The Best Cinnamon Rolls
One of my requested recipes by far and such a crowd pleaser. I often take a batch of these as gifts and am always heavily complimented.
This recipe is easy to follow and if you’ve been thinking about make cinnamon buns or rolls but haven’t yet this is the time. If you can make a cake you can make these.
Cinnamon Rolls / Cinnamon Buns
Hands on time
40 min
Resting time
1 hr 30 min
Cooking time
20 min
Ingredients
Dough:
- 7 g instant yeast
- 260 ml milk + 1 egg (or 310 ml milk if no egg)
- 85 g melted salted butter
- 480 g bread flour
Filling:
- 60 g softened butter
- 70 g brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 100 ml cream or milk (to pour over before baking)
Icing:
- 150 g icing sugar
- 80 g soft cheese
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- 1–2 tbsp milk (add 1 tbsp first, then 1 tsp as needed)
Instructions
Mix all dough ingredients in order (add egg after flour if using). Mix until combined, then knead on a floured surface 5–10 min (10 min for fluffiest). Cover and rest 60 min.
While rising, soften butter and measure filling. Line a baking dish with parchment, buttering sides to secure paper.
After rising, punch down dough and shape into a rectangle. Roll lengthwise and crosswise to ~½–¾ cm thickness. Optionally measure width and divide into 8, or eyeball eight strips.
Rub softened butter over dough, sprinkle sugar and cinnamon, press and smooth. Cut into 8 strips, flatten the far end, then roll up each strip. Place in dish ≥1 inch apart.
Cover and rest 30 min while preheating oven to 180 °C. Pour cream/milk between buns and bake 20–22 min.
Whisk icing ingredients during baking, starting with 1 tbsp milk and adding 1 tsp as needed. Spread over rolls after they cool 10–15 min. Enjoy warm or cold. 🫶🏻 D
Eggs & Vegan
You don’t have to use eggs with dough, I’ve given alternate measurements without egg and I often make this dough eggless and it works beautifully. I’ve also tested this using vegan butter and plant based milk and it works like a dream. Soya or oat milk are the best but any will work.
Yeast
I like to use instant yeast as it doesn’t need activating and works quickly and effectively, always check your yeast is in date.
Sugar
If you’d like less sugar you can halve the amount and they’ll still be delicious.
Icing
I love the rolls with or without icing, if you want to skip icing you could brush some honey on top of the rolls as soon as they’re out of the oven to keep them moist
Prepare them the night before — instead of the doing the last 30 min cover and rise just do 20 min and place in the fridge covered air tight till the morning, cook straight from the fridge for an extra 5 min
Cinnamon Rolls / Cinnamon Buns
Resting time:
1 hr 30 min
Hands on time:
40 minutes
Cooking time:
20 min
Ingredients
Dough:
7g instant yeast
260ml milk and 1 x egg or 310ml milk (if no egg)
85g melted butter (salted)
480g bread flour
Filling:
60g softened Butter
70g brown sugar
2 x tsp cinnamon
100ml cream or milk to pour over before cooking
Icing:
150g icing sugar
80g soft cheese
1 x tsp vanilla paste
1—2 Tbs milk (add 1 first and see if you need more)
Instructions
Mix all the dough ingredients together in the order listed. If you’re using an egg, add it in after the flour. Mix until combined and knead on a well-floured surface for 5-10 minutes (10 minutes is best). I recommend kneading on a wooden surface rather than a granite-type worktop. Cover and rest for 60 minutes.
While it’s rising, take your butter out and let it soften and measure out your filling ingredients. Line the bottom of your dish with parchment paper. I put a bit of butter on the bottom so the paper doesn’t move, and I butter up the sides of the dish.
Once the dough has risen, punch it down and shape it into a rectangle. Roll it out lengthwise and sideways to create a rectangle shape about 1/2 to 3/4 cm thick. I do measure the width of mine and divide by 8, but you don’t have to do this; you can approximate.
Rub the softened butter over the dough. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon, press it down and smooth it out with your hand. Cut into 8 strips, flatten down the opposite end of where you’ll start rolling so the side of the bun sticks down nicely. Roll them up and place them in your dish at least 1 inch apart as they’ll grow on the second rise and in the oven.
Cover your dish and let rise for 30 minutes, meanwhile heating up your oven to 180°C.
Once risen, pour over your cream or milk between the buns and bake for 20-22 minutes.
Make your icing while they’re in the oven by whisking the ingredients together. Start off with 1 tablespoon of milk and add more if needed, just 1 teaspoon at a time. I don’t like the icing super thick. Spread it and let them cool for 10-15 minutes and enjoy warm or cold.
D 🫶🏻