Like so many others, during the pandemic, I started making banana bread because all of a sudden, my eating and shopping activities were out of whack. I always seemed to have an extra banana or three. So after far too many loaves and variations, five years later, I decided to try something new: Banana Cinnamon Rolls. Sweet, light brioche dough, banana brown sugar and cinnamon filling. Walnuts, though those could be optional if you don’t like them or are allergic to nuts. Huge success. These will definitely be going on the “extra banana rotation”.
Ingredients
for the dough
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons instant dried or rapid rise yeast
1 cup milk, warmed to between 100-110F
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
for the filling
2 bananas, very ripe
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon banana or vanilla extract
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts, divided
For baking and garnishing
1 egg, beaten with a tablespoon of milk for egg wash
powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)
Directions
Combine flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle and put in the yeast. Heat milk and butter and pour into the well. Add egg mix until fully combined. Turn out onto a well-floured counter and knead until you have cohesive dough. It should be fairly soft and supple. Set aside in a warm, draft free place for a couple of hours in a greased bowl until it has doubled in size.
Make your filling by mashing the bananas and combining with brown sugar, vanilla or banana extract, corn starch, cinnamon and salt. Make sure there are no lumps of corn starch.
Spray a pie dish or square/rectangular baking dish with baking spray.
Once the dough has risen, turn out from the bowl. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to a 8 x 14 inch rectangle. Spread over the banana filling all the way to the edges. sprinkle over 3/4 of the chopped walnuts, reserving the rest to sprinkle on top. Roll up into a log from the short side so the end, you have an 8 inch log. The banana filling can be a little goopy so move efficiently. Pinch together. Using a serrated knife, cut the dough into slices, about 2 inches thick and space the slices out on the prepared baking pan, approximately 1 inch apart. Ideally, you will have 10 swirls. Cover loosely with a clean dish towel and let rise for an additional 20-30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400F.
Using a pastry brush, brush each swirl with the egg wash. Sprinkle remaining walnuts. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cool for 20-30 minutes before sprinkling with powdered sugar (optional). Can be served warm or at room temperature.
