In a small saucepan, whisk together the bread flour and milk until smooth. Place over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens into a paste (about 1–2 minutes). Transfer to a small bowl and set aside to cool slightly.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.

Add the warmed milk, egg, vanilla, and prepared tangzhong. Mix on low speed until the dough begins to come together.

Add the softened butter and continue mixing until fully incorporated. At this point I like to rest the dough for 20 minutes. This will help the dough hydrate and allow gluten to develop.

Then, knead on medium-low speed (I knead on speed #2 on my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer) for ~5-8 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and no longer overly sticky. You should be able to form it into a ball.

1st rise: Transfer to a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel, and let rise ~1 hour. It won’t completley double in size because of the tangzhong. I like to use the proof function on my oven.

Prepare sauce for bottom of the pan: In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients until well combined. Spread evenly over the bottom of a greased 8- or 9-inch baking dish. This helps to make the bottom of the rolls extra gooey and delicious!

Roll out dough: Lightly flour a clean work surface with bread flour. Roll the risen dough into a 9 x 13 inch rectangle (about ¼ inch thick). Spread with the softened butter.

Cinnamon sugar: In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the buttered dough. I like to kind of rub it into the butter so it adheres to it. Also tip: leave about a ¼ inch of space along one long edge to help the dough seal together when you roll it up. (We will use the heavy cream later on prior to baking)

Roll or slice: to form the rolls you can either. A. Roll the dough tightly into a log and cut evenly into 6 rolls (I like using floss). Or B. Slice the dough into 6 even strips, and roll each individual strip. Arrange them in the prepared pan in the cinnamon caramel sauce. FYI: If you want to prepare the rolls the night before you bake them, pause after you finish this step, and scroll down to the Notes section to see the next set of instructions.

2nd rise: cover again and allow to rise for 30 minutes - 1 hour or until noticeably puffy.

Preheat: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Bake: Pour the warm heavy cream (I just microwave it for a few seconds to take the chill off) over the rolls right before baking. Bake the rolls for ~30 minutes, or until lightly golden and the centers register at least 190°F. Do not overbake, cover with foil if the tops are browning too quickly. The sauce should be bubbly and the house will smell sooo good.

Frosting: In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in the vanilla bean paste, then gradually add powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Spread over warm rolls before serving. Time to dig in and enjoy all your hard work! :)