Cherry Cinnamon Rolls with Orange Goat Cheese Glaze

A tangy goat cheese glaze tops these pillowy soft and gooey cinnamon rolls, while dried cherries give them a festive touch. To serve them fresh and hot on a holiday morning, make the recipe through the step of putting the rolls into the braiser. Then place the braiser in the refrigerator overnight for a slow second rise. In the morning, remove the pot from the refrigerator and set it on the counter while the oven preheats and then proceed with baking the rolls when the oven is hot.

Dough

1 cup milk, heated to about 110 degrees

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

2 eggs

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon salt

5 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped

Filling
1 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened plus extra for greasing pan

Glaze

4 ounces goat cheese, room temperature

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 small orange, zested

4-6 tablespoons milk

Sliced, toasted almonds

For the dough:

Place the milk, sugar and yeast in a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add the eggs and whisk again.

Place the butter, salt, flour and dried cherries in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the milk mixture and mix on low until incorporated. Increase speed to medium and knead until the dough comes together, clears the sides of the bowl and is smooth, about 8-10 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm area until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour.

For the filling:

Meanwhile, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a small mixing bowl and set aside. Once the dough has risen, roll it out onto a lightly floured surface, making a rectangle about 12 inches tall and 16 inches wide. Spread the softened butter evenly over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle the butter with the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Working from the long edge, roll the dough up from the bottom edge to make a tight roll. Cut the roll into 12 slices, about 1 inch each. Grease the interior of the brasier with butter and arrange the slices inside the pot in a circle. Cover with the lid and place in a warm area until the rolls rise and fill up the pan, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Once the rolls have risen, place in the oven, uncovered, and cook until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

For the glaze and serving:

While the rolls are baking, place the goat cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, orange zest and 4 tablespoons milk in a mixing bowl and beat together until smooth. Add the rest of the milk if needed to achieve a thick, pourable consistency.

Remove rolls from the oven when done, and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Drizzle with the glaze and top with toasted almonds.