Cinnamon Rolls – A Beautiful Mess

Is there anything better than a warm cinnamon roll alongside your morning coffee? Answer: NO. Soft and flaky bread rolled with cinnamon, sugar and butter and topped with a cream cheese frosting glaze—it’s everything a decadent breakfast (or dessert) should be IMO. And this fluffy cinnamon rolls recipe is a classic. If you are looking for a special breakfast treat, whether for a holiday or no particular reason at all, make these soon!

This homemade cinnamon rolls recipe requires only one rise and one rest. You can also make these the night before if you are in need of overnight cinnamon rolls.

Related: Does this recipe make more than you need? If so, try our small batch cinnamon rolls instead.

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter
• Milk – whole milk is what I tend to use
• Vanilla extract
• Granulated white sugar
• Active dry yeast
• All-purpose flour
• Salt
• Large eggs
• Brown sugar
• Cinnamon
• Cream cheese
• Powdered sugar – also called confectioner’s sugar

I often bake these in a 10.5 x 7.5-inch baking dish (that’s what is pictured here) but a 9 x 13-inch pan will also work well.

How to make Cinnamon Rolls

First, make the cinnamon roll dough. In a medium to large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the milk and vanilla extract and cook until warm. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Then sprinkle the yeast over the top of this mixture and give it a few minutes to activate and get foamy.

Now, in a large mixing bowl add the flour and salt and stir together. Pour in the yeast mixture as well as the eggs and stir together until a dough ball forms. On a floured work surface turn the dough out and knead for a couple minutes until it comes together and become almost elastic-like. Lightly flour the bowl and place the dough ball inside. Cover with a clean dish towel and allow to rise in a warm spot for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.

Toward the end of the rise time, make the cinnamon sugar spread. While some like to spread the softened butter and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over this for the cinnamon roll filling, I will combine the softened butter, sugars, and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl and cream them together in a compound butter.

Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a large rectangle. Spread the cinnamon sugar filling all over the surface of the rectangle. Roll this up and slice with a sharp knife into cinnamon rolls. I start by slicing the roll in half, and then half or 1/3 those pieces. You could also use a measuring stick or ruler if you want to be more exact.

Place the rolled dough in the buttered baking dish. Allow to rest for 20 minutes. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Allow to partially cool before adding the frosting glaze.

To make the cream cheese frosting in a stand mixer, blend together the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and milk. Spread the glaze over the cinnamon rolls and serve.

Tips & Notes

• If your yeast doesn’t foam, it may be old, so check the expiration date on the package. I would recommend starting over with fresh yeast.
• If your kitchen and house are not particularly warm this time of year and you are concerned your dough will not rise, turn your oven on for a couple minutes. Then turn it off and place the dough inside, shutting the door to keep it warm. Make sure the oven is not so hot it will begin to bake the dough.
• I’ve also seen bakers use unflavored dental floss to slice through the cinnamon rolls.
• The best way to avoid lumps in your cream cheese topping is to make sure your cream cheese is soft and whip it first before adding the other ingredients. And the second best way is to sift the powdered sugar into the glaze, rather than dumping from a measuring cup or spoon. But a few small lumps never killed anyone. 🙂
• I will often set the baking dish on top of a baking sheet as this makes it a little easier the move in and out of the oven.
• If you want to make these cinnamon rolls the night before you plan to bake them, then follow the recipe up to the point of resting them. Instead, cover in plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator overnight. Set them out for at least 30 minutes, aiming for room temperature, before baking the next day.
• Store any leftovers in an airtight container or with aluminum foil over the top of the dish in the fridge for at least 3 days. You can rewarm them in the microwave for 30-45 seconds.

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