Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Place your yeast in the bottom of a medium-size bowl and add warm water. I like to throw in 1 tbsp of sugar with the water so the yeast has something to eat. I find this helps them become extra frothy which makes for taller cinnamon buns. Let the yeast sit in the warm water for 10 minutes undisturbed.

After your yeast has turned frothy, whisk in your warm milk, melted butter, and egg yolks until combined. Then, add your flour, sugar, and salt. Mix everything together with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms several clumps of dough. Add the reserved egg whites and mix until the dough is fully combined. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled, heatproof bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Place the dough in the oven and turn off the oven. Allow the dough to rise four 1 hour. – Dough rises best in a warm environment. Becuase we don’t have gluten to fall back on, you will get the best results if you create a nice warm space. Just don’t forget to turn the oven off, as we aren’t cooking the dough quite yet!

Just before your dough has finished its first rise combine butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Then pull your dough out of the oven and place it on lightly floured parchment paper. Form the dough into a rectangle and flatten it out as much as you can with the heels of your hands. Remember to dust some additional flour underneath your dough as you work to prevent sticking. Once you have done as much as you can with your hands, pull out your rolling pin and continue until your rectangle is about 18×12-in. Then scoop out your filling and spread evenly over the dough with the back of a spoon (right to the edges). 

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. With the long end of the rectangle facing you, roll the dough gently into a log (like a jelly roll). Because the roll can be sticky, I use the parchment paper to encourage the dough into the correct direction. Work slowly so the dough doesn’t rip or fray. Cut the dough into 12 equally sized disks and stick them in a greased 11×7-in baking dish. Place a fresh damp tea towel over the cinnamon rolls. Place them back in the oven and turn the oven off. Allow dough to rise for another 60 minutes.

Remove the cinnamon buns from the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Place the cinnamon rolls in the oven (without the tea towel) and bake until golden (about 30 minutes). Allow the cinnamon rolls to stand for 10 minutes before removing them from the dish.

If you want some extra pizzaz, whisk together one cup of icing sugar with 4 tsp of milk in a small bowl and drizzle over cinnamon buns for a delicious glaze!