Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Nothing smells as wonderful as homemade cinnamon rolls. My recipe is so simple, and as long as you use fresh yeast and let the dough rise properly, you will make fluffy rolls every time.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Rising Time2 30

Total Time3 30

Course: Bread, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baking, bread recipe, bun recipe, cabbage rolls, cinnamon recipe, cinnamon roll

Servings: rolls

Author: The Modern Nonna

Equipment

Ingredients

Activating the Yeast

1 ¼ cup warm milk or almond milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 package active dry yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons

For the Stand Mixer

3 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons butter melted, 1/4 cups or 1/2 stick
3 tablespoons sugar
Yeast mixture above
½ teaspoon salt

For the Filling

8 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 stick
½ cup light brown sugar or coconut sugar
1.5 tablespoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt

For the Icing

1 cup powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla
1 tablespoons nut milk add more to adjust consistency

Instructions

In a bowl start by activating the yeast by adding 1 tablespoon of sugar, one pack of the active dry yeast and 1 + ¼ cup warm milk.
The milk must be warm, not hot, and not cold. Once it activates and foams up, it is ready to use. If it does not foam up, you have to start this step again.
In your stand mixer you can now add the flour, 3 tablespoons of sugar, ¼ cup of the melted butter, the activated yeast mixture and ½ teaspoons of salt. Knead it with the dough hook attachment on medium-low speed until the dough forms and pulls away from the sides. Mine took 7-8 minutes.
Oil it up, cover it and let it rise in a warm spot away from drafts for 2 hours.
While it rests you can combine the filling. In a mixing bowl add the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt and incorporate until a nice thick paste.
Once the dough has risen, punch it down and oil up your counter a little bit so nothing sticks. Pour out the dough and roll it out into a nice rectangle, approximately 11 by 8 inches. Spread on the filling evenly and begin to roll up your dough jelly-roll style up starting with the longer side into one big roll.
Cut the roll into 10 pieces using a sharp knife or some dental floss and set each roll into a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover and let it rest for another 30 minutes.
Once it has risen, take off the cover and bake in a pre-heated 350F (175C) oven for 15-30 minutes or until golden. Mix the icing together and pour on top. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator once they cool and re-heat any time.
To freeze the baked rolls, bake as directed and cool completely. Tightly cover them and freeze. When ready to use, thaw overnight in the fridge. The next morning, cover and bake at 350F (175C) for 20 minutes.

Notes

Plant-based substitutions: You can make these Homemade Cinnamon Rolls plant-based by using unflavoured almond milk and a plant-based butter like Earth Balance.
Gluten-free flour: To make these using gluten-free flour, please use the 1-1 baking flour from Bob's Red Mill.
Add-ins: You can customize the filling by adding chopped nuts, raisins, or other dried fruits. For a different flavor, try spreading a layer of fruit preserves or chocolate spread before rolling up the dough.

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