Description
Delight in these classic homemade cinnamon rolls featuring a soft, buttery dough filled with a rich cinnamon-sugar filling and topped with a smooth vanilla glaze or optional cream cheese frosting. Perfect for a cozy breakfast or brunch treat.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water, 110°F
- 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast or instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Dough
- 1/3 cup melted butter or coconut oil, plus more for brushing
- 1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
Filling
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 3 to 4 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Other Frosting Options (instead of the glaze)
- 1 recipe Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
- Prepare the yeast: In a small bowl, stir together the warm water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Set aside for 5 minutes, or until the mixture becomes foamy, indicating the yeast is activated.
- Make the dough: In a medium bowl, mix melted butter, room temperature milk, sugar, and salt. Stir in the activated yeast mixture. Place the flour in a large bowl, then add the wet ingredients and stir until combined. The dough will be sticky initially.
- Knead the dough: Use your hands to roughly knead the dough, then transfer it to a floured surface. Knead for 3 to 4 minutes until smooth, adding more flour as necessary. Shape the dough into a ball.
- First rise: Butter a large bowl and place the dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Prepare the filling: In a small bowl, combine dark brown sugar and cinnamon thoroughly.
- Roll out dough and add filling: Punch down the risen dough and roll it out on a floured surface into a 20×14-inch rectangle. Brush with 2 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the surface, leaving about ½ inch border.
- Form rolls: Starting from one short 14-inch end, roll the dough tightly into a log. Using a sharp knife, slice the log into 12 equal rolls.
- Second rise: Place the rolls cut-side up into a greased 8×11 or 9×13-inch baking dish. Cover and let rise for another hour until puffy.
- Preheat oven: Set oven temperature to 350°F to prepare for baking.
- Make the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Adjust thickness with additional milk if needed. Alternatively, prepare cream cheese frosting instead.
- Bake the rolls: Remove the cover and bake rolls for 25 to 30 minutes until lightly golden on top.
- Cool and glaze: Let the rolls cool for 10 minutes after baking. Drizzle with the prepared glaze or spread cream cheese frosting before serving.
Notes
- Use room temperature milk to help activate the yeast effectively.
- Adding more flour during kneading ensures a non-sticky dough but avoid adding too much to keep rolls soft.
- Ensure the water temperature for yeast is around 110°F for optimal activation.
- Optionally, substitute butter with coconut oil for a dairy-free version.
- For richer flavor, cream cheese frosting can be used instead of glaze.
- Rising times may vary depending on room temperature; dough should double in size.
- Keep cinnamon sugar filling evenly spread to avoid dry edges.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 roll (approx. 85g)
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 200mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
