Baldur’s Gate 3: Cinnamon Rolls

Yes, Baldur’s Gate 3 is still eating up all my time. I currently have 3 different games going on. The one with Jeff is the furthest along: very deep into Act 3 and a lot is happening. A lot of fashion upgrades, my druid is only using her level 6 spell slot to cast Heroes’ Feast, and Astarion has become one of my favorite characters in games. Another game with our friend Harry has entered Act 2 and we are currently making our way to the House of Healing. The last time we played together, I had Wyll suddenly decide he found me as a romantic interest when I had never really spoken to him. I’m still not sure how that happened, my heart in that game was supposed to be for Halsin. The last one I’m playing is a solo game, as the Dark Urge, that is in the back half of Act 1. I have found a lot of the choices in this playthrough to be very interesting. For those that know, so far everyone has been unharmed by my urges but I don’t know how long that will last. Jeff and I are already discussing what our tactician run will look like, so it looks like I won’t be needing any new games for a while.

While making our way into a cave, early in Act 3, I was going around looking through a bunch of containers for loot to pocket. I got to a row of crates, and there it was. The most gorgeous thing I had seen in the game, that I actually yelled out loud “OH MY, I need this in my life!” It was a cinnamon roll, a screenshot was taken, and I immediately started thinking about how I would make a batch of these. The variety of food in this game is why I continue to click on every container, even the vases, just to make sure I don’t miss any of the food items. At this point we probably have enough camp supplies to long rest for the rest of our playthrough and a whole extra one. Jeff would say it is to continue to increase our cash on hand but really I’m only looking for food.

Cinnamon rolls are one of my all time favorite pastries. When I see an opportunity in a game to make it, I run with it. This is probably my best cinnamon roll recipe to date and I’m super excited for everyone to try their hands at it. When working with this dough, when you first put everything together it will be an incredibly wet dough, but trust the numbers on this one. After it goes through the long 10 minute kneading cycle, it should come together and should not stick to things any longer. For the filling, I worked the butter a bit more than I typically would to make sure everything was well combined. This led to the filling holding up a lot better while it baked. Everything in this recipe requires a little extra work, but the end result is so worth it. The recipe is written with the use of a stand mixer but everything can be done by hand, just keep in mind all the times will be much longer.

Dough

1 ¼ cup milk
8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
2 ½ tsp active dry yeast
3 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
½ cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp kosher salt
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp amaretto

Filling

8 tbsp unsalted butter
½ cup dark brown sugar
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp kosher salt

Cream Cheese Frosting

6 oz cream cheese, room temperature
5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
½ tsp kosher salt
2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla paste

Start by preparing the dough. Heat the milk and butter in a saucepan over medium heat until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and allow to cool between 100 and 110°F. Add the yeast and set aside for 5 minutes, allowing the yeast to become active.

Combine the flours, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt in a bowl of a stand mixer, with a dough hook, and mix together until well combined. Add the milk mixture, egg, egg yolk, and amaretto. Mix on low until everything just comes together, about 2 minutes.

Increase the speed to medium-high and mix until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl, about 8 to 10 minutes. The dough will start off extremely sticky and it will take time for it to come together, be patient. After the dough is no longer sticking, increase the speed to high and mix for another minute.

Transfer the dough into a greased bowl and cover. Allow the dough to rise for at least 2 hours or until it doubles in size.

When the dough is almost done rising, prepare the filling. Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer, with the beater attachment. Whip on medium until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Continue to mix until it doubles in size and is extra fluffy, about 8 minutes. Set aside until the dough is ready.

Prepare an 18” x 13” deep pan by spraying with nonstick spray and covering with parchment paper. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough out into an 18” x 12” rectangle. Take the filling mixture and spread it over the dough keeping ½ inch border of the dough empty.

Tightly roll the dough lengthwise. Use a moistened serrated knife to cut into 12 equal pieces. Make sure to wipe off the knife between each cut.

Place the pieces, cut side down, into the prepared baking pan. Cover with a towel and allow the buns to rise for 45 minutes.

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.

While the buns are baking, prepare the cream cheese frosting. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until smooth. If you find that you have clumps of cream cheese, place in the microwave for a couple of seconds to smooth it out.

Once the buns have finished baking, remove and immediately frost.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Cinnamon Roll

Inspired by Baldur's Gate 3

Servings: 12 Rolls

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 ¼ cup milk
• 8 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
• 2 ½ tsp active dry yeast
• 3 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup bread flour
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp amaretto

Filling

• 8 tbsp unsalted butter
• ½ cup dark brown sugar
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp kosher salt

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 6 oz cream cheese room temperature
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter melted
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tbsp milk
• 2 tsp vanilla paste

Instructions

• Start by preparing the dough. Heat the milk and butter in a saucepan over medium heat until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and allow to cool between 100 and 110°F. Add the yeast and set aside for 5 minutes, allowing the yeast to become active.
• Combine the flours, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt in a bowl of a stand mixer, with a dough hook, and mix together until well combined. Add the milk mixture, egg, egg yolk, and amaretto. Mix on low until everything just comes together, about 2 minutes.
• Increase the speed to medium-high and mix until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl, about 8 to 10 minutes. The dough will start off extremely sticky and it will take time for it to come together, be patient. After the dough is no longer sticking, increase the speed to high and mix for another minute. Transfer the dough into a greased bowl and cover. Allow the dough to rise for at least 2 hours or until it doubles in size.
• When the dough is almost done rising, prepare the filling. Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer, with the beater attachment. Whip on medium until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Continue to mix until it doubles in size and is extra fluffy, about 8 minutes. Set aside until the dough is ready.
• Prepare an 18” x 13” deep pan by spraying with nonstick spray and covering with parchment paper. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough out into an 18” x 12” rectangle. Take the filling mixture and spread it over the dough keeping ½ inch border of the dough empty.
• Tightly roll the dough lengthwise. Use a moistened serrated knife to cut into 12 equal pieces. Make sure to wipe off the knife between each cut. Place the pieces, cut side down, into the prepared baking pan. Cover with a towel and allow the buns to rise for 45 minutes.
• Preheat an oven to 350°F. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
• While the buns are baking, prepare the cream cheese frosting. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until smooth. If you find that you have clumps of cream cheese, place in the microwave for a couple of seconds to smooth it out.
• Once the buns have finished baking, remove and immediately frost.