Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls
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These banana bread cinnamon rolls are made with mashed bananas, crunchy walnuts, and a tangy whipped crème fraiche topping. Bake them on the same day or let them proof overnight in the fridge.
Equipment
Ingredients
CINNAMON ROLL DOUGH
- 1¼ cups milk
- 2¼ teaspoon active dry yeast (one packet)
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt (use table salt or fine sea salt)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4¾ cups all purpose flour 570g
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
BROWN SUGAR FILLING
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
BANANA FILLING
- 3 large ripe bananas
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom (or cinnamon)
- 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour, divided (for sprinkling on top)
- 1½ cups walnuts, roughly chopped
WHIPPED CREME FRAICHE
- ½ cup creme fraiche
- ½ cup heavy cream, cold (also called heavy whipping cream)
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
Instructions
Mix the Dough & Let it Rise
- Warm the milk in the microwave for 60-90 seconds, until it's between 105°F and 115°F (40°C to 46°C).
- To the warm milk, mix in the active dry yeast and brown sugar. Set aside for 10 minutes, until it becomes frothy on top.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the milk & yeast mixture with the eggs, salt, and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour and mix with a large spoon just until there are no clumps of dry flour, after a minute.
- Add the softened butter and mix the dough in the mixing bowl until it starts to form a sticky dough, after a minute.
- Dust a clean work surface with flour. Knead the dough by hand for a full 8 minutes, until the dough springs back to its original shape when you indent it with your finger.
- Shape the dough into a ball. Place the dough ball back in a clean mixing bowl, and cover with a kitchen towel or dinner plate. Let it rest and rise in a warm place (like an empty oven with the light turned on) for about 2 hours, until it doubles in size.
Sprinkle a little flour on the counter as needed while kneading the dough to prevent it from sticking to the counter. The dough should be pretty tacky and still grabbing (not sticking) to your fingers and the counter at the end of kneading. I prefer kneading this dough in my stand mixer to avoid adding excess flour. Keep extra flour in a small bowl, to avoid putting dough-covered hands into your flour bag and getting it all dirty.
Make the Banana Filling
- Mash the bananas and cardamom in a bowl until it’s smooth (some lumps are okay).
Prepare the Filling & Shape the Rolls
- Grease a 9x13 baking dish and/or line it with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Prepare the brown sugar filling by mixing the softened, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl until it forms a thick, creamy paste. Set aside.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, place it on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin to a 1 cm-thick rectangle (roughly 30 cm by 45 cm).
- Gently spread the brown sugar filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch (2.5cm) gap on the long edges (to prevent the rolls from unraveling). Sift 1 tablespoon of flour evenly over the dough.
- Spread the mashed banana filling on top, again leaving a 1-inch (2.5cm) gap on the long edges. Sift 1 more tablespoon of flour evenly over the banana filling. Then sprinkle the chopped walnuts on top.
- Roll the dough into a log, starting from a long edge. Slice the dough log into 12 even pieces using a sharp kitchen knife or dental floss (I prefer using floss to avoid squishing the spiral design.)
- Place the rolls cut-side-up in your prepared baking dish. Cover the rolls with a kitchen towel and let them proof at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Make sure you sprinkle flour on your counter before rolling out the dough, otherwise it’ll stick and be really difficult to roll up.
To get all the rolls the same size, I lightly score the top with a knife using a ruler to measure 1½-inch (roughly 4cm) rolls before cutting them with dental floss. Some bakers trim off the uneven ends, but I usually place those sides down in the baking dish so no cinnamon roll dough gets wasted!
Bake and Decorate the Rolls
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake the rolls for 18-20 minutes, until they're puffed up and golden. Let the rolls cool for at least 15 minutes while you prepare the topping.
- In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the creme fraiche, heavy cream, and brown sugar until it forms soft peaks, after about 5 minutes. Dollop onto the slightly cooled rolls.
Notes
- Bananas: The more brown spots, the better on your bananas, because they’ll be naturally sweeter when they’re more ripe.
- Filling: The little extra flour sprinkled under and on top of the mashed bananas helps absorb excess moisture so it doesn't inhibit the bake of the dough.
- “Soft peaks” means the mixture makes a curved point when you pull the mixer straight out from it.
- Storing: I recommend storing these cinnamon rolls in the fridge, due to the fruit filling & whipped topping.
- Roasted Bananas: If you want to make these before your bananas are overripe (and they look mostly yellow or even have some green spots still, I recommend roasting them first. With the peels on, poke them a few times with a fork, and bake at 300F (150C) on a baking sheet lined with foil for 20-30 minutes, until the peels are shiny and black.
- Overnight Rise: After arranging the rolls in a baking dish, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and let them cold-proof in the fridge overnight for 8-12 hours. Set them out at room temperature for one hour before baking.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 roll (of 12)Calories: 554kcalCarbohydrates: 71gProtein: 10gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 275mgPotassium: 323mgFiber: 3gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 601IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 91mgIron: 3mg
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