the best cinnamon rolls you’ll ever eat.
Hello peeps!
This is the BEST cinnamon rolls in the WORLD. Big, fluffy, soft and absolutely delicious. You’ll never go back to any other recipe once you try this one! I’ve tried many recipe and found this one a saver. This cinnamon roll recipe includes options to make them overnight or ahead of time and even freeze them.
PREP TIME: 2 hours | COOK TIME: 20 minutes | TOTAL TIME: 2 hours and 20 minutes
Hello and welcome to the wide wide world of cinnamon roll love.
Gituh…
Seriously, say hello to big, fluffy PERFECT cinnamon rolls packed with a cinnamon brown sugar filling and glazed with a vanilla cream cheese glaze that drips into the middle and soaks every single bite.
Telan air liur sat…
Descriptive, yes. Delicious, absolutely.
Healthy? Not so much. In fact, sangat berdosa! But sometimes you need something a little indulgent for moments in your life that require a little something special.
The trick to keeping the cinnamon rolls soft and fluffy is bread flour. And longer kneading time.
Yep that’s right. The one and only. The rolls really won’t be the same otherwise.
Do I think they could they compete with Cinnabon’s famous cinnabon recipe?
100%.
ingredients in this cinnamon rolls
This cinnamon roll recipe doesn’t require a ton of ingredients, but it does require love, patience and dedication to the true recipe — meaning don’t deter from the original! These are called the best cinnamon rolls for a reason, and that requires following the recipe as instructed. Here’s what you’ll need to make the best cinnamon rolls:
Milk: I recommend whole milk, but know that almond milk will also work (I’ve tried it!) See my tips below for ensuring your milk is at the right temperature.
Granulated sugar: this is used to sweeten the cinnamon rolls and to help activate the yeast.
Quick rise yeast: use quick rise or instant yeast in this recipe to help the cinnamon rolls rise faster. You can also use active dry yeast, but the cinnamon rolls may take slightly longer to rise. Scroll down to get tips for using yeast in this recipe!
Butter: the one and only. I prefer to use salted butter but unsalted is great too. You’ll need it for the dough, filling and icing.
Egg + egg yolk: this recipe calls for 1 egg and 1 egg yolk for the perfect texture and rich consistency in the dough.
Bread flour: to help keep these cinnamon rolls soft and fluffy, we’re using bread flour, which has a higher protein level to help lighten the cinnamon roll texture. The higher amounts of protein help to produce more gluten, which gives cinnamon roll their chewy, soft texture you know and love.
Brown sugar: personally, I love using dark brown sugar for more robust molasses sweet flavor in those cinnamon swirls, but light brown sugar will work!
Cinnamon: YUM. Obviously!
Salt: cinnamon rolls made without salt tastes very plain and in addition, salt also helps to control yeast in cinnamon roll recipes so don’t skip it.
For the icing: the icing is truly unforgettable too! Just cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla.
which yeast is best for cinnamon rolls and how to know when yeast is activated?
I can understand why it may be confusing to know if your yeast is activated. First, it’s important to know that there are two types of yeast to choose from. The first is an active dry yeast, which must be dissolved in liquid, or also what’s known as being “proofed” before it’s added to the rest of the dough ingredients.
The second type of yeast is instant yeast, also known as quick rise yeast (MauriPan is the brand I use and love! almost all bread I use this brand.) and also what we are using for this cinnamon roll recipe. It can be added to the dough without any ‘proofing’ required, so you don’t need to sit and watch the yeast to make sure it bubbles. However, I still like to dissolve it in a little bit of milk and sugar to help get it started.
tools you’ll need to make cinnamon rolls from scratch.
Here are some kitchen tools I recommend that will help make this cinnamon roll recipe a success:
Stand mixer. You’ll want to use the dough hook on your stand mixer to easily knead the dough before rolling it out. Don’t have a stand mixer? No worries! You can also knead the dough by hand.
Wooden spoon. I recommend mixing your dough together with a wooden spoon.
Rolling pin. For rolling out that beautiful dough. Pro tip: if you don’t have a rolling pin you can also flour up a wine bottle!
Serrated knife. Using a serrated knife will help you cut the cinnamon rolls out after you roll the dough up. You can also use floss.
9×9 inch pan. I recommend using a 9×9 inch baking pan or 9-inch circular pan so that the cinnamon rolls fit well and bake properly.
how to make overnight cinnamon rolls.
After rolling the cinnamon rolls up, cut them as directed, arrange in pan lined with parchment paper, cover well with plastic wrap then place in fridge overnight. When you are ready to bake, bring the cinnamon rolls to room temperature and let them rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour before baking as directed.
how to freeze cinnamon rolls.
To freeze before baking: the dough should be frozen after the first rise (once they are rolled up with the filling in and cut). Place into a pan and cover well, then place in freezer. When you are ready to bake, let the dough thaw in the fridge — preferably overnight, then put in a warm spot for 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking to activate the second rise. Bake cinnamon rolls as directed.
To freeze after baking: allow the cinnamon rolls to come to room temperature after baking, then you can choose to either freeze the entire pan, making sure they are well wrapped or covered in an airtight container, or you can choose to freeze individual cinnamon rolls. When ready to eat, defrost the cinnamon rolls at room temperature, then warm in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or you can warm them up individually in the microwave for 20-30 seconds (once defrosted). I prefer to freeze them before they are iced, and then frost them when ready to eat. The icing is also freezer-friendly!
ingredients
For the dough:
¾ cup warm milk (whole milk) (40 degrees C)
2 ¼ teaspoons quick rise or active yeast
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
3 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
3/4 teaspoon salt
For the filling:
2/3 cup dark brown sugar (light brown sugar also works)
1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
For the cream cheese frosting:
120 gm cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
instructions.
step 1
Warm milk to around 40 degrees C. I like to do this by placing milk in a microwave safe bowl and microwaving it for 40-45 seconds. It should be like warm bath water. Transfer warm milk to the bowl of an electric mixer and sprinkle yeast on top. Add in sugar, egg, egg yolk and melted butter. Mix until well combined. Next stir in flour and salt with a wooden spoon until a dough begins to form.
step 2
Warm milk to around 40 degrees C. I like to do this by placing milk in a microwave safe bowl and microwaving it for 40-45 seconds. It should be like warm bath water. Transfer warm milk to the bowl of an electric mixer and sprinkle yeast on top. Add in sugar, egg, egg yolk and melted butter. Mix until well combined. Next stir in flour and salt with a wooden spoon until a dough begins to form.
step 3
Transfer dough ball to a well-oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel. Allow dough to rise for 1 hour to 1 ½ hours, or until doubled in size. This may more or less time depending the humidity and temperature in your home.
step 4
After dough has doubled in size, transfer dough to a well-floured surface and roll out into a 14x9 inch rectangle. Spread softened butter over dough, leaving a ¼ inch margin at the far side of the dough.
step 5
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Use your hands to sprinkle mixture over the buttered dough, then rub the brown sugar mixture into the butter.
step 6
Tightly roll dough up, starting from the 9-inch side and place seam side down making sure to seal the edges of the dough as best you can. You will probably need to cut off about an inch off the ends of the dough as the ends won’t be as full of cinnamon sugar as we’d want it to be. I didn’t tight the roll strong enough. It falls off, see the picture.
step 7
Cut into 1 inch sections with a serrated knife or floss. You should get 9 large pieces.
step 8
Place cinnamon rolls in a greased 9x9 inch baking pan or round 9 inch cake pan. (I also recommend lining the pan with parchment paper as well, in case any of the filling ends up leaking out.) Cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel and let rise again for 30-45 minutes.
step 9
Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Remove plastic wrap and towel and bake cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes or until just slightly golden brown on the edges. You want to underbake them a little so they stay soft in the middle, that’s why we want them just slightly golden brown. Allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes before frosting.
step 10. To make the frosting:
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Spread over cinnamon rolls and serve immediately with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!!
Emir’s tip! To make overnight cinnamon rolls:
After placing rolls into the greased pan (after the first rise), simply cover, place overnight in the fridge and then bake them in the morning as directed. I like to bring my cinnamon rolls to room temperature first by leaving them on the counter for 30-45 minutes before baking (this is known as the second rise).
Hope you will try this recipe!
All the best! Send me a message on how is it going.
Good luck,
EMIR xx
