These easy melt in your mouth cinnamon rolls are extra fluffy and soft and are packed full of cinnamon and brown sugar with the most delicious cream cheese frosting on top. They can be made from start to finish in less than 3 hours or you can proof the dough overnight in the refrigerator for an easy morning bake. There’s nothing quite like a fresh, warm and gooey cinnamon roll for breakfast! Pair with a cup of coffee or orange juice, with some eggs and bacon for the most perfect brunch.
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Why you will love these cinnamon rolls
- You can have fresh, homemade, buttery and fluffy cinnamon rolls in just 3 hours
- No mixer is required to make the dough. Just a bowl and your hands.
- The rolls can be prepped in advance to bake in the morning or frozen for another day (refer to recipe notes)
- It is an easy recipe for first time bread makers
- The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled (refer to recipe notes)
Ingredient Notes
Milk: I always use whole milk. Specifically A2, A2 whole milk because I personally believe it yields a fluffy roll. However I have had success using dairy free milk too. I like Elmhurst coconut, cashew milk blend. You really can use whatever milk you would like. Just make sure it is 110 F so the yeast will activate when added to the milk. If the milk is too hot it will kill the yeast. Too cold and the yeast won’t bubble up.
Butter: I use unsalted butter so I can add in my own salt but you can use salted butter too. I adjusted the salt added in the recipe just in case. Refer to the notes next to the ingredient. You can also use coconut oil, avocado oil or olive oil if you need a dairy free replacement. Just add the oil in where the butter is suppose to be added.
Flour: Use a high quality all purpose flour like Wheat Montana White Flour or King Arthur Organic White Flour for a fluffy and light cinnamon roll. Lehi Mills is a good brand too. You can also use bread flour.
Yeast: I personally prefer using active dry yeast. I buy Red Star. It is the best! If you would like to use instant yeast you can just add it to the milk without having to wait for it to activate and continue on with the baking steps. Saf Instant Yeast is good brand.
Salt: salt is so important when baking because it enhances the flavors of the other ingredients! A good quality sea salt is the secret ingredient for amazing tasting baked goods. I love Redmond Sea Salt because it is unrefined and contains over 60 plus trace minerals. Who said treats have to be unhealthy?
Sugar: I love honey and add it in anything that I can. It is a non refined sugar, making it great for keeping glucose levels low but you can use regular granulated sugar if you would like or even coconut sugar.
Eggs: It is important for the eggs to be room temperature. Cold eggs could kill the yeast and yield a dense cinnamon roll. An easy trick is to place your eggs in a bowl of warm tap water for 10 minutes then use. This will bring them to room temperature quickly. Also if you double the recipe use 3 eggs. If you triple the recipe use 4 eggs and 1 egg yolk.
Recipe Variations
Orange Rolls: Make the dough as directed. For the filling mix 1/2 cup of softened butter, with 1 cup granulated sugar, zest of one orange, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and 4 tablespoons flour. For the frosting replace 2 tablespoon of heavy cream with fresh orange juice. Top the rolls with extra zest if you would like.
Raspberry Rolls: Make the dough as directed. For the filling mash together 2.5 cups (10 oz pkg) of fresh, organic, washed and dried raspberries, 1/3 cup of granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, arrowroot powder or tapioca starch. For the frosting you can use almond extract instead of vanilla extract.
Nutella Sweet Rolls: Make the dough as directed. For the filling spread one jar of Nocciolata Organic Hazelnut Spread over the dough but reserve 2 tablespoons for the frosting. For the frosting add 11/2 cups of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of hazelnut spread, 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and 1/3 cup of heavy cream to a bowl. Beat together with a whisk or hand mixer 2-3 minutes until smooth.
Apple Rolls: Make the dough as directed. For the filling mix 1/4 cup softened butter, 2/3 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger together to spread over the dough. Then sprinkle 3 apples, peeled and diced over the dough. Roll up, rise and bake as normal. You can add a teaspoon of pure maple flavoring instead of vanilla extract to the frosting if you would like.
How to make the cinnamon Rolls
- In a microwave safe bowl warm the milk to 110 F, about 1 minute and 30 seconds in the microwave. Add in 1 tablespoon of honey and active dry yeast. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the yeast to activate 5-10 minutes until bubbly and foamy.
- Pour the yeast mixture into a large mixing bowl (I use an 8 quart bowl.) Mix in the rest of the honey, egg, egg yolk, sea salt, melted butter and flour until combined using the dough hook. Stop mixing once the dough clumps together.
- Scrape the dough out of the bowl using a plastic dough scraper and place onto a lightly floured surface to knead the dough for 5 minutes. Knead until the dough is no longer sticking to your fingers and if you indent your finger into the dough it holds its shape. Form the dough into a nice ball.
- Now spray the bowl you previously mixed the dough in and place the kneaded dough back into the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and or a tea towel and let the dough rest for 1hour until doubled in size.
- Punch the dough down and flip out into a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a 12×18 rectangle. Prepare the filling by slightly melting the butter in the microwave (about 15-20 second), then mixing in the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Spread the filling onto the dough, leaving an inch border. Roll the dough up lengthwise and pinch the seem together so the filling does not leak out. Cut off the ends to revel the swirls and cut 12 equal cinnamon rolls with a knife or floss.
- Place the cinnamon rolls in a greased sheet pan and cover with plastic wrap. Now you have two options. Place the rolls in the fridge overnight or allow the rolls to rise 30-45 minutes until double in size to bake.
- If you place the cinnamon rolls in the refrigerator overnight, bring them out the next morning and allow them to come back to room temperature while the oven preheats to 350 F. About 30-45 minutes until doubled in size. Then bake for 20-30 minutes until fluffy and tops are golden brown. Make the frosting and frost the warm rolls. Serve and enjoy.
- If making the day of, preheat the oven to 350 F while the rolls are rising for the second time. Then bake 25-30 minutes until fluffy and tops are golden brown. Make the frosting and frost the warm rolls. Serve and enjoy.
- Refer to recipe card for more details.
Easy Melt In Your Mouth Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- Plastic Wrap or tea towel
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Dough:
- 1 ¾ cup warm milk (110 degrees F) of choice I use whole A2 milk
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- ¼ cup raw honey or granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons sea salt use 1 teaspoon if using salted butter
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 5 cups all purpose unbleached flour
Cinnamon Roll Filling:
- 5 tablespoons softened butter
- ⅔ cup organic brown sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon sea salt if using unsalted butter
Frosting:
- ½ cup softened butter
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 3 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt if using unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 5 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Start by adding milk to a microwave safe bowl and heat up for 1 minute and 30 seconds until warm to the touch. Add 1 tablespoon of honey and yeast to the milk and lightly froth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the yeast to activate about 5-10 minutes until foamy.
- Pour the activated yeast into a large bowl (8 quart is what I use) and mix in the rest of the honey, salt, egg, egg yolk, melted butter and 5 cups of flour with a dough hook or spatula until the dough comes together.
- Remove the dough from the bowl using a plastic dough scraper and place onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for 5 minutes until it is no longer sticking to your hands and when you jab the dough with a finger it holds its shape. Form into a nice ball.
- Spray the bowl you mixed the dough in with oil and place the dough back into the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and or a tea towel. Now let the dough rise, in a warm spot for 1 hour until doubled in size. I like placing my dough in a turned off oven with the oven light on.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch the dough down and flip it out onto a floured surface. Roll the dough into a 12×18 inch rectangle. Make the filling by slightly melting the butter and mixing in the salt, brown sugar and cinnamon to then spread onto the dough leaving an inch border around the edges. Tightly roll the dough up lengthwise and pinch the seems together. Cut the ends off to reveal the swirls. Now equally slice 12 cinnamon rolls with a knife or floss.
- Place the cinnamon rolls in a lightly greased sheet pan. Then cover the rolls with plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator overnight or allow the rolls to rise a second time on the counter for 30-45 minutes until doubled in size. Refrigerating the dough overnight allows for a more buttery and flavorful dough and also an easy bake if serving for breakfast.
- If you placed the cinnamon rolls into the refrigerator over night, remove them in the morning and place on the counter to rise for 30-45 minutes while the oven is preheating so they can double in size.
- After the second rise, bake the rolls for 20-30 minutes in a 350 F preheated oven until puffed up and golden brown on the tops. If the tops are browning too quickly place a sheet of aluminum foil over the rolls halfway through baking. Make the frosting while the cinnamon rolls are baking.
- To make the frosting add softened butter, softened cream cheese and salt to a mixing bowl and mix until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Add in 1 cup of powdered sugar and mix until combined. Continue until all 3 cups of powdered sugar have been added. Pour in the vanilla extract and heavy cream and beat 1-2 minutes until thick and creamy. Now top each, hot cinnamon roll with a dollop of cream cheese frosting. You want to frost the rolls warm. It allows the frosting to seep into the cracks for extra gooey cinnabons.
- Serve the cinnamon rolls fresh with coffee, orange juice, eggs and or bacon.
- Cover leftovers with plastic wrap and keep 1-2 days on the countertop out of the sun.
Notes
- Begin by making the cinnamon rolls as directed above but instead of having the rolls rise a second time, place the cut cinnamon rolls on a greased baking pan and place into the freezer for 2o minutes. It is important to not skip this step or else the cinnamon rolls will stick together in the bag and will be hard to unthaw at a later time.
- While the rolls are pre freezing, take two, gallon sized, freezer friendly, zip lock bags and write out the directions for unthawing and baking the cinnamon rolls on the tag. Also write the expiration date (which will be the date 3 months later from the time that you freeze the dough.)
- Next remove the cinnamon rolls from the freezer and place 6 rolls in each ziplock bag. Zip the bags up and leave a tiny space to insert a straw. With the straw, suck out as much air from the bag as possible, remove the straw and seal the bag quickly. Place the batch of cinnamon rolls into the freezer and save for a rainy day!
- The frosting can also be pre made too. Just make according to the directions above and divide the frosting into two separate, freezer friendly containers and freeze for up to three months.
- To bake the frozen cinnamon rolls, remove them from the freezer, place onto a greased 9×13 pan, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight. If you froze the frosting let it unthaw in the refrigerator overnight too.
- The next morning remove the rolls and frosting from the fridge and place on the counter while preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. They should rise about 20-35 minutes. Then bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes until fluffy and golden brown tops.
- Then beat the frosting a few times with a spoon and spread on top of the warm cinnamon rolls to enjoy.