After nearly 7 years in Rome, I can say with some authority that, as lovely of city that it is, there are a few areas in which it is undoubtedly lacking (no one is perfect, after all). There are the more obvious issues -- public transport isn't the most reliable, and if we're getting really specific here, there is perhaps nothing worse than waiting for a bus on a Sunday (you'll be there a while). There are few things more daunting than a trip to the city hall or bank or post office to attempt any task, as its unlikely that you'll accomplish it (bureaucracy and disorganization abound here). The city isn't the cleanest, and in fact, the dumpster in front of my apartment building is constantly overflowing. And then there are the seemingly more minor but far more personal gripes I have with the city, including this one, which was, up until not long ago, one of my biggest issues with Rome: BRUNCH.

That's right -- a little trash, inconvenience, and disorganization is no big deal compared to The Brunch Problem. You see, while Rome clearly has the whole excellent-meal-thing down pat, it's negata (translation: kind of hopeless) when it comes to brunch, consistently missing the mark. My favorite breakfast-lunch hybrid when served here in Italy is curiously devoid of orange juice, pancakes, french toast, or eggs, consisting instead of distinctly non-brunch dishes -- lasagne, vegetables, meat, pizza -- served buffet-style and eaten a bit earlier than the average lunch (at 12:30 instead of 1:00). I shouldn't complain, I know -- Italian food is so delicious that it would be insulting to do so! -- but all the same, sometimes I really miss a good brunch. Like I said, no one is perfect.

It wasn't until fairly recently, after my umpteenth disappointing brunch that I had an epiphany; if I couldn't go out to brunch, I would just have to bring brunch to me. I'm not sure why it took me so long to arrive at this conclusion -- perhaps I was set on the idea of going out to brunch?! -- but I've found that hosting my own brunches at home is the best solution. It's a bit more time-consuming, sure, but also a lot more fun (as you may or may not have noticed, I do kind of like to cook). This is just what my friend Emily (a talented cook) and I decided to do this past Easter Sunday, and our Pasqua brunch went a little something like this: a savory multi-layered crepe cake filled with mushrooms and goat cheese; eggs baked with artichokes, spinach, and cream, finished off with a lemon-y hollandaise sauce; strawberries with honey; traditional colomba; and, of course, the star of today's post, these cinnamon rolls.

Ahh, cinnamon rolls! There's nothing quite as heavenly as a cinnamon roll eaten warm, fresh out of the oven, and these right here are particularly dreamy, buttery and spicy and sweet all at the same time, beautified with generous dollops of glossy, cinnamon-tinged icing, 100% a joy to eat, down to the very last crumb. And wait, there's more! As the name hints, these can be prepped the night before, left to rise slowly in the fridge, and then baked in the morning, meaning no early wake-up time for you and the guarantee that your whole kitchen, your whole house, and if you're in an apartment like me, the whole floor of your building will smell downright divine as these bake. If making cinnamon rolls from scratch seems intimidating, I beg you to not be deterred; this dough is easy to work with, the filling comes together in a second, and the ingredients are simple, ones you should have on hand. Wherever you live, access to a good brunch or not -- you'll want to give these a try.

A couple of notes: Tightly wrap the outside of your springform pan in aluminum foil to prevent any potential leaks (I learned this the hard way; some of the cinnamon roll filling seeped out the bottom of the pan). You'll notice that there are 8 buns in the photo instead of the below-mentioned 12; this is because I used some of the dough to make rolls with a Nutella and pistachio filling (see below) and then put the buns in a 9-inch round springform pan, which worked well. If you want to make all cinnamon buns, use the recommended 13x9inch pan below. If you wanted to make the filling a little different, you could also add a little cardamom to the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture. Edited on 2/28/2023 to add: I have started making these with a cream cheese frosting which I prefer to the powdered sugar glaze shown in these photos from 2018, just in case you notice any discrepancies!

For more breakfast recipes, click here, and for more brunch recipes, click here.

OVERNIGHT CINNAMON ROLLS

Recipe from Simply Recipes. Makes 10-12 cinnamon rolls.

Ingredients for the dough:
1 (240mL) cup whole milk
2 teaspoon (8 grams) active dry yeast
1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar
2 large eggs
4 cups (about 480 grams) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons (12 grams) salt
6 tablespoons (84 grams) room temperature unsalted butter, very soft

For the filling:
1/2 cup (112 grams) room temperature unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
A good pinch of salt

For the cream cheese frosting:
4 ounces (112 grams) cream cheese, softened at room temperature
4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1-4 tablespoons milk
2 cups (200 grams) powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Directions:

1.) Warm the milk for 15 to 30 seconds in the microwave, until it's slightly warm to the touch but not steaming. In a large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (if you have one), combine the warm milk, yeast, and sugar. Let the mixture stand until foamy, about five minutes.

2.) Add the eggs, flour, and salt to the bowl and mix — with a wooden spoon, or if using a standing mixer, on medium speed — until a sticky dough is formed. Beat/stir in the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, waiting until the butter is incorporated before adding the next batch. The butter needs to be very soft for this to work; if the butter isn't incorporating, knead each piece in your fingers until soft before adding it to the dough.

3.) Once all the butter is incorporated, knead the dough for 10 minutes on medium speed (or turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand). Shape the dough into a ball, place in a large, lightly oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in the refrigerator overnight, at least 8 hours. It will slowly double in size.

4.) In the morning, remove the dough from the refrigerator. The dough will be quite stiff and firm, but should roll easily. Dust your work surface and a rolling pin lightly with flour, and roll the dough out into a rectangle approximately 12x16 inches in size.

5.) Spread the dough with butter, leaving a 1-inch border on one of the shorter edges. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Sprinkle the mixture over the butter in an even layer. Starting from the short edge (the one with butter all the way to the edge), roll the dough into a tight spiral. Pinch the spiral closed (the unbuttered edge should stick to the log of dough). Trim the ends if they are shaggy.

6.) Cut the roll in half crosswise to make 2 pieces. Cut each piece in half again to make 5-6, and each piece again to make a total of 10-12 rolls. Place the rolls in a greased 9x13-inch baking dish.

7.) Cover the rolls with plastic wrap, and let them rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes. Rising time will depend on the temperature in your kitchen. When ready, the rolls should be puffed and pillowy. They should be touching each other with very little space between each roll.

8.) When the rolls look half-risen, preheat the oven to 350°F.Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes until they are golden on top and puffy.

9.) While the rolls bake, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the cream cheese and butter together until creamy. Add half of the powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk. Beat for 1 minute. Add the remaining sugar and vanilla, and beat for 1 additional minute. Add additional milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the frosting is as spreadable as you like.

10.) Frost the cinnamon rolls generously while they're still a bit warm. Serve immediately.