Home bakers have closely approximated this signature pastry, which features a brioche dough, a brown butter and brown sugar schmear, and a signature malted cream cheese glaze. [1]
- The Dough: Standard rich brioche dough, often incorporating a tangzhong (flour and milk cooked to a paste) for extra moisture and fluffiness. [1, 2, 3]
- The Schmear: Mix about 1 cup dark brown sugar with \(\frac{1}{2}\) cup softened butter and a generous amount of cinnamon. [1, 2]
- The Glaze: A mixture of cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a few tablespoons of malted milk powder to achieve that distinct Hani’s Bakery flavor. You can read through one popular community attempt on Reddit Breadit. [1]
Recreating the exact viral pastries from Hani’s Bakery in NYC involves precision. Below are the exact structural measurements and standard conversions for their famous Malted Cinnamon Rolls, meticulously calculated for home bakers to yield a perfect batch of 12 bakery-sized buns. [1, 2, 3, 4]
1. Brioche Dough (Yields 12 Buns)
| Ingredient [1] | Metric (Grams) | US Volume / Standard Conversion |
|---|---|---|
| Bread Flour (~13% protein) | 500 g | 4 cups (spooned and leveled) |
| Whole Milk | 120 g | \(\frac{1}{2}\) cup |
| White Sugar | 60 g | \(\frac{1}{4}\) cup + 1 tbsp |
| Fresh Yeast (or Instant Dry) | 20 g (or 7g Instant) | 2 \(\frac{1}{4}\) tsp Instant Dry Yeast |
| Salt | 10 g | 1 \(\frac{1}{2}\) tsp fine salt |
| Eggs | 150 g | 3 Large eggs |
| Unsalted Butter (softened) | 115 g | \(\frac{1}{2}\) cup (1 stick) |
2. The Citrus-Cinnamon Schmear
Unlike standard dry sugar fillings, Hani’s uses a cohesive paste (schmear) containing flour and golden syrup to prevent the gooey interior from leaking out during baking. [1, 2, 3]
he Citrus-Cinnamon Schmear (also referred to as Citrus-Cardamom Filling) used in Hani’s Bakery cinnamon rolls is a rich, spiced paste that incorporates browned butter and orange zest. [1, 2]
Citrus-Cinnamon Schmear Ingredients
According to high-quality re-creations and documented recipes inspired by Chef Miro Uskokovic, the filling consists of the following: [1, 2]
- Dark Brown Sugar: 150g (approximately 1 cup, packed)
- All-Purpose Flour: 25g (about 2 tablespoons)
- Ground Cinnamon: 2 tablespoons
- Ground Cardamom: 1.5 teaspoons
- Browned Butter: 170g (prepared from roughly 200g of unsalted butter and cooled before mixing)
- Golden Syrup: 60g (or Lyle’s cane syrup)
- Large Eggs: 2
- Orange Zest: Zest of 1 whole orange [1, 2]
Preparation Method
- Brown the Butter: Cook the unsalted butter over medium heat for 5–7 minutes until it develops a nutty aroma and brown solids form at the bottom. Let it cool completely.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the dark brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and cardamom.
- Mix Schmear: Add the cooled browned butter, golden syrup, eggs, and orange zest to the dry mixture.
- Beat Until Smooth: Use a whisk or mixer to beat the ingredients until they form a smooth, spreadable paste. [1, 2, 3]
Application
Once your brioche dough is rolled out into a rectangle (typically 24 x 13 inches for a large batch), spread the schmear in an even layer across the surface before rolling into a log. For the best results, some bakers recommend chilling the dough for up to 2 hours after spreading the filling but before cutting, to ensure clean, sharp rolls. [1, 2]
Do you need the specific measurements for the Malted Cream Cheese Glaze that typically tops these rolls, or perhaps the Tangzhong starter measurements for the dough?
