°F),1 cup and 6 tablespoons
- 750gramsall-purpose flour,5 cups and 6 tablespoons
- 10gramsDiamond Crystal kosher salt,2 teaspoons
- 110gramsgranulated sugar,1/2 cup
- 1mediumegg
- 113gramssoftened unsalted butter,1/2 cup
- 180gramsheavy cream,3/4 cup
To keep this dough as fool-proof as possible, I highly HIGHLY recommend you use grams to measure. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, you can shop my favorite one here.
Ingredients for the cornmeal brown butter filling
There are going to be two types of cornmeal brown butter in this roll recipe (Yes! Two! Both are so worth it, though).
Now the first cornmeal brown butter is going to also have brown sugar, making it the sweet, spreadable filling of the cinnamon roll. For this cornmeal brown butter, you are going to need:
- 90gramsyellow cornmeal,1/2 cup
- 226gramssalted butter,1 cup
- 110gramsdark brown sugar,1/2 cup, lightly packed
- 1/2teaspoonDiamond Crystal kosher salt
How to make the cornmeal brown butter filling
Now cornmeal brown butter is simple, but you need to make sure you allow it to get fully to room temperature before adding the brown sugar. This is so that the brown sugar doesn’t melt into the brown butter and make everything all difficult to spread.
To make cornmeal brown butter, you first want to coax out the nutty, toasty flavors of the yellow cornmeal. Add the cornmeal to a dry pan over medium heat. Give it a dry toast for a few minutes, then add the butter.
Allow the butter to fully melt, then cook, stirring often. Let the butter begin to foam, and the whole mixture will begin to thicken and darken to a golden brown (see above) as the butter browns and the moisture evaporates.
Pour this into a bowl and set aside.
Be absolutely sure that the butter has cooled to room temperature before adding in the brown sugar and salt. Then whisk is together until it is smooth. Let this sit out at room temperature overnight!
What you will need for the cornmeal butter crumble
This cornmeal brown butter will ALSO have to sit overnight, but that’s because it has a much higher ratio of cornmeal-to-butter, and it’s designed for the cornmeal to soak up the butter overnight, and then become crumbly like the photo above. It’s a nuttier, saltier version of cornmeal brown butter, and I think having both versions adds a lot of dimension to the recipe!
To make it you will need:
- 90gramsyellow cornmeal, 1/2 cup
- 113gramssalted butter,1/2 cup
- 50gramsturbinado sugar,1/4 cup (which we will add much later)
- 1/2teaspoonDiamond Crystal kosher salt
To make the crumble, follow the same beginning steps as you did with the cornmeal brown butter filling. Dry toast the cornmeal, then add the butter and let it foam, then later brown. Transfer this to a bowl and let it sit overnight at room temperature. It will fully solidify into something you can press out into a crumble.
Then (and only then) you will add the turbinado sugar and salt. And it will be ready for topping the rolls!
My tricks for shaping the perfect cinnamon rolls
So it’s been over a day, your dough has risen, your spread is nice and ready, and you’re ready to bake!
The one thing is – rolling out cinnamon rolls can be tricky. Like….really tricky. Here are my top tips to make sure you have the most perfect looking Cornmeal Brown Butter Cinnamon Rolls in the whole wide world:
Tip #1 – Use a wide, cool countertop – preferably marble or something that the dough can easily peel off of. The dough will be tacky, think like play-dough, so you’ll want a surface that works well with that.
Tip #2 – Make sure the filling is room temperature and spreadable before you start spreading it on the dough – you can do this by mixing it with a spatula at a rapid pace. It will start to turn into the texture of softened butter, which is what we want!
Tip #3 – When spreading the filling, make sure you aren’t leaving too much in the center of the dough square – you might think you have it spread evenly, but odds are there’s more filling in the center of the dough than at the edges. And we literally ALL do it. So don’t worry about it, it’s how we naturally spread something out! When it looks like all my filling is evenly spread on the dough, I like to make sure to take an angled spatula and spread from the center out, just to make sure there isn’t an excess amount of filling in the middle. This also makes it easier to roll up your rolls!
Tip #4 – Roll the cinnamon rolls up starting at the edge furthest away from you, rolling towards you. Rolling it away from you is first, much more difficult, but also makes you inadvertently put more pressure pushing down on the rolls, when we really just want to coax them along. I like to use a bench scraper to lift up the dough to get it started, then roll with my hands, gently pulling the dough towards me in a tight coil.
Tip #5 – Use a sharp knife or dental floss to cut the cinnamon rolls. With this recipe I’ve always used a sharp knife, since the dough can hold up to it. But some people (perfectionists, I’m looking at you!) use an unflavored dental floss to make the perfect cuts on their cinnamon rolls.
Tip #6 – Once the cinnamon rolls are cut, take the edge piece of dough and stretch it out by 2 inches, then wrap that piece around the bottom of the roll, creating a barrier on the bottom so the filling doesn’t spread out. You can see an image of what I mean below:
Why drizzle heavy cream on top of a cinnamon roll?
This is a technique that first really caught on on TikTok, but I think it’s one of the best ways to glaze/egg wash any baked good before baking. Especially if it’s an enriched cinnamon roll dough like this one!
Heavy cream naturally darkens in the oven, making it a great version of egg wash, which is where you whisk an egg to give a baked good more color. Buttermilk also does the same thing, which is why you’ve seen me use it in recipes like this one.
Heavy cream adds color but also adds richness. I recommend that when you drizzle it on your rolls, try to get as much on the rolls as possible, and try to avoid getting any on the sheet pan. The heavy cream that pools in there won’t be as nice.
How to bake these Cornmeal Brown Butter Cinnamon Rolls
These rolls will bake up to almost a HUGE café-style size, so be prepared!
After rolling and cutting them, they will need an additional 2 hours to proof. You’ll want them nearly 50% bigger, with a nice, puffy look to them.
To bake, place an oven rack at the center of the oven (this is very important!) and preheat the oven to 400°F (but if your oven runs hot, feel free to tone this down to 375°F).
Bake for 22-25 minutes. Things happen fast around here!
How to make these rolls ahead of time
For these rolls, the proofing and waiting is truly a labor of love, so I recommend if you want to make them ahead of time, just do the whole recipe and store them in the fridge until you need them! Of course, leave off the cornmeal brown butter crumble and the glaze, and prep those only right before you want to serve.
I recommend wrapping the rolls on the tray you cooked them on (after they’ve had the chance to cool to room temperature, of course!) and storing them in the fridge. Then, when it’s time to reheat them, set your oven to 325°F, unwrap the rolls and warm them up for 8-10 minutes in the oven, or until they smell all toasty.
It’s a great way to make these Cornmeal Brown Butter Cinnamon Rolls ahead of time!
Why is this recipe in grams?
Baking is a very finicky and exact science. The only way to ensure complete accuracy is through measuring by weight, and not volume. As much as I wish I could give you multiple ways to measure ingredients, in this recipe measuring by cups might cause some volatility and miss-matched results. I want to ensure you get the best results with this recipe (and I want to keep this recipe fool-proof!) so I highly recommend getting a small affordablekitchen scaleif you want to move forward with this particular recipe!
Looking for similar recipes?
Here are a few other fun breakfast/desserts from the blog!
Lemon Caramel Muffins
These light, moist, and tender muffins are packed with pockets of lemon caramel. And if you haven't had lemon caramel before – be ready to have your world changed. It's tart but sweet, perfectly balancing out the muffin while adding unique lemon flavor. It's unlike any lemon baked good you've ever had, but in the best way.
Check out this recipe
Hot Honey & Goat Cheese Upside-Down Hand Pies
This snackable, tearable, and shareable appetizer is so fun, highly delicious, and can also flex to be a savory breakfast or even a dinner main with a nice side salad. The star of this recipe is the homemade, extra flaky pie crust and the aged goat cheese. Add them together with some savory ingredients and it's a light, buttery, umami moment that is so fun to make and eat.
Check out this recipe
And that’s it for these Cornmeal Brown Butter Cinnamon Rolls!
If you make it, please tag me onPinterestorInstagramso I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course, feel free to leave any questions, comments, or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Cornmeal Brown Butter Cinnamon Rolls
4.80 from 5 votes
These cinnamon rolls are a labor of love, but they are by far the best cinnamon rolls I ever had. The dough is easy to use and will NOT let you down, and the cornmeal brown butter packs a deeply nostalgic flavor that I can't put my finger on, but if you can tell me what it reminds you of…please report back!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time:3 hours hrs
Cook Time:30 minutes mins
Resting Time:1 day d
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cinnamon, cinnamon roll, cornmeal
Servings: 12 large cinnamon rolls
Equipment
1 Stand mixer
1 medium sauté pan
1 measuring tape
1 bench scraper
Ingredients
For the cinnamon roll dough
- 23 grams active dry yeast 5 1/2 teaspoons
- 330 grams warm water (between 80-95°F) 1 cup and 6 tablespoons
- 750 grams all-purpose flour 5 cups and 6 tablespoons
- 10 grams Diamond Crystal kosher salt 2 teaspoons
- 110 grams granulated sugar 1/2 cup
- 1 medium egg
- 113 grams softened unsalted butter 1/2 cup
- 180 grams heavy cream 3/4 cup, for using right before baking
For the cornmeal brown butter filling
- 90 grams yellow cornmeal 1/2 cup
- 226 grams salted butter 1 cup
- 110 grams dark brown sugar 1/2 cup, lightly packed
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
For the cornmeal brown butter crumble topping
- 90 grams yellow cornmeal 1/2 cup
- 113 grams salted butter 1/2 cup
- 50 grams turbinado sugar 1/4 cup
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
For the bourbon glaze
- 50 grams powdered sugar 1/2 cup, packed
- 1 tablespoon bourbon of choice
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
Begin all the components of the recipe 24 hours before you want to bake.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the yeast and water and whisk together. Add the flour, salt, sugar and egg and use the hook attachment on the lowest setting of the stand mixer to mix together.
Adding one cube at a time, add the softened butter to the dough. Let each piece mix in before adding the next. The dough will be shaggy first, then sticky, then tough. When it is mostly together, turn the mixer to medium and let it mix until the dough is smooth and completely pulling away from the sides, 4-5 minutes. This dough is dense, so feel free to press it down into the mixer if it starts to creep up the sides of the bowl.
Transfer the dough to a large bowl, cover, and let it proof in the fridge for 18-24 hours.
Prepare the cornmeal brown butter filling. Set a pan over medium heat and add the cornmeal. Toast for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant, then add the butter. Let the butter foam, stirring occasionally, until the cornmeal and the butter have both turned into a light shade of brown and smell nutty, 4-5 minutes. Transfer this to a bowl to cool.
When the cornmeal brown butter has cooled to room temperature, whisk in the brown sugar and salt. It's important not to do this too soon, if the butter is warm it will melt the sugar and make the mixture unspreadable. Only add the sugar when the butter is cool but still pliable. Cover and let this sit at room temperature overnight.
To make the cornmeal brown butter crumble topping, repeat the toasting of the cornmeal and browning of the butter with the second batch of ingredients. However this time, just transfer the cornmeal brown butter to a bowl. You'll add the sugar the next day. Cover this and let it sit at room temperature overnight. This is so that the cornmeal will absorb the butter and turn into a crumble-like texture.
The next day, remove the dough from the fridge. Lightly punch it down and transfer it to a work surface. No need to flour the surface, the dough will be tacky, like play-dough.
Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large square, 24 inches by 24 inches. Whisk the brown sugar filling until it is room temperature and spreadable. Spread it evenly onto the dough.
Working from the furthest edge from you, roll the dough toward you, making a very tight coil.
Measure and mark down the roll every 2 inches. Cut the roll into 12 2-inch tall cinnamon rolls.
Line a sheet with parchment paper.
Pull the dough edge of each cinnamon roll out but 2 inches, then pull it over to cover the bottom of the cinnamon roll. This helps make it so that no filling escapes. Evenly space the cinnamon rolls on the baking sheet, and firmly press each one down so that they are half as tall (see blog photos for reference).
Cover the rolls with plastic wrap and let rise for 2 hours at room temperature.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F.
When the rolls are ready to bake, drizzle the tops evenly with heavy cream. Aim to get as much on the rolls as possible, anything that falls to the pan won't be as nice.
Bake the cinnamon rolls for 22-25 minutes or until golden.
While the cinnamon rolls are baking, take the cornmeal crumble topping from yesterday. It will look completely solid, but use your hands to crumble it out of the bowl. It should adopt a crumble topping texture. Add the turbinado sugar and salt and lightly mix everything together with your hands. Set aside.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the bourbon glaze.
When the cinnamon rolls are out of the oven, brush them all with the bourbon glaze, then scatter the cornmeal brown butter crumble topping on top. Serve warm!
