Lemon Poppy Seed Cinnabons

Um yeah, so who authorised this sudden mid-summer weather in and around Cape Town? As a staunch winter & autumn lover this is slightly perturbing to me. As a hormonal preggo, the current hot weather makes me more than a little uncomfortable. I mean, there's only so much ice cream you can eat, am I right? 

And if you've exhausted all other hot weather options - iced tea, cool desserts, crunchy salads - well then I guess the only logical thing left to do is opt for some home baking action. Just imagine: lengthy rising times, hot ovens and the most delectably creamy icing you can imagine, disappearing stealthily from the mixing bowl one spoonful at a time. 

In actual fact, these rolls were a breeze to make. Yes, it involves not one but two rising times, but it's not like you have to actively *do* anything during that time. You'll be lounging around on your front lawn as you would've done anyway, reading a book, twirling your hair and listening to some summer-y tunes, right? Not at all incompatible with a bowl of dough resting on the kitchen counter. 

Of course the added bonus of lengthy rising times (besides giving you a legitimate excuse to laze around the house) is that you also have ample time to ingest a boat load of the icing that you've diligently prepared in advance in order to slather on while the buns are still warm. Not that I *ahem* would ever encourage or indulge in such blatant piggery. I'm just saying, the option is there. And when the dough has finished rising, it only needs 10 minutes baking time. So the kitchen doesn't even need to stay hot for that long. Utter win, right? 

And let's be honest, there are few things that will make you feel more domestic goddess-y than pulling out a warm tray of cinnabons out of the oven, drenching them with tangy icing and biting into the still-warm fluffy buns that you made yourself. "Oh these? Yes, I whipped them up this morning. Nope, no effort at all!", you will say smugly when your visitors moan their appreciation for the lemony-poppyseeded goodness of these cinnabon wannabes. All in a day's work. 

Lemon Poppy Seed Cinnabons
Adapted from Cupcake Darling
Makes 15

These rolls freeze well - so you can make them ahead of time, then just defrost and reheat when the next craving strikes!

For the dough:
10g (1/3 oz) instant yeast
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup softened butter
pinch of salt
2 large eggs
4 cups white bread flour
1 cup warm milk

For the filling:
1/3 cup softened butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp poppy seeds
zest of 2 lemons

For the topping:
120g (4 oz) cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1 3/4 cup icing (confectioner's) sugar
juice of half a lemon
extra poppy seeds to sprinkle over (optional)
extra lemon zest to sprinkle over (optional)

1. Mix together all the ingredients for the dough in a large bowl, stirring until it comes together. Knead briefly on a floured surface, forming a large ball with the dough. Place back in the bowl, cover with a moist tea towel and allow to rise for an hour until doubled in size.
2. Roll dough out to a rectangle of about 40 x 50 cm (16 x 21 inch). Spread with the softened butter. Mix together the sugar, poppy seeds and zest and sprinkle all over the buttered dough.
3. Starting on one of the long sides, start rolling the dough up as tightly as you can - it should look like a swiss roll. Cut into inch thick pieces using a sharp knife (don't use a serrated knife) and place cut side down onto a baking tray lined with greased baking paper. Cover and allow to rise for another hour.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the topping by mixing together the cream cheese and butter until there are no more lumps. Using a hand held electric whisk, beat the mixture for 5 - 10 minutes until light and fluffy. Add half of the icing sugar, whisk for another minute, then add the rest of the sugar and whisk again for a minute. Whisk in the lemon juice and place in the fridge to cool down and firm up slightly.
5. Preheat your oven to 200C (400F) when the dough has about 15 minutes left to rise. When the hour is up, place cinnamon rolls into the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
6. Remove the rolls from the oven and allow to cool slightly before slathering with the topping. Sprinkle with some extra poppy seeds and lemon zest if you wish and serve while still warm.