Note: this dough is quite sticky so it: a. Needs to be kneaded with a stand mixer (not by hand), b. Needs to chill before shaping, and c. will need a well floured countertop and rolling pin, as well as repeated flouring when shaping. If you are not used to working with sticky doughs and feel intimated by it you can reduce the milk added to the tangzhong to 180g or ¾ cup. The rolls will still be great, just a touch less moist.

• Make the tangzhong: set the milk and flour in a small pot over medium low heat. Whisk well. As it cooks it will thicken, whisk frequently so it doesn’t thicken unevenly. Once it’s a paste consistency, remove from heat and let cool briefly.
• Make the dough & first rise: In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the water and yeast and give it a quick whisk. Let it bloom for a few minutes while you prep the rest of your ingredients. Over the yeast, add the flour, apple butter, eggs, flour, sugar and salt. Begin kneading and once the dough starts to come together, add the butter. Knead on medium until the dough starts to come around the dough hook - if it’s not, add a tablespoon or two more flour and knead until it does, about 7-10 minutes. Don’t add too much flour or the dough will dry out. It should be shapeless and sticky. Transfer to an oiled bowl and let rise for an hour (two if your kitchen is cold) then transfer to the fridge for an overnight rest.
• If you need to speed up the rise, you can leave it to nearly double on the counter then set it to chill for at least a full hour in the fridge. It does need to chill so it is more easily shaped.
• Make the filling: beat together the sugar, butter, cinnamon, and salt until smooth (I use a hand mixer but if your butter is soft enough you can do this with a whisk). Add the apple butter and flour and beat to combine.
• Shaping & second rise: Flour the counter top well and roll out the dough into a large rectangle, about 24x12 inches. You will need to use flour to help you roll it as the dough is sticky. Evenly spread the filling over the rolled out dough. Roll the dough into a log from the longer side so you have a long log. Slice the log into around 12 slices (you can trim the edges and bake them separately or discard if you prefer cleaner cuts) either with a bread knife or uncoated floss, and arrange them in an oiled 13x9 inch metal baking pan so that there is space for them to rise. Leave at room temperature to rise until you can poke the dough and it doesn’t immediately spring back; for about an hour or two (two if your kitchen is quite cold).
• Bake & glaze: preheat the oven to 350 F. Pour the heavy cream in between the rolls and gently tilt the pan so that it spreads between all the open pockets. Bake the rolls until golden all over, about 30-35 minutes. If you want the glaze to be thin and run in all the layers, you can whisk all the glaze ingredients together and pour/spread it over the rolls while hot. If you like the glaze to be more like a frosting and sit on top, wait until the rolls are cool and then frost the rolls.
• These are fantastic warm but they’re also great the next day, as they stay soft!