The Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe makes a batch of homemade cinnamon rolls that are soft, fluffy and so good. They are made with a bread dough that is filled with butter, sugar and cinnamon and once baked, they are topped with a sweet buttery icing for the most delicious treat.

There’s nothing quite like the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls floating through the kitchen. Warm, soft and filled with swirls of buttery cinnamon sugar, these rolls are pure comfort food. Whether you’re making them for a weekend breakfast, a holiday brunch or just because you’re craving something sweet, this recipe will give you soft, fluffy cinnamon rolls every single time.

These homemade cinnamon rolls are topped with a simple buttery icing which complement the spicy cinnamon flavour and melts in the mouth with the soft rolls. These rolls are perfect to enjoy anytime 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.

If you prefer you can top them with cream cheese frosting instead. My red velvet cupcakes include the ingredients and instructions for a delicious cream cheese frosting.

Why You’ll Love These Cinnamon Rolls

• Soft & pillowy - dough that stays light and tender.
• Rich cinnamon flavour - with just the right balance of spice and sweetness.
• No additives – taste just like cinnamon rolls you buy from the supermarket but without the extra additives.
• Customisable – add raisins or chopped nuts.

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 slightly sweeten the dough.
• Salt - I use fine sea salt.
• Yeast - this recipe uses fast action yeast which is also known as instant yeast. Instant yeast can be mixed straight in with the dry ingredients.
• Egg - use a room temperature egg.
• Butter - use unsalted butter.
• Vegetable oil - a little oil helps produce softer rolls.
• Milk - I use whole milk or semi skimmed milk.

Filling Ingredients

• Butter - use unsalted butter that is very soft.
• Sugar - I use soft light brown sugar for the filling.
• Cinnamon - for this recipe, I use ground cinnamon to flavour the cinnamon rolls.

Icing Ingredients

• Butter - use unsalted butter.
• Icing sugar - also known as powdered or confectioners sugar.
• Milk - I use whole or semi skimmed milk.
• Vanilla - use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.

How to Make Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Make the dough

1. To a stand mixer bowl, add the flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Using a dough hook, mix the dry ingredients to combine. While the mixer is still running, add in the egg, melted butter and vegetable oil. Slowly pour in the warm milk and continue to mix until a dough forms.

2. Once a dough forms, slightly increase the speed and knead for 5 minutes. At this point, the dough will be sticky. Flour a surface and use a wooden spoon to scrape the dough onto the floured surface. Sprinkle a teaspoon of plain flour onto the dough to make the outside less sticky then shape into a ball.

First rise

3. Add a couple drops of vegetable oil to a large bowl and spread the oil to cover the inside of the bowl. Place the dough inside the bowl and cover with a tea towel. Allow the dough to rise in a warm area for 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.

Fill the rolls

4. Whilst the dough is rising, you can prepare the filling. Add the unsalted butter, soft brown sugar and cinnamon to a bowl then mix to create a paste. Set aside until needed. 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 cinnamon paste thinly onto the dough. Ensure it covers the whole surface.

Second rise

5. Tightly roll up the dough into a log shape then cut off both ends if they are not even. Cut the log into 9 even rolls then place them in a 9 x 9 inch square baking dish or tin. Ensure there is equal space between them all as they will rise and expand outwards. Cover them with a tea towel and allow to rise for 1 hour.

Bake the rolls

6. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/350^oF/180^oC/160^oC fan and bake for 28 - 30 minutes until lightly browned.

Make the icing

7. Combine the melted butter, icing sugar, milk and vanilla extract until you have a smooth paste then spread over the warm rolls.

Recipe Tips

• 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 adding it. The temperature should be around 43^oC or 110^oF.
• To cut the cinnamon rolls, you need to use a sharp knife or you can use floss to avoid squashing them.

Nutrition

Nutrition based on 1 serving - Calories: 364kcal | Fat: 11.6g | Saturates: 5.6g | Carbohydrates: 58.4g | Sugar: 31.1g | Fibre: 1.9g | Protein: 6.2g | Salt 0.31g.

Storage

Store these cinnamon rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 - 3 days. Any cinnamon rolls left after this time can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can soften them again by reheating them in the oven or microwave.

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