You know you are on to a winning cinnamon roll recipe when you see how soft they are on the inside and pulling them apart is heaven. What is even more satisfying is that homemade cinnamon rolls just tastes so much better.
Celebrity chef Liziwe Matloha always strives for the best when it comes to her food, so you know you are in for a treat with her recipe for decadent cinnamon rolls.
Matloha’s approach in the kitchen is all about simplicity and making everyday food look elegant. She is also most passionate about using ingredients that reflect her culinary heritage.
Hard work pays off
Matloha’s desire to be the best in everything she does is her recipe for success in Mzansi’s culinary landscape. Her drive has served her well so far and has culminated into a cookbook called Dinner at Matloha’s that was published last year.
She is an alumnus of the Capsicum Culinary Studio and owns a private restaurant called Dinner at Matloha’s in Boksburg. Through her business, she offers cooking classes and caters for events as a private chef.
Matloha says people who appreciate her food inspired her to become a chef. The fact that her cooking comes from her heart, makes her food extra special.
She loves being able to work on her dream every day, however, it does challenge her life outside of the kitchen, says the North West food star.
“It is crazy hours and work schedules. Difficult clients are the nature of the business. It can be extremely demanding on the body, family life and social life.”
Make Liziwe’s soft cinnamon rolls
What are Sunday lunches without a sweet treat? Matloha’s easy peasy recipe for cinnamon rolls topped with a gooey cream cheese glaze will help knock that Sunday lunch out of the park.
She credits her family for her food love. Growing up in a big family in Potchefstroom, Sunday lunches were the ultimatum event that allowed everyone to get together.
“Sunday’s seven colours was the dish of the day. My mother would get my sisters and I to prepare lunch. We loved every bit of it. Discovering a new recipe and experimenting with my family was just an exciting experience.”
Her recipe for cinnamon rolls is easy to make and perfect for any sweet tooth.
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Ingredients
- 1 cup warm milk
- 1 tbsp instant dry yeast
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp salted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ salted butter, melted
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 handful pecan nuts, chopped
- 200g cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup salted butter, softened
- 1 to ½ cups icing sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine warm milk, yeast, sugar, salt, butter, and eggs. Add in flour. Using a dough hook, turn the mixer on to a low speed.
2. Once the flour starts to incorporate into the dough, increase the speed to a medium range. Add more flour as necessary so that the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The dough mixture should not stick to your hands, but should be soft. Add more flour until the dough reaches the desired consistency.
3. Transfer the dough into a lightly greased mixing bowl. Cover with a towel and let it rise until double in size for about one hour.
4. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Punch down the dough and roll into a rectangle.
5. Brush the dough with ½ cup of melted butter.
6. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle it on top of the soft butter.
7. Then top with a sprinkle layer of pecans. Roll up tightly lengthwise so you have one long roll. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into pinwheel slices.
8. Place the slices onto a lightly floured baking tray. Cover and let rise for about 20 – 30 minutes.
9. Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Bake the rolls for about 14 minutes, until just kissed with brown on top.
10. While the cinnamon rolls are baking, make the cream cheese glaze by using a hand mixer to whip together cream cheese and butter in a bowl until light and fluffy. Whip in powdered sugar and vanilla extract. And enough milk to achieve a drizzle-like consistency. Drizzle over rolls. Enjoy!
