Perfectly pillowy cinnamon rolls

For the tangzhong, mix milk and some of the bread flour in a pan and cook over low heat about two to three minutes, until paste-like and leaving tracks on the bottom.

Transfer the hot tangzhong to a stand mixer bowl and add cold whole milk on top.

Add the bread flour, sugar, salt and yeast, then four tablespoons (57 g) of room-temperature unsalted butter.

Knead with the mixer about five to eight minutes, starting slow then medium, until soft and slightly tacky; do not add extra flour.

Shape into a ball, cover and let rise somewhere slightly warm about an hour to an hour and a half, until a floured finger poke stays or barely fills back.

For the filling, mix about a tablespoon of melted butter, brown sugar, some flour and four teaspoons of Indonesian cinnamon, breaking up clumps with the fingers.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat by hand into a 10 by 12 inch rectangle about half an inch thick.

Spread the filling evenly, leaving one long edge bare.

Roll up loosely toward the bare edge, tugging back slightly mid-way; do not seal the edge, and roll the log onto its seam.

Score the log into halves, quarters and eighths, then cut cleanly with dental floss at the score marks.

Tuck each roll's tail underneath and set the rolls a couple of inches apart on a parchment-lined sheet pan in a 3-2-3 pattern.

Cover with a slit-open bread bag and a towel and let rise again 30 to 45 minutes, until a gentle poke springs back slightly but leaves a mark.

Bake until just golden at the edges and at least 190 degrees in the centre of a middle roll; do not let them get dark.

Brush the hot rolls with about one and a half tablespoons of melted butter; cool completely if not serving right away.

For the frosting, mix a tablespoon and a half of melted butter, confectioner's sugar, vanilla extract, a pinch of salt and enough milk, buttermilk or cream to bring it together until smooth.

Frost each roll just before eating, not the whole batch at once.