Yukon Gold Cinnamon Rolls

Fourth of July. Boise does it big — parade downtown, fireworks at Ann Morrison Park, the kind of patriotic excess that makes you feel like America invented summer, which it didn't, but try telling that to a city full of people in flag shirts eating corn dogs. We went to the parade — Mason on Scott's shoulders, Lily on mine, Hank at home because Hank and fireworks have a relationship best described as "hostile."

Scott was in his element. The Fourth is his holiday — something about the combination of fire, patriotism, and grilled meat speaks to his soul. He wore his fire department t-shirt and high-fived other firefighters in the parade and looked, for one morning, like the man I married. Confident, present, alive in a way he isn't always. I watched him hold Mason up to catch candy thrown from a float and I thought: this is the version of you I fell in love with. Where does this version go the other 364 days?

We had a barbecue at home in the afternoon. Brett came. Carol from next door came. A couple of families from Mason's preschool. Scott grilled ribs and burgers and hot dogs, and I made Mom's baked beans (the real ones — bacon, brown sugar, mustard, onion, slow-baked for three hours, not the canned kind that should be illegal) and a big bowl of coleslaw and a flag cake that Lily helped me decorate by putting strawberries in approximately the correct locations and blueberries in her mouth.

Mason lit a sparkler for the first time. He held it at arm's length with both hands and watched it with an expression of terrified delight, and when it went out he said, "Again," and I lit him another one, and another, until the box was empty and his eyes were wide and his smile was the kind of smile you remember when you're old. Lily watched from my lap and pointed at the sparks and said, "Stars," which is the most poetic thing she's ever said and which I will probably remind her of at her wedding someday.

The fireworks started after dark. We drove to a spot near the river where you can see the show from your car — essential with small children, because you can bail at any moment if someone melts down. Mason lasted the whole show. Lily fell asleep in her car seat halfway through, fireworks booming overhead, completely unbothered, because she is two and sleep is her superpower. Scott held my hand in the car during the finale. He held my hand. It was the first time in weeks, maybe months. I squeezed back. The fireworks were loud and bright and beautiful, and for ten minutes everything was simple.

The ribs were good. Scott's ribs are always good — he does them low and slow on the charcoal grill, rubbed with a spice mix he won't share the recipe for (the one secret recipe in this family that isn't mine). But the baked beans were better. Mom's beans are a work of art — sweet, smoky, tangy, with chunks of bacon that melt into the sauce. I make them exactly the way she makes them, following the recipe card with the same reverence I give the cinnamon rolls. Some recipes you don't improve. You just faithfully reproduce them and feel grateful that someone thought to write them down.

I said it at the end of that afternoon, watching the sparklers die out and the fireflies come up, and I meant it: some recipes you don’t improve. You just reproduce them faithfully and feel grateful someone wrote them down. Mom’s baked beans are one. These Yukon Gold Cinnamon Rolls are another — the recipe that started this whole blog, the one I treat with the same reverence I gave that bean card. If the Fourth of July has a morning-after breakfast, for this family it’s always been these. Soft, golden, impossible to improve.

Prep Time: 30 minutes + 1 hour 30 minutes rise | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes | Servings: 12 rolls

Ingredients

Dough:
1 cup whole milk, warmed to 110°F
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (one standard packet)
1/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup mashed Yukon Gold potato (from 1 small potato, boiled and riced), cooled
Filling:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons whole milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of fine sea salt

Instructions

Activate the yeast. Combine the warm milk, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of the granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir gently and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy and fragrant. If the mixture doesn’t foam, your yeast may be old — start over with fresh yeast.
Make the dough. Add the remaining sugar, eggs, melted butter, salt, mashed Yukon Gold potato, and 4 cups of flour to the yeast mixture. Using the dough hook, mix on low speed until the dough comes together, then increase to medium and knead for 6 to 8 minutes until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky but pulls cleanly from the sides of the bowl. Add flour 1 tablespoon at a time only if the dough is unworkably sticky.
First rise. Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm spot for 60 to 75 minutes, until doubled in size.
Make the filling. While the dough rises, stir together the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg until a spreadable paste forms. Set aside at room temperature.
Roll and fill. Punch down the risen dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 16x12-inch rectangle, with the long edge facing you. Spread the filling evenly across the entire surface, going all the way to the edges.
Roll and slice. Starting from the long edge closest to you, roll the dough into a tight log. Pinch the seam to seal. Using unflavored dental floss or a sharp serrated knife, cut the log into 12 equal rolls, each about 1 1/3 inches wide.
Second rise. Arrange the rolls cut-side up in a buttered 9x13-inch baking dish, leaving a little space between each. Cover loosely and let rise for 30 to 40 minutes until puffed and touching.
Bake. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Bake rolls for 22 to 25 minutes until the tops are golden and the centers are set. Do not overbake — they should look ever so slightly underdone when you pull them; they’ll continue to set as they cool.
Make the frosting. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt and beat until creamy and pourable. Adjust milk for consistency.
Frost and serve. Spread the frosting generously over the warm rolls while they’re still in the pan. Serve immediately, pulling rolls apart right from the dish.

Nutrition (per serving)

Yukon Gold Cinnamon Rolls — The Recipe Card You Never Improve, Just Faithfully Reproduce