Why are Cinnabons so soft and moist?
This is a question about the science of baking. What factors contribute to the softness and moistness of the Cinnabon® brand cinnamon rolls? Particularly, I'm interested in:
- The type of flour to use (e.g. cake, AP, bread, etc.)
- The amount of water and other liquids (i.e. the effects of hydration)
- Leaveners
- Cooking temperature and time
- Additives
- Process/technique
Best Answer
I'm not sure whether you meant cinnamon rolls. If so: These are made of yeast-leavened dough which is quite soft. (Yeast-leavened dough is also part of toast, pizza, bagels, some kinds of donuts etc.)
In addition, it's a kind of not-so-fine puff pastry (Danish pastry): Between two layers of dough there is a layer of solid fat (like butter). I think that the fat will make the yeast-leavened dough "extra" moist.
To make a simple yeast-leavened dough you need water, (plain wheat) flour, salt and yeast. Some other pastries require sugar, fat (e.g. butter), replace water with milk, et cetera ...
The flour needs to have gluten otherwise the dough cannot hold the tiny air bubbles that the yeast produces and the dough won't be able to rise. Plain wheat flour suits perfectly for this purpose. But it has a disadvantage: If you store the pastry wrongly, the pastry will be frumpy. (1)
Just pick a nice receipe of cinnamon rolls and you'll see :D
If you want to know more about cooking and stuff: "Cooking for Geeks: Real Science, Great Hacks, and Good Food" by Jeff Potter (O'Reilly & Associates). Seems to be a nice book for geeks :D
(1) Source: "Kochen für Geeks" - somehow I could not find the chapter about yeast in the English pendant.
Pictures about "Why are Cinnabons so soft and moist?"
Why are cinnabons so soft?
'Center of the Roll' at Cinnabon is actually half of a full bun cut up and mixed together. The center of a cinnamon roll is a coveted bite. It is typically the most flavorful piece of the roll since it's packed with filling, the dough is extra-soft, and the icing really soaks into the middle.What is the secret to Cinnabon?
They use one secret ingredient that entices every customer to buy one of their delicious desserts: cinnamon. Psst: Here's how to make our Cinnabon copycat at home. Clearly cinnamon isn't a secret ingredient in the recipe for cinnamon rolls, but it's the type of cinnamon they use that's key. They call it Makara.Why is my cinnamon roll dough so wet?
Go Easy on the FlourNot enough flour and the rolls won't have enough structure to rise and will be dense and soggy. Toward the end of mixing, gradually add a tablespoon at a time and check the texture of the dough after each addition. Learn how to measure flour for consistent results.How do you make cinnamon rolls moist?
To keep cinnamon rolls soft when baking, use only the required amount of bread flour and the tangzhong method. Do not overknead or overwork the dough. Use warm ingredients and softened, not melted, butter for the filling. To keep cinnamon rolls soft, store them in an airtight tub or plastic wrap.The Real Reason Why Cinnabon's Cinnamon Rolls Are So Delicious
More answers regarding why are Cinnabons so soft and moist?
Answer 2
Cinnabon is a recipe I found on allrecipes.com. It includes a recipe for the yeast dough to be made in a bread maker. Milk and egg in the dough make it soft. The huge amount of cinnamon and the brown sugar/butter filling also stay soft. Cinnabon is trade name for a company.
Answer 3
To bake anything where I am located I have to use King Arthur all purpose flour.Everything turns out soft and the way I want it.Different flour in different regions makes a big difference.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Engin Akyurt, Engin Akyurt, Elizaveta Mitenkova, Ben Mack