How To Make the Best Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

I know that a lot of people find making cinnamon rolls from scratch kind of intimidating. But I promise this recipe couldn’t be easier.

The best cinnamon rolls recipes should include bread flour, which has a higher protein level. This helps to lighten the texture and make them fluffy and thick. You’ll also need to use quick rise or instant yeast, and it’s crucial to ensure this is in date. Otherwise, your cinnamon rolls will not rise.

If you’re here because you want to know how to make cinnamon rolls, stick around. I’ll cover some do’s and don’ts and give you a few tips on how to make the best cinnamons rolls ever!

The Do’s and Don’ts of Making the Best Cinnamon Rolls

Do start with room temperature ingredients.

Don’t use cold butter or milk.

Do test the yeast before adding the other ingredients to make sure it’s still good.

Don’t use out of date yeast and and just hope for the best.

Do weight your ingredients to ensure everything is accurate.

Don’t make substitutions or they might not come out right.

Do leave the dough to rise until it’s doubled.

Don’t try to speed the proofing up unless you have a proof setting on your oven.

Do grease the cake tin and wrap in foil to prevent leaks.

Don’t use a larger or smaller cake pan than called for, or the rolls will come out all wrong.

How To Make Cinnamon Rolls

If you ever come across a recipe for homemade cinnamon rolls that claims you can make them in under an hour - run! They’re not real cinnamon rolls!

Of course, if you’re in a pinch, I’m sure they’re better than nothing.

But if you want authentic, thick, fluffy, warm, spicy, sweet, and sticky cinnamon rolls, you need to be prepared to wait for them.

Here’s how to make cinnamon rolls:

Weigh all of your ingredients before you begin.
Warm the milk to 110°F/44°C.
Bloom the yeast in the warm milk for about 5 minutes.
Add the sugar, egg, egg yolk, and melted butter, and stir to combine.
Add the flour and salt and mix with a dough hook on medium speed for 8 minutes.
Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and leave to rise for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Make the filling by whisking butter with cinnamon, honey, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and roll into a 14 x 9-inch rectangle.
Spread the filling over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on the top (long) side.
Starting from the bottom (long) side, roll the dough as tightly as you can.
Use a small amount of water of egg wash to seal the dough.
Cut into 8-10 portions.
Place the cinnamon rolls cut side up in a greased 9 x 9-inch baking pan or 9-inch cake pan.
Cover and leave to rise for 45 minutes.
Bake at 350°F/175°C for 25-30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes.
Cover with a glaze and serve warm.

Can You Make Cinnamon Rolls Without Yeast

You can make cinnamon rolls without yeast, but they won’t be as light and fluffy. To make cinnamon rolls without yeast, you’ll need to include baking powder into the dough, and rather than kneading the dough to form the gluten, you’ll need to be much more gentle, or they will come out dry and tough.

Making cinnamon rolls without yeast is kind of like making flatbread. They will be tender and tasty, but it’s just not the same (in my opinion!).

Yeast-Free Cinnamon Roll Recipe

Ingredients:

270 grams All Purpose Flour (2 cups)
2 1/4 teaspoons Baking Powder
3 tablespoons White Sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
175 ml Whole Milk (3/4 cup)
3 tablespoons Butter

Method:

In a small pot, heat the milk and butter until the butter has melted (do not boil).
Whisk the flour with the baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.
Using a spatula, stir the milk and butter into the flour mixture.
Stir this until the dough just comes together.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and gently knead for a minute until it turns smooth.
Cover the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes.
While the dough rests, preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
Make the filling by beating softened butter with brown sugar and cinnamon (see recipe below).
Roll the dough out into a 10 x 14-inch rectangle.
Spread the filling over the dough.
Roll the dough tightly (from the long side) into a log.
Cut into 9/10 portions.
Place the cinnamon rolls into an 8 or 9 inch, greased cake pan.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Leave to cool for 10-15 minutes, cover with a glaze, and serve warm.

Can You Make Cinnamon Rolls With Puff Pastry

You can make cinnamon rolls with puff pastry, but they will come out more like cinnamon danishes. They won’t be thick and fluffy and the texture will be more pastry-like than bread-like.

I wouldn’t recommend using puff pastry to make cinnamon rolls because they’re two very different doughs. One will rise and become tender and fluffy, where the other will stay kind of flat and give you a flaky, more crispy finish.

If you want cinnamon rolls, it’s worth the extra time to make them from scratch.

How to Make Perfect Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

If you want to make and eat cinnamon rolls for breakfast, don’t worry - you don’t need to get up at 4 am to start the dough!

Instead, follow the recipe below (make the dough, fill and roll, then portion into a greased baking tray), then just cover the tray and pop it in the fridge.

The next morning, take the cinnamon rolls out and leave to come up to room temperature for about 30 minutes before baking.

You can speed that 30 minutes up by placing them in a warm oven. Just turn your oven onto its lowest setting and leave the door open a little. The cinnamon roll should be ready in about 10-15 minutes.

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe should make 8-10 cinnamon rolls, depending on how thick you cut them. Use a 9 x 9-inch pan, or 9-inch cake pan.

If using a springform pan, line it with parchment and cover the outside with foil to prevent leaks.

Cinnamon Rolls Ingredients:

175 ml Whole Milk (3/4 cup)
2 1/4 teaspoons quick rise or active yeast
50 grams White Sugar (1/4 cup)
1 Egg
1 Egg Yolk
55 grams Butter (1/4 cup)
405 grams Bread Flour (3 cups)
3/4 teaspoon salt

Cinnamon Roll Filling Ingredients

135 grams Brown Sugar (2/3 cup)
1 1/2 tablespoons Cinnamon
55 grams Butter (1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons Honey

Method:

Remember to always start with room temperature ingredients.

Weigh the ingredients and have them ready before you begin.
In a small pot, warm the milk to 110°F/44°C.
Pour the milk into a stand mixer bowl and sprinkle the yeast over the top.
Leave the milk to bloom for about 5 minutes - if it doesn’t bubble, the yeast is dead and you’ll need to start over with a new package.
Add the sugar, egg, egg yolk, and melted butter to the milk and yeast and stir with a spatula to combine.
Add the flour and salt to the bowl and mix with a dough hook on medium speed for 8 minutes.
Once the dough is smooth and only slightly sticky, transfer it to a large oiled bowl.
Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rise for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until it’s doubled in size.
While the dough rises, make the filling by beating softened butter with cinnamon, honey, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Leave the filling out so it stays soft.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and roll into a 14 x 9-inch rectangle.
Spread the filling over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on the top (long) side.
Starting from the bottom (long) side, roll the dough as tightly as you can.
Use a small amount of water of egg wash to seal the dough and keep it with the seal side down.
Cut into 8-10 portions, starting in the middle and marking lines with a knife until you’re sure they’re all even.
Place the cinnamon rolls cut side up in a greased 9 x 9-inch baking pan or 9-inch cake pan.
Cover the pan and leave to rise for 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
Once the cinnamon rolls have risen, brush lightly with egg wash or milk and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes.
Cover with a glaze and serve warm.

Cinnamon Rolls Icing

You have a couple of options for the icing. I prefer something thick and tangy, like cream cheese glaze. But if you want something different, maybe try caramel glaze?