Cinnamon Rolls

Buns / Rolls

Jan 18

Written By Betsy LaRue

Cinnamon Rolls

Prep: 35 Minutes Rise: 3 Hours Bake: 16 Minutes Total: 4 Hours

Yield: 16 Rolls

Dough Ingredients

7 g (2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
170 g (¾ cup) milk
113 g (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
57 g (~¼ cup) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
500 g (~4 cups) bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling Ingredients

57 g (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
2 oz. (~¼ cup) granulated sugar
4 oz. (~½ cup) brown sugar
16 g (2 tablespoons) ground cinnamon

Icing Ingredients

57 g (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
340 g (~3 cups) confectioners’ sugar

Directions

To make the dough: Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Cream together using the paddle attachment for 5 minutes.
Warm the milk until it is lukewarm (no more than 110 degrees Fahrenheit). Add the milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and flour; then add the yeast and salt on opposite sides of the bowl.
Switch to the hook attachment. Mix on low until mostly combine, then knead on medium speed for 10 minutes (the sides of the bowl should be clean and the dough will be smooth and soft).
Temporarily remove the dough and form it into a smooth ball. Lightly oil the bowl and return the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and rise until the dough has doubled in size (approximately 2 hours).
To fill the dough: Turn the dough out of the bowl and roll into a 12 x 16-inch rectangle with the longest side nearest you. Brush the dough with the melted butter, except for a 1/2-inch strip along the top edge. Stir together the sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon and spread evenly over the butter, lightly pressing down on the mixture.
Starting with the long edge, tightly roll up the dough. Seal the dough and cut in 16 rolls. Place the rolls onto parchment-lined baking sheets (2 per row, 8 per sheet). Cover the baking sheets with greased plastic wrap and let rise about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the rolls for about 16 minutes until puffy and golden brown.
To prepare the icing: Place the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and beat until creamy.
Remove the rolls from the oven and allow the rolls to cool for 10 minutes. Spread the cream cheese icing over the warm rolls.
Serve warm or at room temperature. Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator.

Tips:
- If unsure about the state of your yeast, place it directly into the warm milk, stir, and allow to foam (approximately 5 minutes). If the yeast does not foam, it is probably time to buy some fresh!
- These rolls can be made a day ahead. Make the rolls as directed and place on the cookie sheets. Instead of completing the second rise, cover and place in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, remove the rolls and let sit at room temperature for one hour before baking as directed.

I know, I know. This recipe seems long and tedious. But trust me, making cinnamon rolls from scratch is definitely worthwhile. And once you read through the steps below, you'll be ready to start baking asap!

Here are the ingredients for the dough: eggs, granulated sugar, yeast, vanilla extract, milk, kosher salt, unsalted butter, and bread flour.

Add the softened butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixture. Cream this together for 5 minutes using the paddle attachment. Feel free to scrap down the sides of the bowl during this process to make sure all the butter and sugar get incorporated.

Heat the milk until it is lukewarm; either in the microwave or on the stove. Make sure you do not heat the milk over 110 degrees Fahrenheit, as yeast and hot liquid do not get along. If you are not sure whether your yeast is still active, you can check it by placing the yeast in the warm milk, giving it a stir, and waiting 5 minutes. If the yeast starts to bubble, then you are good to go; if not, this means your yeast is no longer good and needs to be replaced.

Add all the remaining dough ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture. Direct contact with salt can kill the yeast, so it is best to place the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl.

Switch the paddle attachment out for the hook attachment and knead the dough for 10 minutes on medium speed. Make sure the mixer is the locked position to prevent it from jumping all over the counter top.

Here is the action shot for the day:

The dough will be finished when the sides of the bowl are clean and the dough is smooth and soft.

Briefly remove the dough and coat the bowl with a little bit of oil - canola, vegetable, or olive oil will work. Smooth the dough and form it into a ball, then add it back into the bowl. Cover this with plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm place. It will double in size after about 2 hours.

While the dough is rising, time to move on to the good stuff - the filling! I mean, how can you go wrong with cinnamon and sugar?! White sugar, ground cinnamon, and brown sugar:

Add the sugars and cinnamon to a bowl and stir to combine.

With a whopping 2 tablespoons of cinnamon, it will definitely be the shining star of these rolls.

Next up, prepare the icing. These ingredients are: powdered sugar, vanilla extract, kosher salt, ground cinnamon, butter, and cream cheese.

Place the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer for 2-3 minutes until light and creamy! You can place this in the refrigerator for the time being.

The big reveal! Finished dough!

Gently turn the dough out of the bowl and place on a cutting board. The dough is very easy to work with and should not stick, so no need to flour the board. Roll the dough into a 12 x 16 inch rectangle, making sure the long side is closest to you.

Brush melted butter on the dough - making sure to leave a 1-inch strip along the top edge. This will allow us to seal the dough once it is rolled. Sprinkle the tasty filling all over the melted butter and lightly press down to prevent spillage during the rolling process.

Starting with the long edge, tightly roll up the dough. Once you reach the end, continue rolling the dough until the seam is down. Gently press the seam into the roll to seal everything together.

Very gently squeeze the dough to even out the thickness. I also gently push in the ends if there is any dough hanging out. By the end, the dough should be a 16-inch long cylinder.

I've found the easiest way to cut the dough into even rolls is to cut the cylinder in half, then cut those sections in half, then all those sections in half, etc. until you end up with 16 rolls. If you want to be extra precise, feel free to break out that measuring tape!

Place the rolls on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment (8 rolls per sheet). Give the rolls plenty of their own space to grow and cover the baking sheets with greased plastic wrap so the rolls will not dry out.

(Side note - If you want to make these ahead of time, you can place them in the refrigerator overnight at this point. Refrigerating the rolls overnight will also help develop more flavor as the yeast ferments.)

Give the rolls about 1 hour to complete the second rise before baking. They should nearly double in size. If you elected to refrigerate the rolls, also give them 1 hour at room temperature before baking.