Cinnamon Roll Recipe

This homemade cinnamon roll recipe is going to become a family favorite! An easy yeast dough is rolled up with a brown sugar cinnamon filling, and then frosted with a cream cheese icing that will knock your socks off. I have step-by-step instructions for you to help you master this cinnamon roll recipe at home!

 

Although I bake ALL the time, I actually have really good willpower to avoid completely overindulging on the baked treats I make. I can usually have a nibble and go on about my day. I thank my mother for that. I don’t think she has that big of a sweet tooth. Thank you Mom for passing that along. It’s really more the “act of baking” I enjoy. Thank goodness I probably wouldn’t fit in my jeans!

But then there are certain baked goods I make that I completely lose all control over. Like cinnamon rolls and pecan sticky buns. And I’ve shared with you all sorts of great variations of the original, like Healthy Cinnamon Rolls, Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls, and these decadent Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls. If you’re looking for a festive twist, you have to try this Eggnog Cinnamon Roll Casserole! But never have I shared with you a classic homemade cinnamon roll! Well that changes today.

I blame my dad for my weakness for cinnamon rolls. I basically inhaled one of these as soon as they came out of the oven. And found myself sneaking bites from the rest as the day went on.

I brought these into work as soon as I could so the temptation was gone. Yup, I have a thing for soft gooey cinnamon rolls like these.

These cinnamon rolls start with an easy all purpose yeast dough. And then a butter/brown sugar/cinnamon filling gets spread on the dough and rolled up. Then of course no cinnamon roll recipe is complete without a cream cheese icing on top is it? I agree…it isn’t complete either.

All Purpose Flour Vs. Bread Flour

When I was testing this cinnamon roll recipe, I tried making the dough with both all-purpose flour and bread flour to see which gave the best results.

I actually preferred the version made with all-purpose flour. The rolls baked up softer, lighter, and taller, with a more tender texture that’s exactly what I want in a cinnamon roll. They had that fluffy, pillowy crumb that makes them feel bakery-style and extra comforting.

Check out the results below:

When I tested the same recipe with bread flour, the rolls were noticeably denser and a bit chewier. While bread flour is often used for yeast doughs because of its higher protein content, in this case it created a texture that felt a little too heavy for what I was going for.

So for this recipe, I recommend sticking with all-purpose flour for the best soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls.

Ingredients Needed

For The Yeast Dough:

• Instant Yeast – I used instant yeast, but you can also use active dry yeast in this recipe in a 1 to 1 exchange. However, the rising times will vary (I put the differences in times in the recipe for you). I always use and recommend Red Star’s yeast – it’s by far the best yeast and always yields amazing results.
• Milk – I always use whole milk for my cinnamon rolls because it has a higher fat content which will yield a more tender roll, but low-fat milk could also be used. I haven’t tested these with a non dairy milk. You want your milk to be lukewarm, not cold straight from the fridge, so it can begin to activate the yeast. Cold milk will slow down the rising time. I aim to warm my milk somewhere between 105-110_^oF.
• Granulated Sugar
• Salt
• All-purpose Flour – I always use all-purpose flour for my cinnamon rolls. I know some recipes call for bread flour to give the dough more structure but I tested with both bread flour and all purpose flour and found the all purpose flour created a softer, taller roll.
• Eggs
• Unsalted butter – I always bake with unsalted butter vs. salted butter because it’s fresher and I can control the salt amount. If you do you want to use salted butter than you will you want to reduce the salt in the dough by 1/4 teaspoon. I tested with melted butter and softened butter and the softened butter made a softer, taller roll.

For the cinnamon roll filling:

• Softened Unsalted Butter
• Brown Sugar
• Cinnamon
• Heavy Cream – The heavy cream is not really “part of the filling” but poured on right before baking. I tested without the heavy cream and found heavy cream made a softer, melt in your mouth texture.

For the cinnamon roll icing:

• Cream Cheese – I used cream cheese in the frosting that gets spread on top after they bake. I recommend full-fat cream cheese, but low-fat would also work. I do not recommend fat free or the whipped tub varieties.
• Unsalted Butter
• Vanilla
• Confectioners Sugar

How To Make Cinnamon Rolls From Scratch

Make The Cinnamon Roll Dough

Make dough. In a bowl of your stand mixer with a paddle attachment, stir together the flour (start with 4 cups), yeast, sugar and salt.

Add in the eggs and milk and stir to combine.

Then add in the softened butter a few pieces at a time and stir to combine until a shaggy dough comes together. Dough will be very sticky and shaggy at this point – do not add more flour at this point.

Knead the dough. Fit the mixer with a dough hook attachment, and knead on low speed for 8-10 minutes. If the dough is super sticky, add additional flour a little at a time if needed. I always use 4 ½ cups of flour total. If you are kneading the dough by hand, then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for longer (12-15 minutes by hand).

Dough will be sticky at first, and get less sticky as you knead, so I add extra flour a tablespoon at a time if needed. The dough should still be slightly sticky to the touch but feel smooth and elastic. 

Let the dough rise. Lightly grease a large bowl, and place dough into the bowl, turning once to coat. Cover the bowl and allow it to rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. If you’re using active dry yeast, the rise time will take longer.

Roll out the dough. Punch down the dough lightly. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and roll out the dough into a 18×12 inches rectangle.

Spread filling. Spread the dough with the softened butter, leaving about a ½-inch border at the top long edge. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the butter into an even layer, pressing down lightly to adhere.

Cut rolls. Starting on the long edge with filling, roll up the dough tightly into a log. Pinch the dough to seal the seam. Using a serrated knife cut the log into 12 equal rolls. 

Let rolls rise. Grease a 9”x13” baking dish with butter or non-stick cooking spray. Place rolls into pan spiral side up. Cover the baking dish and let rise in a warm, draft free place for 45 minutes until the rolls are slightly puffy, and nearly doubled in size. If you used active dry yeast, the second rise time will be near 75 minutes.

Bake rolls. Near the end of the second rise time, position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C. Pour the slightly warmed heavy cream over the rolls right before baking.

Should You Pour Heavy Cream Over Cinnamon Rolls?

While testing this recipe, I also tried baking the cinnamon rolls with and without pouring heavy cream over the top before baking—and the difference was noticeable.

I preferred the rolls made with heavy cream.

Rolls baked with heavy cream

Pouring heavy cream over the rolls before baking created a softer, more tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture that really stood out. The rolls didn’t brown as quickly, which allowed them to bake more evenly from the inside out.

The bottoms were also extra delicious—soft and gooey with that perfect sticky cinnamon-sugar layer instead of becoming too caramelized. Overall, these had the most classic, bakery-style texture.

Rolls baked without heavy cream

The rolls baked without cream still turned out good, but they were a bit different. They browned faster, and the bottoms were less soft and more caramelized.

The texture was slightly firmer and not quite as soft and pillowy as the cream version. Still tasty—but not quite as irresistible.

Bake rolls in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Let cool in the pan for about 20 minutes, then spread the frosting on. I like to spread on the frosting on when they are still slightly warm so it melts into the rolls a bit.

Make the cream cheese icing

Ice rolls. Spread the cinnamon rolls with the cream cheese icing. I like to ice the rolls while they are still slightly warm so the icing melts on top of the rolls a bit.cinnamon rolls in the end. Don’t knead for too long, or too high of a speed.

Beat cream cheese and butter. In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, or in the bowl of your stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium-high speed, for about 2 minutes until smooth and combined.

Add sugar. Add in the powdered sugar, about a ½ cup at a time and mix on low speed until combined.

Add vanilla. Then beat in vanilla extract until combined. Beat on medium-high speed for about an extra 1-2 minutes until fluffy and light in texture.

Cream Cheese Icing For Cinnamon Rolls

Make cream cheese icing. In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, or in the bowl of your stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium-high speed, for about 2 minutes until smooth and combined.

Add in the confectioners sugar, about a ½ cup at a time and mix on low speed until combined. Then beat in vanilla extract until combined. Beat on medium-high speed for about an extra 1-2 minutes until fluffy and light in texture.

I like to ice the cinnamon rolls two times, once while warm and a second time while cooled.

The first time you ice them the cream cheese icing sort of melts into the rolls a bit. The second icing creates a nice, thick layer of icing on top.

Cinnamon Roll Recipe Troubleshooting

Here are some things that can go wrong with your cinnamon roll recipe and how to fix them!

• My dough didn’t rise – This probably means your yeast was expired before you start. Check the expiration dates on those packages. You can always proof it first if you are unsure. And make sure your milk isn’t too hot as it can kill the yeast. Aim for 105-110^oF, not any hotter.
• The middles popped out of my cinnamon rolls– Your dough could have been rolled too tightly. Or you used too small of a pan.
• My dough is really sticky!-Try adding a little bit of a flour, a tablespoon at a time, to the dough. But don’t go crazy! The recipe calls for 4-5 cups of flour. Start with 4 cups and then add a little bit at a time, but don’t use more than 5 cups. The dough should still be slightly sticky, however, and will get less sticky as you knead more.
• My cinnamon rolls are dry.– This is because you added too much flour. Go easy on the flour. The dough should be soft and tacky once the kneading is done. Start with 4 cups of flour and add a little at a time if needed. I’d err on the side of less and bit stickier than adding too much. You may have overknead them if you kneaded them in your stand mixer. Be sure to not knead for too long. You may have also overbaked them. Make sure to bake in the center of your oven, and get an oven thermometer to double-check that your oven is calibrated to the correct temperature.
• My cinnamon roll filling is falling out- Make sure the filling is spread into an even layer. I like to lightly press down on the filling to get it “stick” to the butter. And give each roll a bit of room in the pan so they can have to expand.
• The tops of my cinnamon rolls are getting too browned. – Cover the pan loosely with tin-foil if they are getting too dark on the bottom.

Storage Instructions

Because of the frosting I store these in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can always re-warm in the oven, or microwave before serving.

Yuou can freeze cinnamon rolls before or after baking.
– Before baking: After the first rise, roll, fill and cut the rolls. Place in a freezer-safe pan, cover well and then freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, let them thaw overnight in the fridge, then bring them out about an hour before baking them to bring them to room temperature and allow to rise. Then bake as normal.
– After baking: Once they are baked, let them cool to room temperature before freezing. You can freeze the whole pan if you choose or individual cinnamon rolls. For individual rolls, place in a freezer safe container or bag and wrap well and freeze for 3 months. When ready to eat, you can defrost overnight in the fridge, or at room temperature quickly and warm in your microwave for 10-15 seconds, or in a 350^oF preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.

Recipe FAQ’s

More Recipes To Try

• Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
• 1 Hour Cinnamon Rolls
• Healthy Cinnamon Rolls
• Cinnamon Chip Scones
• Cinnamon Roll Casserole
• Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls