Kim-Joy’s cinnamon rolls with escapee snail

Method

1. First, make the tangzhong paste. Using a balloon whisk, mix the flour with 100ml water in a pan until smooth. Place the pan over a medium heat and stir constantly with a spatula until the mixture has thickened to a pudding-like consistency. Pour into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap (making sure it touches the surface of the tangzhong), then chill in the freezer for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make the dough. Warm the milk in the microwave until warm, not hot, then melt the butter in the microwave too. Combine the milk, butter, egg (or vegan substitute, see Kim-Joy’s tips), orange zest, sugar, salt and chilled tangzhong in a large bowl and whisk briefly, then add the flour and yeast on top.
3. Use a spoon to mix the wet and dry ingredients together until it forms a rough, shaggy ball of dough, then turn out on to a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough will be sticky to start with but avoid adding extra flour – it will become less sticky, particularly after its first rise. If needed, use a little oil to prevent it sticking. A dough scraper also helps to remove any dough that sticks to the work surface. (Alternatively, if you have a stand mixer or bread machine, you can use this to knead the dough for 10 minutes).
4. Put the kneaded dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and leave to rise at room temperature until doubled in size. The time it takes to rise depends on the ambient temperature and the warmth of your ingredients, but at a comfortable room temperature it should take around 2 hours.
5. While the dough is rising, make the filling. Place the butter in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for 15-20 seconds until melted. Add the dark brown sugar and cinnamon, then stir with a balloon whisk to combine.
6. Once the dough has risen, knock it back and turn out on to a lightly floured work surface. Roll out into a 50cm x 25cm rectangle, with the longer side facing you. You will find that the dough keeps trying to shrink back due to the  gluten development. If you’re struggling to roll it out, just leave it for a few minutes to allow the gluten to relax, then return and roll it out further.
7. Spread the cinnamon sugar filling evenly over the whole surface of the dough, then roll up the dough, starting from the longer edge, into a long sausage shape. Use a sharp knife to cut into 12 equal-size pieces.
8. Arrange the rolls, cut sides up, into the square oven-safe dish. There will be gaps between each roll, but when they rise these will close.
9. Loosely cover with a sheet of lightly oiled plastic wrap and leave to rise again until the rolls are doubled in size. Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7 towards the end of the rise.
10. Once risen, bake the rolls for 20 minutes, or until golden on top. If the buns are getting too brown on top but the baking time isn’t up yet, cover them with foil to prevent them from browning further.
11. Meanwhile, make the cream cheese frosting. Add the cream cheese, butter and icing sugar to a bowl and whisk using a balloon whisk or electric whisk until light in colour. Add the vanilla and milk, then mix again.
12. Once baked, spread the frosting on the cinnamon rolls in the dish while they’re still warm. You can either eat them as they are or you can turn a bun into a snail. Use a palette knife (or similar) to scrape off a ‘trail’ of frosting from the coated rolls. You will need to go over it a few times to get a clean effect. Place the removed cinnamon roll at the end of the snail trail. Stick the mini marshmallows on toothpicks and use an edible ink pen to draw on pupils. Poke the other end of the toothpicks into the roll to create your snail. You can spread a little leftover cream cheese on to the snail too.