Filed under: Breads / Rolls / Fall
November 4, 2022

Giant Fig Cinnamon Roll

One huge cinnamon roll made with fresh apple cider and fig paste. The vanilla bean brioche dough is thick and pillowy, the filling tastes of wonderful fall. Serve in pie like slices or pull-apart style and dig in as a family.

5 from 1 vote
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One huge cinnamon roll made with fresh apple cider and fig paste. The vanilla bean brioche dough is thick and pillowy, the filling tastes of wonderful fall. Serve in pie like slices or pull-apart style and dig in as a family.

 

Recipe Overview

 

I have been pleasantly surprised with the many readers who have loved this fig & orange bread over the years. Recently, I thought to do a fall spin on fig & bread so I chose the best of fall’s flavors: apple cider, some cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice (all which you’d find in a good apple pie – or donut!). 

 

The bread we’re using here is a newer recipe of mine, a brioche which you’ll be familiar with if you made this chocolate chip cookie bread recipe. It’s got vanilla bean in it and is made with brown butter – lots of little bits that make it super tasty on its own and more so with a lovely filling. 

 

This is such a great recipe for gatherings; a holiday brunch with this a centerpiece for everyone to either pull apart or slice as pie! 

 

 

Key Recipe Ingredients 

 

Figs: Dried figs with stems removed. I used one 7 oz bag of Sun-Maid Mission Dried Figs which have a lovely, earthy & natural sweetness to them. 

 

Fresh Apple Cider: This is unfiltered apple juice. It can be found in the juice section of a grocery store and not to be confused with apple juice (which is filtered and has added sugar and water) or apple cider vinegar.

 

Instant yeast: you can substitute with active dry yeast by adding another ¼ tsp of yeast.

 

This post was published in partnership with Valley Fig Growers as part of Fall for Baking Szn, in collaboration with Bob’s Red Mill, C&H Sugar, Danish Creamery, Emile Henry, and Rodelle.

How to make a Giant Family Style Cinnamon Roll 

To do this, instead of rolling the dough into a log as you would individual cinnamon rolls, you’ll first roll out the dough into a large rectangle. 

 

Then spread over the filling (the filling is made simply by putting all the ingredients in a blender). 

 

Here’s where it’s very different than a regular cinnamon roll: You’ll use a pastry knife, pizza wheel or a paring knife to slice the dough into one inch strips. 

 

The first one, you’ll roll up into a coil. The rest you’ll pick up individually, one by one, and wrap them around the coil in the center to make a large coil. 

 

It can get messy (our fig filling doesn’t harden and isn’t as dry as sugar) but, do the best you can and remember it’s not going to affect the final shape of the roll (it bakes up beautifully every time!)

 

Questions you might have

What pan should I bake the giant fig roll in? 

To keep it somewhat contained so it rises up rather than out, rather than baking it on a cookie sheet (which you could do) I prefer to bake it in a 10” round cake pan (at least 2 or ideally 3” high). 

Can I do the heavy cream trick on a giant cinnamon roll? 

Yeah! Pour it over the dough right before it goes into the oven. Just a half of a cup is enough to get into the dough and make it softer, and gooey. 

Can I use a different dough? 

You can use this milk bread dough (ignore the chocolate filling) or, for something eggless, this sour cream doughHow can I make this fig roll vegan? 

Can I make this recipe as individual rolls? 

Yes, roll it out and spread the paste as directed. Then roll up the rectangle into a large log and slice. You’ll have enough to fit in a 13×9” cake pan. And in this case I’d strongly suggest pouring over a ½ cup of heavy cream, to make the rolls extra gooey. 

 

Giant Cider and Fig Cinnamon Roll Recipe



Giant Fig Cinnamon Roll

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Rest Time: 3 hours
5 from 1 vote

Ingredients

Brioche Dough

  • 40g or ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
  • 240g or 1 cup whole milk
  • 60g or ¼ cup warm water
  • 1 packet instant yeast or 2 ¼ teaspoons
  • 100g or ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract or paste
  • 500 g all-purpose flour
  • 80 g or 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted or browned (if you want to use browned, brown 100g of butter and measure after browning)

Cinnamon Apple Fig Filling

  • 1 cup or 200g mission dried figs preferably Sun-Maid California, stems removed
  • cups or 160g fresh spiced apple cider
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp each ground nutmeg allspice
  • Pinch fine sea salt
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract or paste

Cider Glaze

  • 1 cup or 120g powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract or paste
  • Pinch fine sea salt
  • 2-3 tablespoons fresh spiced cider

Method

  • In a small pot over medium heat, cook together 1 cup of milk and the ⅓ cup of flour. Whisk until thick like a paste. Remove from heat. This is the roux.
  • To the bowl of a stand mixer add the yeast and warm water. Stir together, then add the sugar, flour, eggs, vanilla, salt and the roux. Attach the dough hook to the mixer and begin kneading on low speed then work it up to medium speed.
  • Once the dough is starting to come together in a ball, add the butter. The dough will look very wet and fall apart. Knead for a good 10 minutes, until the dough again comes together and looks elastic and shiny. Transfer to an oiled bowl and let rise for 1 hour, then transfer to the fridge for about 4 hours until doubled in size.

To make the filling

  • Add all the filling ingredients to a blender and pulse until smooth.
  • Line a greased 10 inch round cake pan with parchment paper or a cookie sheet.

Shape the roll

  • Flour the countertop and a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a large rectangle - about 12” x 15”. Spread the filling over the dough in an even layer.
  • Use a pastry wheel or a knife to slice the dough into 1-2 inch strips. Roll the first one up into a coil and set it in the center of the cake pan. With each remaining strip, lift it (without rolling it up) and wrap it around the one in the center to make a large coil. If you are working within the 10” pan, you might have a little extra dough - you want to leave about an inch from the border for it to expand.
  • Cover the pan gently with a flour towel and leave to rise for 45-75 minutes, until you can press the dough and it springs back (timing will depend on the temperature of the dough).
  • Preheat the oven to 375 F. Bake the roll for 45 minutes, until a thermometer registers 190 F, if the roll is over browning, tent loosely with foil.

To make the icing

  • Whisk together all the ingredients in a bowl, add more powdered sugar to make it thicker or more cider to thin it out. Drizzle over slightly cooled roll.

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  1. 5 stars
    I made this recipe shaped as traditional cinnamon rolls (easier for sharing with co-workers) and it is fantastic! The rolls are enormous. Honestly I don’t really taste the apple cider, but it’s not a big deal to me. Love that they’re not overly sweet like some cinnamon rolls can be. I would definitely make these again!