These cinnamon rolls are such a lovely morning breakfast treat. If you’re an early bird, you can have them ready in an hour and a half. Alternatively, prepare them the evening before and leave them in the fridge overnight, ready to bake in the morning.

Here’s what goes in:

3 cups cake flour

1 sachet of instant dry yeast (10g)

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon castor sugar

100ml full cream milk

150ml lukewarm water

For the syrup

½ cup Muscovado Sugar

60ml boiling water 

3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

For the glaze 

100g cream cheese, at room temperature

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 cup icing sugar

How to do it:

Pre-heat your oven to 180°C and grease and line a round or square baking tin, approximately 20cm wide – a cast iron pot also works well for this recipe. Combine the flours and salt, and then add the yeast and sugar without mixing so that they can activate with the warm water. Add the water followed by the milk, and mix thoroughly until a ball of dough forms. I use a mixer with the bread hook attachment for this, but it is just as easily done by hand. Once well combined, flour your hands and the surface you’re going to work on before turning the dough out. Gently knead the dough and then place it in a lightly oiled bowl, covered with a tea towel. Leave it to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Remove the dough from the bowl, knock it down gently, again on the floured surface, and knead it for just a few minutes until you have a smooth, elastic consistency. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangular shape, around 1cm thick. Combine the ingredients for the syrup, brush this onto the slab of dough and then roll it up into a long sausage. Cut slices that are 4-5cm wide. You should expect to yield anything between 9 and 12 rolls, which will fit perfectly into a square pan. Any leftover sugar syrup can be brushed onto the rolls and then leave them to rise for another 30 minutes before baking. (If you’d like to do all this prep the day before and bake them in the morning, you can cover them with clingfilm, packed in the pan, and leave them in the fridge overnight. Bring them to room temperature in the morning before baking).

Sprinkle some brown sugar over the top and bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown. Combine the ingredients for the cream cheese icing and spread it over the cinnamon rolls while still warm.