Cinnamon Rolls

Super soft and fluffy gooey homemade cinnamon rolls are my love language.

I mean, all food is my love language but cinnamon rolls are just the ultimate in comfort. Sometimes I wish I could just roll myself up in a soft and gooey cinnamon roll blanket and eat it whenever. But really, that would be kind of weird. So maybe I just want to wrap myself in a blanket that looks like a cinnamon roll while I eat warm soft cinnamon rolls right out of the oven!

How to make cinnamon rolls

1. Activate the yeast. Sprinkle the yeast on to warm milk and let foam.
2. Add sugar, eggs, and melted butter and mix throughly.
3. Stir in the flour until everything comes together into a ball of dough.
4. Knead the dough until smooth, then pop into a lightly oiled bowl so it can proof for an hour.
5. After the dough is puffy and proofed, tip it out onto a floured surface and roll it into a rectangle.
6. Spread out some soft butter and sprinkle on brown sugar and cinnamon.
7. Roll it up tightly, cut into even pieces, and place in a pan and let proof until doubled.
8. Bake until gooey and golden.
9. Top it off with cream cheese glaze and enjoy!

Homemade cinnamon roll ingredients

• Yeast – this recipe uses active dry yeast which needs to be dissolved in a bit of liquid before using – in this case we’ll sprinkle it on to milk. If you have instant yeast, you can use it too, there won’t be much of a difference; your rolls might rise a bit faster, depending how warm your kitchen is.
• Milk – I use 2% milk but any milk will work here, even almond or oat milk. Warm the milk up slightly in the microwave (I usually pop it in the microwave in 20 second increments) You want it between 105-115°F, which feels like a warm bath.
• Eggs – not all cinnamon bun recipes have eggs in them, but this one does and it adds extra richness and flavor because the cinnamon roll dough is enriched instead of just regular. Make sure you take your eggs out of the fridge and let the come to room temp. If you forget, just pop them into a bowl with hot tap water, which will bring them to room temp faster.
• Bread flour – this one is important. You might be tempted to just use all purpose, and well, you can do that, but if you use bread flour your rolls will be soft and fluffy with just the right amount of chew. Bread flour has a higher protein content than regular all purpose – the resulting dough has more gluten in it which helps the rolls stay soft and chewy.
• Cinnamon – obviously cinnamon rolls need cinnamon. But the kind of cinnamon you use is important too. Cinnabon’s cinnamon (if you’re looking to create a copycat cinnabon) is a special super cinnamon-y proprietary blend called Makara – they sell it! If you don’t want to get cinnabon cinnamon, go for Ceylon cinnamon if you can.

Why are cinnamon rolls so good?

These particular cinnamon rolls are super soft, fluffy, and perfectly chewy, with so much gooey brown sugar cinnamon and luxurious melty cream cheese icing. The sweet, sweet smell of brown sugar and cinnamon and butter while you’re baking is absolutely irresistible. These are my DREAM rolls. If you love sweet, bread-y things, these cinnamon rolls are for you.

Cinnamon roll icing

Is cinnamon roll icing the best part of a cinnamon roll? I think the little medium rare nugget in the middle is the best, but gooey, drippy cream cheese icing comes close. Make sure you ice your rolls when they’re still warm so the icing nestles itself into all the noodles and crannies.

To make cinnamon roll icing

Simply mix together room temp cream cheese, soft butter, and powdered sugar. The key is to use room temp cream cheese so you don’t get any cream cheese lumps. You can also add a touch of vanilla.

Overnight cinnamon rolls

To make overnight cinnamon rolls, after shaping and cutting the rolls, pop them in the pan and wrap well with plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise overnight in the fridge. The next day, 1 hour before you’re going to bake, let them rest on the counter top, then bake as directed.

How to freeze cinnamon rolls

You can freeze these 2 ways, before baking and after baking:

Before baking

After cutting the rolls, place them in the pan, then immediately cover with plastic wrap and freeze – don’t let them proof. The night before you’re going to bake, let the rolls rise overnight in the fridge. The next day, 1 hour before you’re going to bake, let them rest on the counter top, then bake as directed.

After baking

Let the rolls cool completely and leave them unfrosted. Wrap up the entire tray or separate them out individually. Defrost at room temp then warm in a 350°F oven until warmed through, about 10 minutes, or microwave for 20-30 seconds.

How to store cinnamon rolls

Keep them in an air tight container on the counter top for up to 3 days. After that, store them in the fridge for up to a week and make sure you reheat before enjoying!

How to reheat cinnamon rolls

Heat in the microwave for 20-25 seconds or in a low oven for 5 minutes or until warmed through.

Cinnamon rolls or cinnamon buns?

Do you think there’s a difference between cinnamon rolls and cinnamon buns? Personally I use the terms interchangeably. They’re both soft and squishy and delicious. But, did you know that the youths refer to people as “cinnamon rolls”? When someone calls you a cinnamon roll, it means you’re soft and cute. It’s a good thing!

Other Cinnamon Roll Variations

• Small Batch Copycat Cinnamon Streusel Starbucks Coffee Cake Recipe
• Cinnamon Roll Mugs: The Best Ever Overnight Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
• Easy 6 Ingredient Vegan Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
• Coconut Cinnamon Buns
• Sunday Brunch: 1 Hour Mini Cinnamon Buns with Whisky Cream Cheese Frosting
• The Best No-Knead Cinnamon Roll Recipe

And other things to bake with cinnamon!

• Small Batch Copycat Cinnamon Streusel Starbucks Coffee Cake Recipe
• Caramelized Cinnamon Toast Recipe
• Best Ever Cinnamon Toast Recipe
• The Best Snickerdoodles

Cinnamon Roll Recipe

Super soft, fluffy, and perfectly chewy cinnamon rolls with so much gooey brown sugar cinnamon and luxurious melty cream cheese icing.

Serves 12

5 from 3 votes

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Proof Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup warm milk 110°F
• 2.25 tsp active dry yeast 1 envelope
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg plus 1 extra egg yolk, room temp
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
• 3 cups bread flour or 360g all purpose flour + 3.57g vital wheat gluten
• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter room temp
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar lightly packed
• 1.5 tbsp ground cinnamon

• 4 oz cream cheese room temp
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter room temp
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract optional

Instructions

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the milk and sprinkle on the yeast. Let sit until the yeast starts to foam, 1-2 minutes. Stir in the sugar, egg, egg yolk, and melted butter then stir in the flour and salt with a wooden spoon until everything comes together into a ball of dough.
  
• Knead with the dough hook on medium for 8 minutes. Alternately, knead by hand for 8-10 minutes on a floured surface. Lightly oil and large bowl and place the dough inside.
  
• Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise for 1 to 1 and a half hours or until doubled in size.
  
• On a lightly floured surface, tip out the dough and roll out to a large, long rectangle, about 14 x 20 inches. Spread the butter evenly, all the way to the edges. Whisk together the cinnamon and sugar in small bowl then spread evenly onto the dough.
  
• Roll into a tight roll, and cut into 9 even pieces for an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 inch pan. If using a 11 x 7 inch pan, cut into 6 pieces for giant rolls or 12 for smaller rolls. Place the rolls into the pan.
  
• Cover loosely with plastic and let rise in the fridge overnight. Or, if you’re wanting to bake right away, cover and let rise at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until doubled.
  
• When ready to bake, remove the rolls from the fridge and heat the oven to to let come to room temperature as the oven is heating up, about 30-45 minutes. Heat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until slightly golden and just cooked through or the internal temp comes to 190°F.
  
• While the rolls are baking, make the frosting by beating together the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla (if using) until light and fluffy. Let the rolls cool for 5 minutes, then frost. Enjoy!
  

Notes

Inspired by Ambitious Kitchen

Estimated Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Cinnamon Roll Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 bun)

Calories 338 Calories from Fat 138

% Daily Value*

Fat 15.3g24%

Saturated Fat 9.2g58%

Cholesterol 67mg22%

Sodium 271mg12%

Potassium 96mg3%

Carbohydrates 45.5g15%

Fiber 1.5g6%

Sugar 20.2g22%

Protein 5.8g12%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.