Pull-Apart Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

These pull-apart gingerbread cinnamon rolls were born "for fans of cinnamon rolls and gingerbread," says recipe developer Kara Barrett. "I find that traditional cinnamon rolls are too sweet for my taste," Barrett says about her inspiration for this bake, which she instead describes as "buttery, with notes of ginger and cinnamon, and not overly sweet."

This pull-apart loaf comes together with a yeasted dough, which is technically possible to knead by hand if you're willing to put some elbow grease. However, Barrett highly recommends using a stand mixer. "Be patient as you are making the dough," she advises. "It takes time to come together and add the butter, but the payoff is worth it." Conveniently, she points out that you can essentially "cut the work in two" by prepping the dough at night, letting it rest while you sleep, and then shaping and baking the rolls in the morning. In the end, "you may find this recipe easier than traditional cinnamon rolls" since you're creating a loaf rather than perfect spirals, Barrett says. "A fluffy and tasty treat for a cold winter day," these pillowy pull-apart rolls are the ideal accompaniment to your morning cup of coffee.

The dough for these rolls is made with milk, flour, instant yeast, olive oil, vanilla, salt, and butter. It's flavored with brown sugar, powdered ginger, and cinnamon, which are the same seasonings used in the filling. If you'd like to add a sweet topping, Barrett recommends a dusting of powdered sugar.

Prepare a tangzhong: Add milk to a saucepan a place on the stovetop over medium heat.

When milk starts to steam, add 60 grams flour and whisk vigorously until the mixture resembles a paste similar to mashed potatoes. This will happen quickly.

Add tangzhong to the bowl of a stand mixer along with the remaining 300 grams flour, yeast, olive oil, 2 tablespoons vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon ginger powder, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, and 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar.

With the dough hook attached, mix on the stir setting until combined. Next, increase the speed to the second setting and continue mixing for 10 minutes, until the dough is cohesive and clears the sides of the mixer. If needed, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough pulls off the sides of the bowl.

With the mixture still running, add 4 tablespoons butter, 1 pat at a time, to the dough until emulsified. This will take about 5-7 minutes.

Once the butter is incorporated, continue mixing for an additional 10-15 minutes until the dough wraps around the hook and is firm and elastic.

Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let sit for 1 hour at room temperature. Next, refrigerate for 2-24 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Using 1 tablespoon butter, grease a loaf pan, line it with parchment, and grease the paper.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon vanilla, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, 3 tablespoons room-temperature butter, 1 tablespoon ginger, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, and ½ cup brown sugar. Set filling aside.

Add dough to a lightly floured surface and pat it into a square.

Roll dough into a long rectangle, approximately 8x17 inches.

Cut into 8 even squares.

Spread a dollop of filling onto each square, leaving the edges clean.

Stack the squares, rotate the pile horizontally, and add it to prepared loaf pan.

Bake for 35 minutes until cooked throughout.

Let cool and garnish with sifted powdered sugar, if desired, before serving.

In this recipe, Barrett gives the measurements for the flour in grams instead of cups or tablespoons. As she explains, "I would recommend using a scale to foolproof the process." If you don't have a kitchen scale, no worries: Barrett says you'll use a total of 3 cups of flour in the recipe. The 60 grams you'll need in the first step comes out to around ½ cup, and the rest will go in the dough.

Whether or not you use a scale, Barrett says there's no need to sift the flour. What you should do before measuring, however, is fluff the flour by stirring it to incorporate some air. Once the flour's been fluffed, spoon it into a measuring cup instead of using the cup as a scoop. These steps avoid packing the flour, which would give you hard, rather than light and fluffy, rolls.

When pulled apart, this gingerbread cinnamon loaf yields 8 generously sized rolls, so you may not be able to finish every last one when it's still warm and fresh from the oven. In that instance, you have a choice of how to store them. If you opt for room temperature, Barrett says they'll last for about 4 days in an airtight container, while if you refrigerate them, you can enjoy leftovers for up to a week as long as you've wrapped them well. If you'd like to freeze the rolls, do so after they've been baked, since Barrett doesn't recommend storing the dough in the freezer.

Leftover cinnamon rolls will taste great at room temperature or even with a slight chill from the refrigerator. If you prefer your cinnamon rolls to be warm, though, Barrett recommends that you "gently rewarm them in the oven or in the microwave."