Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls

Soft and moist banana bread cinnamon rolls filled with mashed banana and cinnamon sugar, topped with cream cheese frosting—a cozy twist on a classic. These rolls get their flavor from banana in the filling as well as a banana-infused heavy cream that gets poured over the rolls before baking for an extra boost of flavor and moisture, making them incredibly tender and a perfect mashup between banana bread and cinnamon rolls. Makes 9 rolls.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 150 grams milk
• 250 grams all purpose flour
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 40 grams unsalted butter, softened
• 40 grams granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the filling:

• 45 grams unsalted butter, softened
• 60 grams dark brown sugar
• 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large ripe banana, mashed

For the banana infused cream:

• 1 large banana
• 100 grams heavy cream

For the frosting:

• 100 grams cream cheese, room temperature
• 35 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
• 30 grams powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Instructions:

1. Make the banana cream: Slice a large banana into coins and place in a small saucepan along with the heavy cream. Simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes. Cover and set aside to cool and continue steeping while making the dough.
2. Make the dough: Place all of the dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. (If you’re using active dry yeast, start by mixing the yeast and milk and letting it sit for 10 minutes to activate). Knead on low-medium speed for 10-12 minutes, or until a smooth and slightly sticky dough forms. If kneading by hand, this will take about 15 minutes.
3. Let the dough rise, covered, for 1-1.5 hours or until doubled. While the dough rises, combine the filling ingredients in a small bowl to form a soft spreadable paste.
4. Shape the buns: Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, into a rectangle about 16×12 inches (40×30 cm). Spread the cinnamon sugar butter mixture evenly all across the dough. Spread the mashed banana on top. Roll the dough up along the long side to form a log.
5. Cut into 9 equal sized rolls (use a serrated knife for perfect slices. If the dough is soft and the filling is leaking out, place the log in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to firm up) and place into a parchment lined 8×8 inch (20×20 cm) square metal pan.
6. Let the buns rise, covered, for 30-45 minutes, or until they have puffed up significantly and bounce back slowly when poked. About 10 minutes before the buns have fully risen, set oven to 350 Fahrenheit (180 Celsius).
7. Strain the banana infused heavy cream to remove any banana bits (discard the used banana) and pour the cream over the rolls before baking.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the rolls are lightly golden. (You can test doneness with a toothpick inserted into the center roll – it should come out free of dough).
9. While the buns are baking, make the frosting by combining the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla and whisking together until combined and smooth. (For a sweeter frosting, add more powdered sugar, to taste.)
10. Let the banana bread cinnamon buns cool slightly and spread with the frosting.
11. Enjoy! Frosted buns should be stored, covered, in the fridge and reheated gently. Unfrosted buns can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days. Freeze, individually wrapped, for longer storage.

Notes:

• Dough refrigeration: After the first rise, the dough can be covered and placed in the fridge for up to 24 hours. The second rise may take a bit longer if you are working with cold dough.
• Banana ripeness: The best bananas to use in this recipe are just slightly overripe bananas – not green, and not fully brown, but yellow with some brown spots. If one banana is riper than the other, use the ripe one in the filling.
• Classic cinnamon rolls: if you don’t have ripe bananas, here’s my recipe for classic cinnamon rolls!
• Banana decorations: The banana bread cinnamon rolls in some of these photos are topped with a bruleed banana coin. To make them, slice the banana into coins, pat them dry with a paper towel, and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Place them on a heatproof surface without anything flammable nearby and brulee with a torch.