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Into a small bowl add 1 cup of flour and both packets of yeast. Stir and set aside.
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Into a large bowl whisk together the warm milk, sugar, egg, salt and melted butter until well combined.
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Into the large bowl add the flour and yeast mixture. Whisk for around 2-3 minutes or until everything is well combined and lots of bubbles have developed.
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Now stir in the remainder of the flour (3.5 cups), slowly, and add more as you need. You want the dough to be pliable but not too sticky. Knead for 5 minutes and add flour to the surface area to make the process easier.
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Grease the sides of another large bowl and add in your dough. Add oil to the top of your dough and place a damp cloth over the top of the bowl. Place in a warm place for around 15-30 minutes.
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While your dough rests prepare your apples by cooking them in a frying pan on medium-low heat with 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp brown sugar. Stir occasionally to avoid burning. Cook until slightly softened, about 10 minutes and then remove from heat and let it cool.
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You can now preheat your oven to 350F and grab a baking dish – I used a 16″L x 9″W x 2.50″H. Line the baking dish with parchment paper and butter or spray the dish generously.
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Once your dough has risen punch a hole into the middle of the dough (this is very satisfying) and let it rise by double once again.
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Once dough has risen again, using a rolling pin roll out the dough on a floured surface, into a large rectangle, around 20 X 14 X 1 but use whichever dimensions work best for you and your baking dish!
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Once you have a flat dough, spread 6 tbsp softened butter across it and sprinkle with 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1 tbsp cinnamon, pressing the brown sugar and cinnamon gently into the softened butter. Then sprinkle all of the cooked apples across the dough. Roll the dough width-wise, keeping it tight and cut into around 12-14 rolls. Place them into the baking pan and set them aside to rise until doubled in size.
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Once ready then bake for 25-35 minutes or until just golden brown.
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To make your icing, simply add your ingredients into a deep bowl and blend using a hand mixer for around 1-2 minutes until smooth and creamy.
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Once your cinnamon buns are cooked let sit for a few minutes and then spread over that delectable cream cheese icing! Sprinkle with more fresh, diced apple if desired.
