Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls

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Through the chaos of finding trains and wandering city streets with names we can’t read, we wander through Minato, Japan. I have never visited a “real” city before. Sure, I’ve been to Orlando but I have been told by pretty much everyone that that is not a “real” city. Standing in Minato, I get it. Orlando could be described as quiet in comparison to this. People rush by, squeezing through tiny gaps in the crowds, the sky is littered with building tops I can’t see past, and there is a sense of urgency that makes my skin crawl. I hate cities.

Despite the disgust rolling off of me, my husband is heaven. He adores cities. He has been to several in the U.S. when he travels for conferences. I think it is secretly solely because he doesn’t *have* to drive in a city. He is glowing here and that makes the longest part of our trip worth it. We make our way down random side streets trying to find Midtown Mall. Instead, we find a Cinnabon, which makes me think these are not random side streets at all despite the lack of people and the tiny roadways.

It is important to note, I have eaten less than a toddler should consume since we arrived in Japan three days ago. I have fish allergies and I knew it would be difficult to find safe dishes here, I underestimated how difficult. I have been living off of fruit sands and a single bowl of vegetable curry I found in Kyoto. I am SALIVATING just looking at the Cinnabon store. The line is out the door but we wait anyway.

Cinnamon roll in hand, we sit outside in the narrow alley and eat the best freaking cinnamon roll of my life. Was it really? Probably not but again starving. I have had Cinnabon in the states and they are fine but this Japanese cinnamon roll is so light and fluffy. I savor every freaking bite. I consider ordering a second but decide that is too much sugar considering how little I have eaten.

Which brings us to these amazing cinnamon rolls and a recipe. There are three things that I have craved since we came back from Japan; cinnamon rolls, fruit sando, and pasta from Harbs. A few months after we came home, I started trying to recreate the cinnamon rolls. I went through about 15 different cinnamon roll recipes that I found online and in cookbooks. Nothing compared. These rolls were all too dense or the tops were too crunchy no matter what I did. Then I found THE BOOK.

The book is “30 Breads to Bake Before You Die” by Allyson Reedy. Flipping through the table of contents won’t lead you to this magical recipe however, you will find a recipe for Hokkaido Bread. I spent several weeks cooking BATCHES of Hokkaido bread because my family loved it so much. It has the most delicate texture and the yeast flavor is to die for. One day it dawned on me. Fluffly bread. I whipped up a batch of the dough and instead of folding it and placing it in a pan, I rolled it out and put a cinnamon mixture in it.

THE BEST FREAKING CINNAMON ROLLS EVER were brought into existence. These remind me so much of the cinnamon rolls from Japan. They are light, fluffy, have the perfect amount of cinnamon, and a gooey cream cheese frosting that pulls everything together. My next mission is to figure out how to make the pasta from Harbs!