Banana Cinnamon Rolls with Greek Yogurt Glaze

Everyone is out here making their old bananas into banana bread. I respect it, I love banana bread, but I wanted to change things up a bit and use my old bananas for cinnamon rolls. Yes, I added a little bit of banana into the dough and then used the rest of the bananas for the cinnamon sugar filling. They were iconic and I can’t wait for you to make them.

This recipe was inspired by Stella Parks of The Brave Tart. Her baked goods are flawless. I highly recommend her and her book for any and all baking-related things.

Banana Cinnamon Rolls with Greek Yogurt Glaze

Makes: 12 rolls

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: Overnight plus 30 minutes

Ingredients:

FOR THE DOUGH:

• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 packet dry yeast (2 teaspoons), not rapid-rise

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 stick unsalted butter

• 1/4 cup milk

• 1/4 cup very ripe banana

• 1 cup Greek yogurt

FOR THE FILLING:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temp

• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed (I used light brown but if you only have dark brown, that’s fine)

• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground or grated nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 cup very ripe banana (about 1 whole medium banana), mashed

FOR THE GLAZE:

• 2 cups powdered sugar

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 cup greek yogurt

Steps:

MAKE THE DOUGH: The day before you want to enjoy your cinnamon rolls, in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, yeast, kosher salt, and baking soda. Stir to thoroughly combine.

In a small saucepan over a medium-low heat, melt butter. Once melted, add in milk, very ripe banana and Greek yogurt. Stir to combine, we want this to be about 80 degrees Fahrenheit (use a digital thermometer to check the temperature).

Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture. Using a spatula, stir together to make a very dry, shaggy looking dough. Place the bowl on the stand mixer, and using the dough hook attachment, knead the dough on low-speed until it is very smooth, elastic, and when you pick it up and pull it, it doesn’t tear, about 20-25 minutes.

Cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and proof until the dough has doubled in size, about 60-90 minutes. If you’d like to speed up this process, place your dough under a heat lamp or in a warming drawer.

While the dough is resting, MAKE THE FILLING: In a medium bowl, mash banana. In the same bowl, combine sugar, butter, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix until well combined. It may look slightly separated but that is okay! Don’t worry, it will all come together during the bake.

Once the dough has risen, flour your work surface, and place the dough onto the surface. Dust with additional flour and, using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a 13-inch rectangle. Spread the filling over the top of the dough in one even layer using the back of a spoon, a rubber spatula, or an offset spatula.

Taking the longest side of the dough, delicately roll the dough into a log. Seam side down, use floss or a sharp knife to cut the log into two. Cut each half into six even slices and place on a parchment lined 9x13 baking tray or two 8x3 round cake pans. Cover with tin foil and refrigerate overnight or up to 48 hours.

The next day, take the rolls out of the refrigerator and allow them to come to temperature while you preheat your oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once preheated, place the tinfoil covered cinnamon rolls in the oven and bake for 45 minutes until fluffy and pale. Remove tin foil and bake until the tops are golden, about 15 minutes more.

MAKE THE GLAZE: In a medium bowl, add powdered sugar. Whisk until no lumps remain. Add vanilla extract, salt, and Greek yogurt and whisk to combine.

Drizzle the gorgeous glaze over the hot, steamy cinnamon rolls and enjoy!