These London Fog rolls are a luxurious treat. The inspiration for these came when I started to make my favorite soft and pillowy vanilla pudding cinnamon rolls. So I thought, why not infuse the milk for the vanilla pudding with Earl Grey tea? But after trying it out I decided at the end of it that it really isn’t that necessary, because it didn’t give a ton of flavor to the actual dough, so why include all that extra tea and steps? The filling and frosting are infused with incredible flavor from loose leaf Earl Grey tea, nutmeg, and vanilla extract. Vanilla bean paste would be incredible as well.

The flavor of these rolls is truly impressive. Somehow I even tasted fresh lemon zest- maybe it was the bergamot in the Earl Grey?? There’s so so much to love about these rolls. The center consists of the most gorgeous Earl Grey infused sugary butter rolled up in this foolproof vanilla pudding dough which makes the softest, hugest rolls you’ve ever had. The way these caramelize into crisp and chewy Earl Grey sugar on the bottom is actually unreal, and finally the whole roll is slathered and swirled with a luscious, creamy Earl Grey frosting with nutty browned butter and a kiss of nutmeg. Uh. Stop. It’s perfect.

WHIPPED EARL GREY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

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London Fog Rolls with Earl Grey Frosting

Servings 20 rolls approx.

Ingredients

Rolls

½ cup warm water
2 Tbsp active dry yeast
2 Tbsp sugar
3.5 oz package vanilla pudding 102 g
½ cup melted butter
2 large eggs
1 tsp salt
5-6 cups all-purpose flour

Filling

1 cup butter very soft
2 cups brown sugar
¼ cup loose leaf Earl Grey tea
½ Tbsp vanilla
dash of salt
2 tsp nutmeg optional-just a light sprinkling

Frosting

½ cup butter browned
12 oz cream cheese softened
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp loose leaf Earl Grey tea 6 tea bags
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp nutmeg

Instructions

In the bowl of your stand mixer mix vanilla pudding according to package directions.
In a small bowl combine warm water, yeast, and sugar. Cover and proof for 7 min until foamy.
Add melted butter, beaten eggs, and salt to pudding and mix with dough hook. While mixing add yeast mixture and combine.
Add flour gradually, 2-3 cups at a time, mixing well between each addition, until dough comes together. Do not overflour dough. Once dough has cleared the sides of the bowl and is still a bit sticky knead for 7 min. If dough is still not coming together and is too sticky, add a bit more flour and knead until a supple, smooth, tacky dough forms.
Place dough in lightly oiled bowl, cover, and rise until doubled.
For the filling combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
Once dough has risen, butter a 9x13 and a 9 in pan. Empty dough unto work surface and roll and pat into an 20x28 in rectangle about 1/2 in thick. Spread filling evenly over the top. Starting at the long end, roll dough up, not too tightly otherwise the centers will pop out. Pinch seams together and flip log seam side down. Slice rolls about 1 1/2 in thick. Place rolls in buttered dish, seams together and touching.
Let rolls rise for 30-45 min until puffy but not doubled in size. Place rack in lower part of oven. Preheat oven to 375℉. Bake for 20-30 min until golden.
For the frosting, melt butter in saucepan over medium heat until it sizzles. Swirl butter and cook until golden and fragrant. Remove and cool. Combine 1/4 cup boiling water and 2 Tbsp loose leaf Earl Grey tea and steep for 10 min. All the water will absorb.
In a stand mixer bowl fitted with whisk attachment beat softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add cooled browned butter, vanilla, salt, steeped tea leaves, and nutmeg. Whip until fluffy.
Frost rolls while slightly warm so frosting melts into cracks and creates a gooey roll.