Thai Tea Cinnamon Rolls

9, big rolls (or 12 smaller ones if you cut them into roughly 3/4-inch slices instead of 1 inch!)

Thai Tea Cinnamon Rolls

I know what you're thinking. Cool it with the Thai tea! I get it. This is probably the 10th recipe on my tiny baking blog with Thai tea in it (I just checked, it's actually the sixth so I have bit more wiggle room before it becomes too much). I still have nearly five pounds of Thai tea mix from my trip to Thailand over the summer taking up too much space in my pantry and my family absolutely adores the sweet-spiced drink, so why not make their morning by making these Thai tea cinnamon rolls? I mean, afterall, I'm incredibly chartiable.

This recipe takes my go-to cinnamon rolls that I've been tweaking over the years and turning up the creamy-spiced flavor through both infusing the dough with Thai tea leaves and using instant Thai tea mix to the sugar mixture for even more of that great flavor. If you don't want to get two different types of Thai tea, I recommend just getting the instant mix and infusing that into the dough and then using a bit more of the instant mix for the sugar filling in the rolls. If you have Thai tea leaves and don't want to shop for instant mix, omit it from the filling. It'll taste just as great with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom.

If you don't have a stand mixer, the dough can also be kneaded by hand (with an arm workout!). Once yeast mixture is prepared in step two, add the remaining dough ingredients and stir together with a wooden spoon or spatula until a dough forms. Transfer onto a clean, lightly floured work surface and knead with your hands until the dough is soft and smooth, about eight to 10 minutes. Continue on with the first rise. The frosting can also be made by hand by whisking vigorously in a bowl.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup warm milk (whole milk preferred, non-dairy and other alternates also work)
• 2 tablespoons loose-leaf Thai tea mix (such as ChaTraMue) (30g)
• 2 ¼ teaspoons quick rise or active yeast (1/4-ounce package yeast)
• 1/3 cup (50g) granulated sugar, plus another 1/3 cup granulated sugar, separated
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
• ¼ cup salted butter (1/2 stick), melted and 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) at room temperature, separated
• 3 cups (365g) bread flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 satchet (20g) instant Thai tea mix (ChaTraMue instant Thai tea brand)
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk (7 ounces)
• 1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Infuse the milk: In a saucepan, add milk and Thai tea mix in a loose tea stepper and heat on low-to-medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes to infuse the two (do not let come to a boil). Turn off the heat and let cool until warm, but not hot to the touch.
2. Prepare the yeast: In a bowl, mix together the warm Thai tea milk mixture, warm water, 1/4 cup melted butter, sugar, and yeast. Let sit for 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Form dough: In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the yeast mixture, egg and egg yolk, salt, and half of the flour. Mix on low speed for about 1 minute until just combined. Add the remaining flour and increase to medium speed. Mix for another 6 to 7 minutes on medium until the dough is smooth and supple. If the dough sticks to the sides, add flour, one tablespoon at a time and continue beating until it isn't sticking to the sides anymore.
4. First rise: Lightly grease a bowl (ideally with leftover butter wrapper), cover , and let the dough rise until doubled, about an hour and a half.
5. Make the sugar mixture: in a small bowl, mix together 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 2/3 cup dark brown sugar, satchet of instant Thai tea mix, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg. Stir to combine.
6. Once the dough has doubled in size, transfer it to a clean, floured surface and roll it out into a rectangle (somewhere around 14-inches by 9-inches). Spread the softened butter over the dough and then rub the sugar mixture over the dough into the sugar.
7. With a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut nine 1-inch ribbons height-wise and then manually roll each bun (you can also roll the dough into a log and then cut it with a serrated knife, but this method yields cleaner rolls). Cover with plastic wrap or a warm towel and let rise again for half an hour (if making overnight, wrap immediately and but in the fridge. Leave at room temperature at least two hours before baking the next day).
8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove wrap and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the rolls get slightly golden brown on the edges.
9. Make the frosting: while the rolls are cooling, add one stick of butter, 1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk, and 1 1/2 cups of confectioners’ sugar to an electric mixer and beat until smooth. Spread over rolls and enjoy!

Print Recipe