This recipes makes a batch of homemade cinnamon rolls that are soft and fluffy. They are made with a bread dough that is filled with butter, sugar and cinnamon then topped with a sweet glaze for the most delicious treat.
These homemade cinnamon rolls are filled with a buttery cinnamon filling and covered with a simple glaze icing which complements the soft rolls. You can enjoy these yummy rolls for breakfast or a teatime treat with a cup of tea or coffee.
Cinnamon rolls are a popular treat at Christmas but I bake them all year round. I love baking these rolls at Christmas as they fill my home with a warm and spicy scent that makes it feel even more Christmassy.
This cinnamon rolls recipe may seem time consuming but most of the time the dough will be rising and you can be getting on with other things at the same time. Even with all the work that goes into making these rolls, once you have finished you won’t regret it.
If you prefer you can cover them in cream cheese frosting instead. My red velvet cupcakes include the ingredients and instructions for a delicious cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Please find the full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Dough Ingredients
- Flour - I use a combination of strong bread flour and plain which I find gives the rolls a nice texture.
- Sugar - I use caster sugar to sweeten the dough.
- Salt - I use fine sea salt.
- Yeast - for this cinnamon rolls recipe, I use fast action dried yeast which is yeast that you add directly to the dry ingredients.
- Milk - I use whole milk but use any milk of choice.
- Butter - use unsalted butter that is soft at room temperature.
- Vegetable oil - a little oil helps produce softer rolls.
- Vanilla - use good quality vanilla extract.
- Egg - use a room temperature egg.
Filling Ingredients
- Butter - use unsalted butter that is very soft.
- Salt - I use fine sea salt.
- Sugar - I use soft light brown sugar for the filling.
- Cinnamon - for this recipe, I use ground cinnamon to flavour the cinnamon rolls.
Icing Glaze Ingredients
- Icing sugar - also known as powdered or confectioners sugar.
- Milk - I use whole but you can use any milk you prefer.
How to Make Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Make the dough
1. To a mixing a stand mixer bowl add the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Whisk with a balloon whisk and set aside. To a microwaveable bowl add the milk, unsalted butter, vegetable oil and vanilla extract then microwave for 50 secs or until the milk is warm and butter has melted. If you have a thermometer then you can test the temperature which should be around 43oC.
2. Pour the wet ingredients into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients and using a dough hook mix the ingredients. While the ingredients are mixing add in the egg and continue to mix until a dough forms. The dough will be quite sticky so pour the dough onto a floured surface using a large spoon. Sprinkle some flour onto the dough and begin to knead for around 4 minutes or until the dough is smooth and slightly springy.
3. To a bowl, add a couple drops of vegetable oil and use your hand to spread the oil to ensure it covers all the inside of the bowl, this is to ensure the dough doesn’t stick. Add the dough to the bowl and cover with cling film (plastic wrap). Leave the dough to rise in a warm area for 2 - 3 hours or until the dough has doubled in size. (refer to recipe tips).
Prepare and add the filling
4. Whilst the dough is rising, you can prepare the filling. To a small bowl, unsalted butter, soft brown sugar and cinnamon then mix and set aside until needed. The butter must be very soft to combine well. Once your dough has doubled in size, flour a surface and roll out the dough into a square shape which should be around ½ a centimetre or ¼ of a inch thick. Using a palette knife, smooth the butter, sugar and cinnamon mixture onto the dough. Ensure it covers the whole surface.
Roll and cut the dough
5. Tightly roll up the dough and cut into 9 even rolls (firstly, mark where you want to cut with a knife). Place them in a 8 x 8 baking dish or tin and ensure there is equal space between them all as they will expand. Cover them and place them somewhere warm and draft free for 1 - 2 hours.
Bake the rolls
6. Once the rolls have expanded, preheat the oven to gas mark 4/350oF/180oC/160oC fan and bake for 30 - 35 minutes until lightly browned. If after 20 minutes they look like they are browning to quick, then cover them with foil for the last 10 minutes.
Make the glaze
7. Whisk the icing sugar and milk together and drizzle or spread over the warm rolls. Cover with foil until you’re ready to serve.
Recipe Tips
- This recipe uses fast action yeast which is also known as instant yeast. Instant yeast can be mixed straight in with the dry ingredients. The other type of yeast you can get is active yeast but this yeast needs to be dissolved in water before you use it.
- To activate the yeast, it is important that the milk is warmed up as cold milk may stop the yeast from activating. Even though the yeast needs to be warm, be careful not to raise the temperature too much as hot milk may also shut down the yeast. If you accidentally heat the milk too much then leave it to cool for a few minutes before before you combine it with the dry ingredients. The temperature should be around 43oC or 110oF.
- Ensure your dough has fully risen before rolling out the dough. The time it takes to double in size will be dependent on the temperature of the room.
- When the dough is rising, it needs to be placed in a warm area. If your home doesn’t have any warm areas, then turn your oven on a low heat for around 5 minutes then turn it off and place the bowl in the oven. The oven should be warm not hot.
- To cut the rolls, you can use a sharp knife but you will have to shape the rolls back with your finger as using a knife slightly squashes them in. For the best result, use floss to cut the cinnamon rolls.
Nutrition
Nutrition based on 1 serving - Calories: 469kcal | Fat: 16.1g | Saturates: 7.7g | Carbohydrates: 73.7g | Sugar: 42.5g | Fibre: 2.5g | Protein: 7.2g | Salt 0.3g.
Storage
Store these cinnamon rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
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The Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the cinnamon rolls
- 200g strong bread flour
- 200g plain flour
- 120g golden caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 7g fast action dried yeast 1 sachet
- 180ml whole milk
- 45g unsalted butter room temperature and very soft
- 35ml vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 medium egg room temperature
For the Filling
- 70g unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 100g soft light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
For the Icing
- 150g icing sugar
- 25ml whole milk
Instructions
- Make the dough: To a mixing a stand mixer bowl add the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Whisk with a balloon whisk and set aside. To a microwaveable bowl add the milk, unsalted butter, vegetable oil and vanilla extract then microwave for 50 secs or until the milk is warm and butter has melted. If you have a thermometer then you can test the temperature which should be around 43oC.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients and using a dough hook mix the ingredients. While the ingredients are mixing add in the egg and continue to mix until a dough forms. The dough will be quite sticky so pour the dough onto a floured surface using a large spoon. Sprinkle some flour onto the dough and begin to knead for around 4 minutes or until the dough is smooth and slightly springy.
- To a bowl, add a couple drops of vegetable oil and use your hand to spread the oil to ensure it covers all the inside of the bowl, this is to ensure the dough doesn’t stick. Add the dough to the bowl and cover with cling film (plastic wrap). Leave the dough to rise in a warm area for 2 - 3 hours or until the dough has doubled in size. (refer to recipe tips).
- Prepare and add the filling: Whilst the dough is rising, you can prepare the filling. To a small bowl, unsalted butter, soft brown sugar and cinnamon then mix and set aside until needed. The butter must be very soft to combine well. Once your dough has doubled in size, flour a surface and roll out the dough into a square shape which should be around ½ a centimetre or ¼ of a inch thick. Using a palette knife, smooth the butter, sugar and cinnamon mixture onto the dough. Ensure it covers the whole surface.
- Roll and cut the dough: Tightly roll up the dough and cut into 9 even rolls (firstly, mark where you want to cut with a knife). Place them in a 8 x 8 baking dish or tin and ensure there is equal space between them all as they will expand. Cover them and place them somewhere warm and draft free for 1 - 2 hours.
- Bake the rolls: Once the rolls have expanded, preheat the oven to gas mark 4/350oF/180oC/160oC fan and bake for 30 - 35 minutes until lightly browned. If after 20 minutes they look like they are browning to quick, then cover them with foil for the last 10 minutes..
- Make the glaze: Whisk the icing sugar and milk together and drizzle or spread over the warm rolls. Cover with foil until you’re ready to serve.
Michelle says
Good