This recipe yields a pan of buttery soft, gooey cinnamon sweet, and extra fluffy homemade cinnamon rolls topped with tangy cream cheese icing. It’s been a reader favorite recipe for years and I love it so much that I turned this rich dough into apple cinnamon rolls, maple pecan sticky buns, maple cinnamon rolls, and even a cinnamon roll wreath. You can make the cinnamon rolls within a few hours or get started the night before using the overnight preparation option.
I originally published this recipe in 2014 and have since added new photos and a video tutorial, as well as more detailed instructions and success tips. This recipe is such a fan favorite, that it deserved a spot in print! You’ll also find this recipe in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
After making countless batches of these cinnamon rolls since I published the recipe many years ago, plus answering readers’ comments and questions, I thought it would be beneficial to update the post with more helpful information and success tips. Homemade cinnamon rolls are a popular breakfast choice, so I want to make sure you have all the resources you need for this classic recipe.
By the way, if you love this dough, be sure to try it as raspberry sweet rolls or strawberry sweet rolls with lemon glaze next. Or for a sprinkle loaded treat, my birthday cake cinnamon rolls use the same dough, too!
Tell Me About These Homemade Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
- Texture: This is one of my richest homemade doughs, so you’re already promised a soft, springy, and fluffy texture. I usually use all-purpose flour, but if you use the optional bread flour, your rolls will be a little chewier. I find that these homemade cinnamon rolls are even fluffier than my easy 1 rise cinnamon rolls (and that’s because there’s the additional rise here!).
- Flavor: The smell of warm cinnamon rolls is oh-so-irresistible and inviting. Once you take that first bite, you’ll enjoy a fresh homemade dough that’s swirled with endless pockets of (Cinnabon style!) sweet and gooey cinnamon.
- Ease: Homemade dough and shaped breads require more precision and effort than making say, a coffee cake. But the dough is pretty straightforward and simple to shape, as long as you have enough flour nearby for your hands, work surface, and rolling pin.
- Time: This dough requires 2 rises. Once you understand the assembly process, the prep moves pretty quickly. Set aside at least 4-5 hours from start to finish or divide between 2 days with the overnight option. Whichever method you choose, keep in mind most of that time is hands off as the dough rises.
If you are craving cinnamon rolls right now, and just can’t wait for dough to rise, try these no yeast cinnamon rolls!
What Readers are Saying:
“I HAD to come and leave this rave review. I just baked and iced these cinnamon rolls ay 9:05 am. It’s now 10:55 am in a household of only 3 people only two are left. This recipe is the best I’ve ever tried. ★★★★★” – Chelsea
“Delicious and easy to follow! This was my first time cooking with yeast and my first time making homemade cinnamon rolls and this was a great recipe to start with. Everyone at brunch was blown away. ★★★★★” – Hannah
“Delicious! I have tried many cinnamon roll recipes, and this is my new favorite. I prefer a roll that is large, more fluffy than dense/gooey, and buttery without being overly sweet. This fit the bill! ★★★★★” – Brice
Are You A Yeast Beginner?
This Baking with Yeast Guide is a wonderful starting point for beginners. I answer many common yeast FAQs in easy-to-understand explanations, so you can learn the basics before beginning.
7 Crucial Ingredients in These Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Feel free to skip straight to the recipe. But if you’re new to making bread, the following explanations are points that I’ve learned over the years and will be massively helpful.
- Whole milk: Whole milk is ideal for the richest tasting cinnamon rolls. Buttermilk works just as well without any changes to the recipe. Many readers have successfully substituted nondairy milks. In a pinch, you can use 2% or 1% milk, but do not use nonfat milk.
- Sugar: You need 2/3 cup of white granulated sugar in the dough. Use 2 Tablespoons in step 1 below (the proofing step), then add the rest in step 2.
- Yeast: You can use active dry or instant yeast. Follow the directions exactly as written regardless of which you choose. You’ll still proof the yeast in warm milk with some sugar even if you use instant yeast. This step ensures that the yeast is active and not expired. Most yeast these days is already active, but it’s a quick 5-10 minute step that prevents you from wasting your time just in case the yeast has expired. If using active dry yeast, the rise times will be a little longer. For the past 10+ years, my go-to brand has been Red Star Yeast. I always recommend Platinum Yeast from Red Star.
- Butter: This is a rich dough, meaning it has fat to help guarantee softness. Use 1/2 cup of softened butter and to help it blend easier, cut it into 4 pieces before adding.
- Eggs: Like butter, eggs promise a softer, richer dough.
- Salt: Dough is bland without salt.
- Flour: Flour is the structure of the dough. You can use either all-purpose flour or bread flour. You’ll notice the rolls are a little chewier if you use bread flour, which is exactly why we use it in recipes like these blueberry bagels. It’s not a huge difference, so don’t worry if you only have all-purpose flour. (That’s what I usually use!)
Note: You’ll notice that I use more yeast in this recipe compared to my easy cinnamon rolls. Why? These are much fluffier and larger—about twice the size.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here’s what you’re looking for after you let the warm milk, some of the sugar, and yeast sit for about 5-10 minutes. The top will be a little foamy:
After the dough comes together, it will be a little soft and sticky—that’s normal. As explained in step 3 below, knead the dough on a floured counter or keep it in the mixer for kneading. If you’d like a visual of how to knead the dough by hand, you can watch the full video tutorial in my post on how to knead dough.
What If I Don’t Have a Stand Mixer? If you do not own a mixer, you can mix the dough together with a large wooden spoon/silicone spatula. It will take a bit of arm muscle. A hand mixer works, but the sticky dough repeatedly gets stuck in the beaters. Mixing by hand with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula is a better choice.
Let the dough rise until doubled in size:
Punch the risen dough down and roll it out.
Baker’s Tip: If the dough keeps shrinking as you roll it out, stop what you’re doing, cover it lightly, and let it rest for 10 minutes to relax the gluten. When you return to the dough, it should stretch out much easier.
Spread softened butter on top, then sprinkle on a mixture of cinnamon and sugar (I use brown sugar, but you could use white granulated sugar if you prefer).
Roll it up:
Use a very sharp knife to cut the roll into 12 rolls, each about 1.5 inches. Arrange in your greased baking pan, cover, then let the rolls rise until doubled in size and puffy, usually about 1 hour. The left photo is before rising and the right photo is after rising:
Bake the rolls and then make the tangy cream cheese icing to smother on top. If cream cheese isn’t your favorite, you could top the rolls with vanilla icing, the brown sugar icing from these pumpkin donuts, cinnamon cream cheese frosting from these gingerbread cinnamon rolls, maple icing from maple cinnamon rolls, or even the caramel icing from apple cinnamon rolls. Lots of options!
5 Success Tips
- Use brown sugar or granulated sugar in the filling: I used to use granulated sugar in the cinnamon sugar filling, but recently switched to brown sugar for extra flavor. Brown sugar doesn’t necessarily make the filling more moist—there’s also butter, so it’s moist and gooey either way. (I love the brown sugar filling so much I used it to create this cinnamon swirl cheesecake!) Use whichever sugar you prefer.
- Best pan to use: I recommend a 9×13-inch glass pan or metal pan. Avoid ceramic pans. If you must use ceramic, keep in mind that the rolls will likely take longer to bake through.
- Evenly baked cinnamon rolls: These are extra big and fluffy cinnamon rolls, so to help guarantee the centers AND tops cook evenly, tent a piece of aluminum foil over the rolls after about 15 minutes in the oven. This will protect the tops from browning too quickly before the centers can cook.
- Don’t have all morning to spend on this dough? Feel free to prep the dough the night before. This is a wonderful way to save time in the morning so you can wake up and eat sooner. See my make-ahead/overnight instructions in the written recipe below.
How to Freeze Homemade Cinnamon Rolls So They Still Taste Fresh
Let me share a tip I’ve learned after working with this dough for several years. You can prep the rolls and freeze them ahead of time so they still taste fresh.
- Here’s how: Bake the rolls in step 9 for only about 10 minutes. Cool completely, then cover and freeze. To serve, take the rolls out of the freezer and place in the refrigerator overnight to thaw. Once thawed, finish baking them for about 15-20 minutes.
I often use this method when I gift cinnamon rolls to others—just copy/paste or write these freezing instructions down. This method is also helpful if you have company over, want to cut down on time, or are entertaining. I like to make these cinnamon rolls ahead when I’m hosting holidays. For more inspiration to complete your menu, see my Easter brunch recipes, make-ahead Thanksgiving breakfast ideas, and Christmas breakfast ideas.
Print
Homemade Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
- Prep Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes (includes rises)
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours (or overnight)
- Yield: 12 rolls
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This recipe yields a pan of buttery soft, gooey cinnamon sweet, and extra fluffy homemade cinnamon rolls topped with tangy cream cheese icing. You can make the cinnamon rolls within a few hours or get started the night before using the overnight preparation option. This recipe is also in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
- 2/3 cup (133g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons (14g) active dry or instant yeast (2 standard packets)*
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature and cut into 4 pieces
- 4 and 1/2 cups (563g) all-purpose flour or bread flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons oil or butter for the bowl (or use nonstick spray)
Filling
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2/3 cup (133g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 ounces (113g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) heavy cream or milk
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: Whisk the warm milk, 2 Tablespoons of sugar, and the yeast together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow mixture to sit for 5–10 minutes or until foamy on the surface. *If you do not own a mixer, you can do this in a large mixing bowl and in the next step, mix the dough together with a large wooden spoon/silicone spatula. It will take a bit of arm muscle. A hand mixer works, but the sticky dough repeatedly gets stuck in the beaters. Mixing by hand with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula is a better choice.*
- Add the remaining sugar (1/2 cup or 100g) and the butter and beat on medium speed until the butter is slightly broken up. Add about 1 cup (125g) of the flour, the eggs, and salt and beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the remaining flour. Beat on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. Dough will be soft. If it seems too sticky and clings to the sides of the bowl instead of forming a rough mass around the dough hook or spoon, add more flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time, and continue to mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl but is still moist and tacky. If it feels dry and crumbly, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer (and switch to the dough hook if you used the paddle) and beat on low speed for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should feel smooth, supple, and elastic. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
- 1st Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or butter (or use nonstick spray). Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled in size. (I always let it rise on the counter and it takes about 2 hours. For a tiny reduction in rise time, see my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
- Grease the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch baking dish (glass or metal) or line it with parchment paper.
- Roll out the dough: Punch down the dough to release the air. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface and using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 12×18-inch rectangle. Make sure the dough is smooth and evenly thick. If the dough keeps shrinking as you roll it out, stop what you’re doing, cover it lightly, and let it rest for 10 minutes to relax the gluten. When you return to the dough, it should stretch out much easier.
- For the filling: Spread the softened butter all over the dough. The softer the butter is, the easier it is to spread in this step. (Microwave it for a few seconds to soften if needed.) In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together. Sprinkle evenly over the butter. Tightly roll up the dough to form an 18-inch-long log. If some filling spills out, sprinkle it on top of the roll. With an extra-sharp knife, cut into 12 even rolls, about 1.5 inches thick. Arrange in the prepared baking pan.
- 2nd Rise: Cover the pan and allow the rolls to rise until puffy, about 1 hour. (Or use the overnight option in the Notes below.)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Bake for about 25–28 minutes or until they are lightly browned on top, rotating the pan halfway through. If the tops are browning too quickly, loosely tent a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the pan. Remove pan from the oven and place pan on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes while you make the icing.
- Make the icing: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, cream/milk, and vanilla. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 1 minute. Spread the icing over the warm rolls and serve immediately.
- Cover leftover frosted or unfrosted rolls tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions – Overnight: To prepare the night before serving, prepare the rolls through step 7. Cover the rolls and refrigerate for 8–12 hours. (16 hours max. 8–12 hours is best, but 16 hours is OK if absolutely needed. Do not exceed 16 hours.) The next morning, remove from the refrigerator, keep covered, and allow to rise for 1–2 hours at room temperature before continuing with step 9.
- Make Ahead Instructions – Freezing: You can freeze cinnamon rolls for up to 3 months, and I recommend a few different methods for freezing cinnamon rolls. The first method is to freeze them after shaping, before they’ve had their 2nd rise (step 7). Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then let rise for 1.5–2 hours at room temperature before baking. The second method is to par-bake the risen rolls for 10 minutes, let cool completely, then cover and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. Finish baking for 15–20 minutes. You can also freeze fully baked cinnamon rolls. See How to Freeze Cinnamon Rolls for more details about all of these methods.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Stand Mixer or Large Glass Mixing Bowl with Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon | Rolling Pin | 9×13-inch Glass Baking Pan or Metal Baking Pan | Cooling Rack
- Milk: I recommend using whole milk for the best, richest-tasting dough. You could also use buttermilk. Reduced-fat, low-fat, or nondairy milk works in a pinch. Do not use nonfat milk.
- Yeast: You can use active dry or instant yeast in this recipe. Follow all of the same instructions. If using active dry yeast, the rise times are usually slightly longer. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Other Icing Options: Instead of cream cheese icing, you can top the warm rolls with vanilla icing, the brown sugar icing from these pumpkin donuts, maple icing from maple cinnamon rolls, or even the caramel icing from apple cinnamon rolls.
- Gluten Free: We have not tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, so we are unsure of the results.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi, Sally
Yesterday I hosted a lunch. I was very happy with the whole menu. The absolute star of the show was your Vanilla Baked Pears/Maple Almond Granola (Pecan sub) and your Soft Baked Sugar Cookies from your book. Both so delicious and easy to make!! Now, it’s time to focus on Cinnamon Rolls for Thanksgiving. I’ll be making yours this year for the first time. Amongst all the raving reviews, I read one that said the flour measurement should be 612 g vs 563 g. Before I start to make these, would you mind weighing in on this (no pun intended)?
With many thanks,
Sally
Hi Sally! The stated measurements are correct. Thank you so much for making our recipes and happy baking!
And thank you for your very quick response — so appreciated!
And another thank you for bringing such happy baking and eating into our home!
I make these every year and we love them! I recently made your brown butter blondies with brown butter icing, I was thinking about using that on the cinnamon rolls, would it melt off warm cinnamon rolls?
Hi Elissa, that should work just fine! You could also let the rolls cool for a few minutes while you make the icing, before putting it on top.
So freaking delicious without the icing, I can imagine with the icing it would be next level
This recipe was fantastic! I’m a beginner and very uncertain of my skills, but made yeasty enriched delicious cinnamon rolls on my first try. Thank you.
OMG these are absolutely the BEST cinnamon rolls that I have ever made, and possibly eaten. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
Can I use cake flour interchangeably with AP flour? Also can I make the icing a day ahead of time? I am traveling with these rolls. Love your other recipes and making this one for the first time!
Hi Kirsten, we don’t recommend cake flour for these rolls—it’s a bit too light. You can make the icing a day ahead of time, just give it a good stir when you’re ready to use and feel free to add a splash more liquid to thin it out if needed. Hope you enjoy the rolls!
Is there a way to make smaller rolls using this recipe?
Hi K, You can roll the dough out a little thinner, so the rectangle is larger or you can cut the log of dough into smaller pieces, so the cinnamon rolls are smaller and the recipe yields more. Hope this helps!
The rolls turned out PERFECT! I was really nervous about making cinnamon rolls since the process seemed so involved, but since your directions are written very well I had zero problems. Thanks so much for making such clear, easy to follow instructions for newbies like myself 🙂
Ps I also hand mixed the batter and it turned out soo delicious. It definitely took a lot of muscle.
I use this recipe all the time. It’s my go to for cinnamon rolls. I always bake it in a 9×13 deep pyrex dish. I need to take these to a party and don’t want to leave my good pans there so can this be cooked in disposable pans?
Hi Katie, sure can! So glad you enjoyed these cinnamon rolls.
The cup to gram conversion is incorrect. There are 136g of bread flour per cup. 136 X 4.5 = 612. Not 563 stated in the recipe. I had to throw out my first batch of dough as it was just too loose and unworkable.
I appreciate this comment so much because I knew something was wrong but pushed through. I added roughly 80 additional grams of flour, just enough to make it workable, and the texture of my rolls are definitely not what they should be (I made the dough last night and have just finished baking them). I also used almond milk and wasn’t sure how that would consistency, but having made enriched breads successfully a few times, my gut kept saying it wasn’t enough flour. I wish I had listened.
I love this page and use her recipes often because of the weight measurements but man am I disappointed this morning.
I was curious when I had more flour left over in my bowl than the half cup stated in the recipe (after adding 1 cup at a time) but I used the grams that Sally recommended and my dough turned out perfectly. I had zero trouble rising, baking, and the rolls turned out delicious.
I appreciate this comment as it made me double check with the King Arthur ingredient weight chart: 1 cup of bread flour = 120g. 4.5c x 120 = 540g which IS very close to what’s stated in the recipe. So, I went ahead with the stated 563g of flour with success. Perhaps this makes a difference: in a stand mixer with a paddle, the dough was really sticky but after 3 minutes (per the recipe) the dough came together to form the right consistency for kneading (only required a sprinkling of flour every now and then).
This is what I was looking for…
I’ve tried to make these a few times with various recipes. These came out perfect. In my oven, I lowered the temp to 320 and used bake (not convection) it just took longer. They came out moist and fluffy. Exactly what I wanted. Very balanced. Not too sweet.
Best cinnamon rolls ever! I want to make a batch for this Friday (in 4 days) I would like to make it in advance & planned on storing it in the refrigerator until then. Is it okay to warm them up? I prefer warm cinnamon rolls 🙂
Hi Gabriella! You can wrap the frosted or unfrosted baked rolls tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Rewarm in the microwave or oven to your liking. Or, see recipe Notes for other make ahead options. So glad you loved these!
Best cinnamon roll recipe ever!
Such a great recipe. Downside is I’m putting on weight haha
My daughter’s made these and they are delicious, I have bread making machine can I use that to make the dough please? My arms are no longer strong enough to beat well
Hi Marlene, we haven’t tested it in a bread machine ourselves, but we can’t see why not. Let us know how it goes!
Hi! I’ve made this recipe for traditional cinnamon rolls before, and it’s my favorite. I’m adapting this recipe for Swedish tea rings for an event where I have to make 15 batches!! I wondered if I would ruin everything if I mixed up the dough the night before and refrigerated it on the first rise. Have you (or has anyone) ever tried that? I don’t want to experiment with a huge batch. Thanks! Love all of your content
Hi Molly, that should work just fine (allowing the dough to have its first rise and then placing in the refrigerator overnight), but we do find the method outlined in the recipe Notes works best. Glad this one is a favorite for you!
Hi Sally! Thanks for the recipe. I was going to do an overnight rise, and was wondering what you suggest for going about that since I’m going to be traveling with the dough for an hour. Should I make them a couple days in advance and freeze them, then put them in the fridge when I arrive? Should I just refrigerate them and hope they don’t rise on the hour long drive, then put them back in the fridge when I arrive to bake the next day?
Hi Emily, for that timeline, we’d follow the freezing instructions for unbaked rolls in the recipe Notes, then place them in the refrigerator to thaw when you arrive. Hope they’re a hit!
I made these today, trying to follow the recipe, with a few exceptions. They turned out great and smelled so wonderful. My friends loved them too.
this is my go-to cinnamon roll recipe!! always a hit.
i’d like to try making them with sourdough starter—any suggestions on how to adapt the recipe?
Hi Kristen, we’re so glad you love these cinnamon rolls! We haven’t tested them using sourdough starter, so unfortunately we can’t offer much advice here. If you do try it, please do let us know how it goes!
So delicious! The cinnamon rolls came out just perfect! Light and fluffy full of flavor and buttery! This recipe gave me my confidence back in working with yeast! Thank you again Sally for another delicious recipe!!! 🙂
Hi, can I leave out the eggs? I‘d like to bake a vegan version of the recipe.
Hi Lana, we don’t recommend leaving the eggs out completely, but we haven’t tested any alternatives. If you decide to do any experimenting, please do let us know how it goes.
I used the Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer and it worked great! Didn’t see any difference from the original.
These were delicious!!!! First time to make cinnamon rolls and hit it out of the park. Question-how would you make big batch cin rolls? Would you double/triple/quad the dough recipe and divide to rise? Want to gift for holidays.
We’re so glad you enjoyed these! For best results (and to prevent over or under mixing) we do recommend making separate batches rather than doubling or multiplying the recipe.
Hi! 14 year-old from Europe who tried this recipe!
It was a smashing success, I made these during the summer vacation and did so, alone and with ease. Everything went smoothly. I’d only recommend you bake the rolls till their 88 celcius internely before taking them out of the oven. After 25 mins theyre still raw (at least for me).
Easy to follow, and delicious.
Could you do the freeze and bake later option but instead of freezing them, bake them for the short time, keep them in the refrigerator overnight and then take them out and bake them the rest of the time the next morning? I want to make these to take to work, but I don’t usually get up 3 hours before I’m leaving!
Hi Stacie, we haven’t tested it that way, but I think what I would recommend instead is baking them completely the night before, then in the morning warm the whole pan (covered with foil so they don’t get more brown) back up in the oven for a bit before you leave for work, and frosting them fresh that morning. Hope it works out well!
Really great instructions and easy to follow. Best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever made. I did add extra icing but followed exactly otherwise and they came out flaky and tender.
Great brioche style dough. Wonderfully soft, light, buttery, moist, and rich bun. I use the overnight in the fridge method for these types of bakes and it worked well. I did have to bake it 8-10 minutes longer until they were done. For brioche, I make sure an instant read thermometer in the deep center reads 190-200 deg F. As recommended, aluminum foil tenting saves the tops from over browning.
PERFECT.
Used to make these QUITE often and are my DH’s request for his birthday every time! Didn’t make last yr, so had admittedly been ~2yrs since I’d made them due to circumstances, until his b-day yesterday 😉 and I sure wish I’d printed the recipe out as it was a couple years ago as it’s been re-written at least to a degree…and I can’t figure out what the difference is! Never had a problem before!! COULD have been simply that I had an issue with my eggs (from our chickens!) so the yeast/milk/butter mixture sat again (after initial proof too) for quite a while- did froth up quite a bit but seemed totally normal again after a few turns of the paddle..
Could that actually make it simply never come together as a ball from the edges in a stand mixer where I switched over to Dough Hook following the scrape down after adding ~3/4 of the flour?? I know that baking is precise-but that there are also small variances such as how large one egg is vs. another- it’s all about the moisture vs. dry ingredient ratio….But this was a first!! Still turned out great (yea!!) due mostly in part to reading ALL your comments as well as many of readers comments w/ your answers-in the past especially… knew that instead of adding more and more flour to get it to come together, I had to really be careful to not use too much!! Also I go by weight for intial measurement- esp with flour. Trusted your amt and didn’t check as I sometimes will- can vary as well based on how precisely one’s method is of filling the measuring cup (like spooning into it and leveling out with flat edge vs scooping into the bag/jar) SO I did add more flour but only tsp at a time or so…. and gave up after I’d added an additional 2Tbsp or so- didn’t really keep a count….
Had to give up and get it out on a floured surface to test and finish by hand- it WAS staying together and springing back like it should, but in the mixer, it just kept sticking to the bottom and slightly up the sides no matter how long and even after those additions. I did notice that it would “stay together” after scraping it together off sides/bottom but never “came off” on it’s own! SO I just used a scraper to get off hook and out all together as one from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface to finish. BUT it was super “velvety” and only required a few kneads to be sure…. and the finished rolls are divine!
Just had a couple questions or notes- you seriously threw me with using “Tbsp” for the measure of the yeast! I thought for sure you had a typo and even checked your other cinnamon roll recipe to be sure I wasn’t going insane as I knew a “standard packet” is 2 1/4 tsp… but before writing this I looked again and finally saw that you converted total to Tbsp- no reason not to- I’m just used to seeing it as tsp 😉 So yep- that’s accurate…4 1/2 tsp!! lol (I have a big bag that I keep in the fridge so couldn’t just trust using 2 packets but you having that next to measurement DID help me catch it!) I bake a lot but after a bit of a break you start to question yourself! Still make pizza regularly so I’m pretty confident about my dough but this is obviously different.
Second thing is that in your notes above you state that you “can” use AP or Bread flour- with no real difference other than choosing bread flour gives a “chewier” mouth feel essentially. Love that so I always go with BF but did notice in some of the more recent comments by users, someone asked again and you stated that for the MOST fluffy and soft rolls- to use AP flour… Maybe that could be mentioned along with chewy comment re: bread flour- I might have tried half and half knowing that it could affect the fluffy or softness of them… I just don’t like a “cakelike” cinnamon bun. These are yeast based rolls and as such I like them to have that bit of chew in them! (where they kinda pull apart in pieces vs needing to be cut for each bite like a cake) They’re pretty fluffy and soft inside but the outside does get a bit hard…esp once browned…I don’t want a hard roll- just soft, fluffy, AND chewy- can’t a girl get ALL she wants?! 😉 lol
ANYWAY 😉 great info overall in on your site- as I think I told you once- you do a great service to those wishing to dive a bit deeper into the WHY’S of baking and reasoning for each ingredient!! So many people are so used to cutting fat wherever they can…but I agree that a rich indulgent cinnamon bun is NOT the place to skimp using lowfat milk…the final outcome will still be full of fat so?!? It’s a splurge- make it worth it!! 😉
Though using the best quality ingredients you can get DOES matter- for example, to me at least, a quality organic whole milk tastes almost as rich and creamy as the store brand of half and half! (and lasts much longer somehow- thought it would be opposite but NOT so!! worth it for me to not toss so much!!)
Only other thing that seems quite different though is the icing- used to be more like a frosting really- unless I did that on my own and just don’t remember 😉 haha but I am pretty sure as I usually follow directions precisely at least the first time or so before I make any real adjustments… have you changed that at all?
I remember having to trust that it was GOING to melt into all those layers and not just cover the impressive look of the whole roll! SUPER yummy! This was def. still good- though I must admit I changed it right away this time- after I’d mixed it up as written- it seemed SO thin….so I mixed in at least another 1/4C sifted sugar! Hubby is not nearly the sweet tooth I am so he was plenty happy with this outcome-plus using a good quality vanilla bean paste really pushes it over the top 😉 YUM!! Thanks again!!
GREAT website/recipes!! This one in particular has made “my” cinnamon rolls “legend”… 😉
Hi HW! Thank you so much for making this recipe and for your feedback. This cream cheese icing should be thicker like a frosting, make sure to use full fat block style cream cheese, otherwise it may be too thin. So glad you enjoyed these!
Trina,
Definitely used full fat cream cheese (as I noted in my albeit quite lengthy review ;-)) but I’m not sure what I am missing here for what’s written in this recipe to come out as a “frosting”!?? Used the most popular brand name as well and let it come to room temp first as I know it can cause lumps if too cold when making cream cheese buttercream frosting… which is almost the same but includes butter at 1:1 ratio to cream cheese (which might work great here!! 😉
You have recipe reading only 4 Oz Reg. Cream cheese (so HALF a “block” of cream cheese which is 8oz) with 1C confectioners sugar, 2 Tbsp heavy cream or milk (I used as noted a good brand whole milk organic milk) and 1/2tsp vanilla (I did use more like 2tsp vanilla paste but also ended up adding in between 1/4-1/2C extra confectioners sugar to try to thicken it up…
?? Weird- I’ve never had a problem with frosting/icing… is it maybe supposed to include 4tbsp of butter too? I always had a little left over frosting and would use it as we removed pieces to “frost” the edges of the buns left behind so they wouldn’t get so hard/dry- even covered up!
Do hope I can figure out what I did differently as it’s the only part that wasn’t as good as I remember! I’d prob just make up a batch or half a batch of my regular cream cheese buttercream frosting if I’m not missing anything here the next time to make them over the top good as we remember as it’s always a special occasion!! 😉
thanks again…
Love this recipe so much! I just made a batch to take on a family trip. They are fully cooked and I plan to refrigerate for 48 hours and reheat Sunday morning. How do you recommend doing this?
Hi Rebecca, reheat in the oven until warmed to your liking. So glad this is a favorite for you!
What temp do you recommend?
350-degrees should be great!
Do you think I can try the viral heavy cream hack with these cinnamon rolls or would it make the rolls too soggy? Let me know!
Hi MO! We haven’t tried that heavy cream trick but let us know if you do.
This is my go-to cinnamon roll recipe! It’s so delicious! I typically make the overnight version. I have a question for you, though. What would happen if I let them do the 2nd rise before bedtime/refrigeration. Then I refrigerate overnight? Would that eliminate the 1-2 hour 2nd rise in the morning? I always end up waking up at 5:30 or 6am just to take the pan out of the refrigerator so that I can bake them at 7:30 or 8am to be ready by 8:30am. Would it work if I let them do the 2nd rise before the overnight refrigeration? Please let me know!
Hi Collette, it does work, but I find the shaped rolls rise a little *too much* and they can deflate before or during bake time. It’s best to follow the overnight instructions given. I’m so glad you enjoy these!