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Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

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4.3 from 10 reviews

These Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls are soft, fluffy, and packed with a sweet cinnamon-sugar filling. Made from scratch with a rich cream cheese frosting, they’re perfect for a cozy breakfast or dessert craving. The recipe involves kneading the dough, letting it rise, shaping the rolls, baking until golden, and finishing with a luscious cream cheese glaze.

Ingredients

Dough

  • 1 package yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour (plus up to 1/2 cup more as needed)
  • 6 tablespoons butter (diced and softened)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs

Filling

  • 1 stick butter (softened)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Frosting

  • 3/4 cup cream cheese
  • 1 cup icing sugar (or more to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch salt

Instructions

  1. Make the Dough: Warm the milk to about 100°F, ensuring it does not get hotter than 105°F to preserve yeast activity. In a small bowl, activate yeast by mixing it with 1 tablespoon warm milk and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar; let it sit for 5 minutes until bubbly. In a stand mixer bowl, combine flour, diced softened butter, salt, eggs, yeast mixture, remaining milk, and sugar. Start mixing to roughly combine.
  2. Knead the Dough: Attach a dough hook and knead on medium speed until a smooth dough ball forms, about 10-12 minutes. Add flour 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough is too sticky, but avoid over-flouring to prevent a biscuit-like texture.
  3. First Rise: Place dough in a greased bowl, shape into a smooth ball with seam down, cover with a tea towel and allow to rise in a warm spot for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
  4. Shape the Rolls: Lightly flour your work surface, punch down the dough, and roll it out into an 18×12-inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Spread the softened butter evenly over the dough.
  5. Prepare Filling and Roll Up: Mix brown sugar, white sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle over the buttered dough. Starting from the longer side, roll dough tightly into a log and pinch the seam to seal.
  6. Cut and Proof: Slice the log into 12 equal rolls using dental floss or a knife. Place rolls in a greased 9×13 inch pan, cover with a tea towel, and let them rise for about 30 minutes until puffy and almost doubled in size.
  7. Preheat Oven: While rolls are rising, preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
  8. Bake the Rolls: Bake the cinnamon rolls for approximately 18 minutes or until lightly golden brown. If the center takes longer than 20 minutes to bake, tent with foil and bake up to an additional 20 minutes.
  9. Prepare Frosting: In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, icing sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy.
  10. Frost and Serve: Remove rolls from oven, let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then spread the cream cheese frosting over warm rolls. Allow to cool so frosting sets slightly before serving warm.

Notes

  • Make sure the milk is not too hot when activating yeast to prevent killing it.
  • Do not over-flour the dough; it should be soft and slightly sticky for best texture.
  • Using dental floss to slice the rolls results in neat, uniform pieces without squashing.
  • If your room is cool, the dough might take longer to rise and bake; adjust accordingly.
  • For sweeter rolls, add more icing sugar to the frosting as desired.

Find it online: https://marthatasty.com/best-homemade-cinnamon-rolls-recipe/