Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls https://bromabakery.com/banana-bread-cinnamon-rolls/
i made these for a baby shower once. first batch? 80 rolls. all dry by the time the mom got there. i wanted to cry honestly. waste of butter.
so i went home and tried again.
failed two more times.
fourth time? yeah. that one worked.
here’s how.
first thing and i mean this
your bananas need to be BLACK.
not yellow with spots. BLACK black. like you look at them and go “should i throw these away?” those ones.
if your bananas still have green on the tip? don’t even start. put them in the freezer for smoothies. use them another day.
i tried with semi ripe bananas once. rolls came out dry and boring. wasted two hours of my life.
so three black bananas. mash them in a bowl. leave some little chunks. they’ll disappear in the oven.
you actually need FOUR bananas. not three. three for the dough. one for inside the roll. i’ll show you where the fourth one goes.
buy the bunch with five. eat one while you cook. that’s the rule.
mix the dry stuff
get a bowl. put in two cups of flour. just regular flour. not bread flour. bread flour makes tough rolls.
two teaspoons of baking powder. BUT
check the date on that baking powder first. serious. if it’s been in your cabinet for six months? throw it away. old baking powder does nothing. your rolls will be flat and sad.
half a teaspoon of salt. regular table salt. not the chunky kind.
one tablespoon of cinnamon. not two yet. save the other tablespoon.
mix it with a fork. whatever.
wet bowl
bigger bowl. mash those three black bananas.
add quarter cup of melted butter. but let the butter cool first. i forgot once and poured hot butter on the egg and got little cooked bits in my dough. still tasted fine but looked weird.
ok so cooled butter.
add one egg.
quarter cup of milk. whole milk is best but i’ve used 2% and even oat milk. oat milk made it a little denser but still good.
one teaspoon vanilla if you have it. if not? skip it. banana is strong enough.
mix it until it looks wet and shiny.
now dump the dry into the wet
mix with a spatula. stop when you don’t see dry flour anymore.
seriously stop.
if you keep mixing the rolls will be tough like shoe leather. i’m not joking. i did it once and my husband was like “are these supposed to be chewy?” no. no they are not.
here’s a trick
leave the dough alone for five minutes.
just walk away.
go wash a spoon. check your phone. whatever.
when you come back the dough will be less sticky. easier to work with. the flour drinks up the liquid while you’re not looking.
Filling time
quarter cup of butter. SOFT. not melted. soft like you can press your finger into it.
half cup of dark brown sugar. pack it tight when you measure.
the other tablespoon of cinnamon (the one you saved).
mix it into a paste. should look like peanut butter.
too dry? add a tiny splash of milk. too wet? add a little more sugar.
now flour your counter
not too much flour. just enough so the dough doesn’t stick.
put the dough on the counter. pat it into a rectangle with your hands first. then use a rolling pin.
or a wine bottle. i’ve used a wine bottle. works fine.
roll it until it’s about a quarter inch thick. maybe ten inches by twelve inches. don’t stress the measurements. close enough.
spread the filling
all over the dough. leave a little border around the edges. like half an inch. that border stops the filling from leaking out when you roll.
now.
that fourth banana i told you about?
mash it in a small bowl. spread it in a thin layer right on top of the brown sugar paste.
this is the thing. most recipes don’t do this. they put banana in the dough and stop. but the inside swirl gets dry. that extra banana layer keeps EVERY bite moist. even the next day.
roll it up
start from the long side. roll tight but don’t squeeze. gentle pressure.
like rolling a sleeping bag. not strangling someone.
cut it
serrated knife. the kind with little teeth. if you use a regular knife it’ll squish the roll and all the filling will push out.
saw back and forth. don’t press straight down.
cut about ten to twelve pieces. each about an inch thick.
pan
nine inch round pan. METAL. not glass.
glass takes longer to heat up. the edges will burn before the middle is done. i learned this the hard way and my kitchen smelled like smoke for two days.
grease the pan with butter or spray.
put the rolls in cut side up. leave a little space between each one. they’ll grow in the oven.
oven
350 degrees. let it get hot first. like fifteen minutes.
bake for twenty minutes. then check.
they should be golden brown on top. edges a little darker.
if they’re pale? give them five more minutes.
every oven is different. my old oven took twenty five minutes. my new one takes twenty two. you have to learn your oven like it’s a person.
when they come out
you might hear a little crackling sound. that’s the sugar caramelizing. that sound means you did good.
let them sit in the pan for five minutes. not ten. not twenty. five.
glaze while you wait
four ounces cream cheese. full fat. low fat will be runny and thin.
let it soften. if you forgot to take it out of the fridge (i always forget) microwave it for ten seconds.
two tablespoons honey. or maple syrup. whatever you have.
one tablespoon milk to start. mix with a fork.
too thick? add more milk one drop at a time.
too thin? add more cream cheese or a spoonful of powdered sugar.
after the five minutes
drizzle the glaze over the rolls. not too much. just a zigzag.
then wait another five minutes before you eat one.
i know you want to eat one NOW. i get it. but that five minutes lets the glaze soak into the swirls instead of sitting on top.
stuff that goes wrong
if your rolls spread out flat like pancakes? your dough was too wet. next time use less milk. like two tablespoons less. but still eat these. they’ll taste fine. just ugly.
if the middle is raw but the edges are burnt? your pan is too small or your oven runs hot. cover with foil. bake ten more minutes. take foil off for the last two minutes.
if the glaze runs off like water? too much milk. add more cream cheese.
if they’re still dry? your bananas weren’t ripe enough. next time microwave them for thirty seconds before mashing. brings out the moisture.
