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beer cinnamon rolls
Courtesy: Beer Bread, by Lori Rice

Course: Entree | Beer Style: Brown Ale

Six-Pack Cinnamon Rolls

These cinnamon rolls are baked in half-pint, wide-mouth mason jars, creating a convenient grab-and-go breakfast or a fun way to add some character to a beer-tasting brunch. Several beer styles will work well to create a tender, sweet dough. The basic lager is a solid choice, but don’t be afraid to branch out to a brown ale or spiced beer. You’ll need a little patience with these rolls in two ways. First, the dough rests and rises in the refrigerator for 20 to 24 hours. Second, it is a sticky dough, so use generously floured hands and surface to work with it. It’s worth it in the end, I promise!

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Prep Time: 30 minutes | Yield: 6

Ingredients

Cinnamon Rolls
  • 330 grams (2¾ cups) all-purpose flour
  • 2¼ teaspoons (one ¼-ounce packet) active dry yeast
  • 6 ounces (¾ cup) lager, brown ale, or spiced beer
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ cup chopped nuts (optional)
Frosting
  • ¾ cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch of fine sea salt

Directions

  1. Add the flour and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Turn it to low and pour in the beer. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed and mix until a dough begins to form. Mix in the sugar, butter, and egg. Add the salt and vanilla. Continue to mix until a very sticky dough forms.
  2. Scrape the sides of the bowl often and allow the mixer to knead the dough for 10 minutes. It will continue to be sticky but will become smooth as the mixer kneads it.
  3. Grease a bowl with butter or cooking oil. Transfer the dough to the prepared bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 20 to 24 hours.
    Just before you remove the dough from the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease six wide-mouth, half-pint mason jars with butter. Prepare a well-floured surface.
  4. Turn the dough out of the bowl and use floured hands to form it into a ball. Roll out to a rectangle about 8-by-12 inches with the 12-inch side facing you. Continue to sprinkle the top and bottom with flour as you roll. It's important to work quickly so the dough remains chilled and easy to work with.
  5. For the filling, brush the melted butter over the rectangle of dough. Sprinkle it with the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts, if using. Roll the dough toward you, tossing flour under it as you roll or using a scraper if necessary. Place it seam side down; it will be soft and loose in shape. Tuck in the ends and cut it into six rolls, each about 2 inches wide. Transfer each roll, cut side up, into a prepared mason jar.
  6. Place the mason jars on a baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown on the top and the interior of the rolls reaches 190°F. Allow them to cool for 10 minutes.
  7. Make the frosting by using a fork to mash together the powdered sugar with the butter in a small bowl. Stir in the sour cream and continue to stir rapidly until a smooth frosting forms. Stir in the vanilla and salt.
  8. Add a dollop of frosting on the top of each roll and spread as desired. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. Store leftover rolls in the refrigerator. Remove the lid and microwave 15 to 30 seconds before eating to take the chill off.
  9. Excerpted from Beer Bread. Copyright 2020 by Lori Rice. Reproduced by permission of The Countryman Press. All rights reserved.

Lori Rice is a photographer, writer and nutritional scientist based in California's Central Valley. Over a decade ago in a biergarten in Vienna, she found a passion for travel, food culture and well-crafted beer which led to the publication of her cookbook "Food on Tap: Cooking with Craft Beer" (Countryman Press, 2017). When she’s not writing about food and drink and photographing the process, Lori can be found traveling with her husband to investigate all things food and beer in the U.S. and abroad.

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