I have long been a lover of cinnamon rolls. For the holidays, I wanted to develop an orange roll with chocolate filling. As I researched, milk bread cinnamon rolls hit my radar. My first thought was, “What? Where have I been?” One thing led to another, and next thing you know I’m pushing milk bread cinnamon rolls onto everyone and their mother, literally. Even my mother and mother-in-law got a taste.

I really didn’t know where to begin or which version, tangzhong or yudane that I would like more. So, I tried both. Before I get ahead of myself, let’s talk about tangzhong and yudane. I like to think of these as starters or enhancers for breads and rolls. They are used in Chinese and Japanese milk breads (respectively). These enhancers help stabilize the starches in bread and gives the milk breads their fluffy and soft characteristics. The breads and rolls tend to stay softer for longer as well.

Tangzhong is typically made by whisking flour with milk and cooking over medium heat until the milk mixture has thickened. The ratio of flour to liquid is 1:5, but you may see a 1:4 ratio on occasion for bread making.

Yudane is more straightforward and has a 1:1 ratio of flour to liquid. It’s made by mixing boiling hot water into the flour.

So, you’re probably wondering how did they turn out, right?

The tangzhong rolls were soft and fluffy. When you say, “Milk bread cinnamon rolls” the results that you get from this version is how I’d imagine a milk bread cinnamon roll to taste. The crumbs have those long strands that you see in a typical milk bread photo.

The Yudane version is softer than a cinnamon rolls made without the enhancer, but it seems to have a hair more structure than the tangzhong version in that there was slightly less shrinkage after cooling. Additionally, dealing with yudane is easier than tangzhong because you don’t have to cook it. It’s the goldilocks version. I can see why a lot of people like this version.

In either case, one thing is for sure, these yield softer rolls (than a batch made without enhancers). I have made many batches of cinnamon rolls and have had batches where I thought, “Hopefully, the sweat and icing will soften these a bit.” For both these milk bread versions, I was able to touch the buns after they came out of the oven and feel that they are without a doubt softer than regular rolls.

Notes:

Tangzhong or yudane – the choice is yours. I had over a dozen people taste test these rolls. It was not unanimous one way or another. In my opinion, the tangzhong version yielded slightly softer rolls, but yudane rolls are soft and structurally sound. You can make both ahead of time. It is actually recommended to make the yudane at least the night before for proper development.
Flour – I used King Arthur Flour’s all-purpose flour. For slightly chewier texture, you can use bread flour at the same measurements. Note that the amount of flour used in the tangzhong version is more than the yudane to account for the greater hydration percentage.
Cocoa powder – the cocoa powder used in filling is just regular cocoa powder. You can use whichever type you have. Dutch process will work as well.
Rise/proof – proofing time may vary depending on various conditions. I had the bowls in my kitchen and ensured that the kitchen stayed at 75℉. Ideal proofing temperatures are usually between 75℉-85℉.
Wet or dry filling – alternative to mixing the softened butter into the filling, you can mix all the ingredients of the filling with the exception of the butter and chopped chocolate. Spread the softened butter on the rolled out dough and then sprinkle the filling mixture on the butter. Then sprinkle on the chopped chocolate. For this dry filling, I find that cutting the cinnamon rolls becomes trickier because the filling ends up spilling out like sand in certain spots. Mixing the butter with the other filling ingredients to make a paste keeps the filling together. The paste might be slightly harder to spread, but I find using gentle strokes with a rubber spatula or your warm fingers can help spread this mixture. I used the wet paste on the tangzhong and the dry filling on the yudane version because I knew that they would be visually different and it was an easy way to identify them when I had them side by side.

Orange Chocolate Milk Bread Cinnamon Rolls

Yields: 12 rolls
Time: 3-4 hours

Tangzhong:
2 tablespoons (18g) all-purpose flour
½ cup (88g) whole milk

• Whisk together the flour and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the mixture has thickened. This takes 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool completely before use. Cover and set aside until ready to use. This can be made a day in advance. Let the mixture come to room temperature before adding to the dough.

OR

Yudane:
7 ¾ tablespoons (70g) all-purpose flour
6 ½ tablespoons (70g) boiling hot water

• In a small bowl, add flour. Slowly add in the hot water. Stir quickly to combine. Let cool completely. Cover and set aside until ready to use. This can be made a day in advance. Best if made at least a few hours or one day ahead of time. Let the mixture come to room temperature before adding to the dough.

Dough:
3 ¼ cups (440g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (add ¼ cup (35g) more if using tangzhong)
Tangzhong or Yudane from above
1 package (7g) instant yeast
1/3 cup (75g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (4g) salt
¾ cup (178ml) whole milk
2 tablespoons (30 ml) orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest, from 1 ½ navel oranges
1 large egg
6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, softened

Chocolate Filling:
5 tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, extra softened
2/3 cup (160g) brown sugar
2 tablespoons (12g) cocoa powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon orange zest (from ½ of a navel orange)
4 oz. dark chocolate, chopped

Icing:
1 ½ cup (170g) confection’s sugar
2-4 tablespoons orange juice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

• To make the dough. Start by heating or scalding the milk until it just starts to bubble. Let the milk cool to about 110-105℉ before adding to the dough mixture.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, sugar, instant yeast, and salt. Stir to combine. Next add orange zest, tangzhong or yudane, egg, and orange juice.
• Assemble the dough hook and turn on the mixer (low speed, number 2). Slowly add the warm milk to the mixer bowl. Once these ingredients come together, add the softened butter, one tablespoon at a time. You may need to scrape the bowl to help the butter incorporate properly into the dough. Let it knead for 2-3 minutes more at this low speed until the butter looks like it has been completely incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium speed (number 4) and let it knead for another 8 minutes or so. The dough will be sticky on the bottom, but the top should be tacky.
• Transfer the dough ball into a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Place the bowl in a warm corner of the kitchen (at least 75℉) and let it rise until it doubles in size. This may take an hour and a half or two hours, depending on room temperature and other factors.
• A few minutes before the dough is ready, prepare the filling. In a small bowl combine the brown sugar and orange zest. Add cocoa powder, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Mix well. Then add the 5 tablespoon softened butter and mix until the mixture looks like a dark paste.
• On a greased surface, turn out the dough. Use a rolling pin and roll into a rectangle of at least 20×16 inches.
• Spread the filling in the center of the dough, leaving about a ½ inch space around the edges. Sprinkle with the chopped chocolate. From one long side, roll the dough to form a long log.
• Use a knife or unflavored floss to cut the log into 12 pieces. Arrange the rolls (cut side up) in a pan, leaving space in between. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel or greased plastic wrap and let rise again until the rolls have puffed up. This may take half an hour to hour.
• 15 minutes before you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350℉. Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes. The tops should be golden brown. Internal temperature should be about 185℉-190℉. Let cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before topping them with icing.
• For the icing, in a small bowl, whisk the confectioner’s sugar with 1-2 tablespoons orange juice. Add vanilla extract. Whisk in more orange juice as needed until you get the desired consistency. Drizzle over the rolls.
• Enjoy!