The Best Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

These homemade cinnamon rolls are soft and fluffy with gooey, brown sugar and butter cinnamon filling and a delicious cream cheese icing. And, the rolls are baked in cream for extra moist fluffiness.

Let the cinnamon buns rise once for a quicker version, twice for the perfect version, or even overnight if you’d like them fresh with your morning coffee. This recipe gives you all the options and all the cinnamon roll flavor you crave.

The Best Dough for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

This delicious homemade cinnamon rolls recipe uses my all-time favorite sweet yeast dough as the base. And I am not the only one that loves it, as evidenced by your rave reviews and 5-star ratings.

Plenty of butter and egg yolks make the dough rich and delicious. The perfect amount of sugar sweetens it just enough. Then, you add the warm cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter into the mix, and oh heavens! It’s delicious!

Not only will you love the flavors, texture, and combination of both, but you’ll love the versatility of this recipe. Whether you have all the time in the world to create them, a limited amount of time, or you need to have them ready ahead of time – this recipe can be adapted for it all. See the bottom of the post for all the options.

Cinnamon Roll Recipe Ingredients

Let’s talk ingredients – they’re simple, yet all play a certain role in achieving the perfection we are striving for here. If you substitute any of them, do so at your own risk. This cinnamon roll recipe was developed for a certain end goal. Changing any of the listed ingredients will have an impact on the end result.

• Milk – either 2% (what I mostly use) or whole milk will work. If you’d rather use plant-based milk, almond milk will also work.
  
• Granulated sugar: yeast sweetens the cinnamon roll dough and also aids in the rise. The yeast will use the sugar to produce the air bubbles which make the dough light and fluffy.
  
• Yeast: instant yeast is the best option for this cinnamon roll recipe. It doesn’t need to be dissolved in water to work.
  
  If you’d rather use active dry yeast, just know that it needs to be dissolved in water to work. Also, you’ll likely need to use up to 25% more of it for the same effect and rising time. Check this article for good info about different yeasts.
  
• Butter: I prefer unsalted butter because it gives me full control over the amount of salt in the recipe. If salted butter is all you have, just skip the salt in the recipe.
  
• Egg yolks: some recipes use whole eggs, but I prefer the richness that the egg yolk adds to this sweetened yeast dough.
  
• Flour: Bread flour or any other high protein content flour (like Candian flour that I’m typically using) is the best for this cinnamon roll recipe. It helps to create the proper gluten structure to hold onto larger air pockets created by the yeast. Large air pockets is what makes the buns softer, fluffier, and just better. If all-purpose flour is all you have, go ahead and use all purpose flour. Keep in mind though, bread flour will give you a better result.
  
• Brown sugar: this recipe will work with either dark brown sugar, light brown sugar, or a combination of both. I prefer dark brown sugar for the stronger flavor that it provides.
  
• Cinnamon: one of the best parts of this recipe :D. Just beware that freshly purchased cinnamon will have a more potent smell and spiciness. Improper storage and prolonged exposure of cinnamon to air will diminish it’s fragrance and potency, so you might need to use more or less depending on the freshness of the cinnamon.
  
• Salt: the salt brings out the flavors of the cinnamon rolls more and balances them with the sugar. Do not omit the salt.
  
• Cream: oh, this is the secret that will make your cinnamon roll extra rich, extra fluffy, and extra moist. It is used to drizzle on top 10 minutes into the baking time. Either heavy whipping cream or half and a half will work.
  
• Cream Cheese Frosting: oh it’s the cherry on the cake! Just cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar but combined and melted into the cinnamon roll they’re worth every single calorie.

How to make the cinnamon rolls dough (sweet yeast dough):

1. In a large cup combine the milk, a good pinch of sugar, and yeast. Stir and let it foam up.
2. Meanwhile, in a stand mixer bowl combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine.
3. Make a well in the middle, and add the egg yolks and the risen milk and yeast mixture. The butter can be added in this step as well, or in the end (step 5).
4. Add the hook attachment or knead by hand and knead until you can touch the dough with a clean finger without the dough sticking to it, ~about 10-15 minutes. Add a little more flour if necessary to make a soft dough.
5. Next, add butter and knead it in until incorporated.
6. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1.5 hours.

How to shape the Best Cinnamon Rolls:

1. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 24″x14″ rectangle.
2. Spread melted butter and sprinkle the mixture of sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. Roll into a tight roll and cut into even 12 pieces.

Proof & Bake: 

1. Transfer the shaped cinnamon rolls to a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and let the dough rise until doubled in size.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven.
3. Transfer the risen rolls to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
4. Drizzle the warm heavy cream over the tops of the rolls and bake another 20 minutes or until lightly golden.

Make the Cinnamon Rolls Icing:

1. In a bowl cream together room temperature cream cheese and powdered sugar, then add the butter and vanilla paste and beat until combined or until fluffy.

1. As soon as the rolls are out of the oven spread the prepared cinnamon rolls icing on top.

Then, pour a glass of milk and enjoy a warm, gooey, delicious cinnamon roll. Also known as the best part of making your own, the very best, homemade cinnamon rolls. Enjoy!!

Pro tips for the best cinnamon rolls

• Weigh the ingredients: if there’s one thing I learnt over the years of baking is that having a scale will give you consistently great results. Scooped incorrectly, you can add up to 20% more flour. So, either weight your ingredients, or for flour, stir to fluff it up, then gently scoop with a measuring cup and scrape the excess with a butter knife.
  
• Bread flour: the fluffiness of the rolls relies on the dough’s ability to trap the air within the pockets that are created by the yeast. Bread flour has higher protein content which allows it to build strong networks of gluten that hold on to those air pockets. Use it if it’s available. Otherwise, use all-purpose flour.
  
• Warm milk, not hot: the optimal temperature for the yeast to work is between 77F and 100F. Keep in mind, that going over 120F will kill the yeast and render it useless. An easy way to know if it’s appropriate temperature is to dip your finger into the milk, if it feels like baby bath water it’s perfect. It should feel warm, but not hot.
  
• Use room temperature ingredients – Bring the eggs to room temp by submerging cold eggs in hot tap water for several minutes before using. Or, remove them from the fridge several hours before starting the recipe.
  
• Proof in a warm place: starting with warm/ room temperature ingredients is great start. Maintaining the warm temp throughout rising is also necessary. Find a warm, draft-draft free place for best results.
  
  Here are a couple of ideas: place the bowl with the dough in the oven with just the light on. Another idea – boil a cup of water in a microwave for 2 minutes, then remove it and place the dough on a folded kitchen towell in the microwave. The boiling water will heat the inside of the microwave and create the perfect temperature for proofing
  

FAQ’s

Craving more fluffy goodness? Try these other buns:

• Easy Cheese Danish
• Fluffy Homemade Sugar Donuts
• Brioche Bread
• Sweet Poppy Seed Rolls