The Best Recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

My recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls is one of my kids’ favorite breakfast requests! This recipe is perfect for weekends or any holiday breakfast or brunch! Save it today so you can make it the next time you get a sweet breakfast craving!

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls are the quintessential decadent breakfast and a holiday breakfast for my family, or a breakfast for whenever we have something special happening. They’re sweet, gooey and the perfect breakfast treat when there’s something to celebrate. My recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls will break down all the steps to making these for you so you don’t feel overwhelmed and can share this soft, delicious breakfast treat with your family too.

I know some people are intimidated by making Homemade Cinnamon Rolls, but don’t be. It will look like a lot of steps but you can follow each step in my recipe card as you go and they should turn out perfectly!

Make sure to give yourself some time

Before we even start I want to tell you that these will take about two hours to make. Give yourself enough time to make sure you can prepare these and enjoy them for breakfast. I usually end up making these when I know we have a lazy day, like Christmas Eve, New year’s Day or a Sunday when we don’t have a lot of farm work. You can do the prep and most of the work the night before if you would prefer to wake up and just put them in the oven. I’ll explain how to do that a little further down so you can have my recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls first thing in the morning!

Why is this recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls the best?

So I know there are a lot of recipes for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls out there claiming to be the best. And when I developed this recipe, I actually tried a few of them. Then I tossed them out and started from scratch. There’s a few things that give these Homemade Cinnamon Rolls the edge, in my opinion.

1. I flavor the roll itself so it’s not just the bread. It is soft, fluffy, flavored cinnamon roll bread.

2. I add a little sweetness trick in the filling.

3. I keep my cream cheese mix thicker and gooier.

My recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls bakes of tall and tenderly. Every bite of them kind of melts in your mouth. Then the soft, smooth cream cheese frosting is literally the icing on the cake. 🙂

Do I need special equipment to make these?

The good news is that you don’t need any special equipment to make these. If you have a ceramic mixing bowl and a wooden spoon you will be just fine. However, you can use a stand mixer for part of this as long as you’re sure that the mixing bowl itself and the mix

er are stainless steel. If you have a Kitchen Aid Mixer like mine {HERE} then you are in the clear. The bowl and the blade are both stainless steel.

What you don’t want to use is a random, metal bowl or metal utensil. Metal tends to kill that yeast that’s used in this recipe to help your rolls rise. And no one wants that. Healthy, little yeast is important to have for my recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls.

Tips for working with the yeast my recipe for Cinnamon Rolls

The milk and the butter need to be warmed when they go into the mixing bowl. The warmth helps to activate the yeast. Keep in mind I said WARM. Not hot. You want to heat up the butter and the milk for about 30-45 seconds. No more.

I add vanilla extract to my recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls. Vanilla extract can sometimes kill off yeast. So, in order to help with that, I whisk it in with the egg prior to adding it to the batter. If you forget to whisk it in with the egg, do not try to add it later. Just skip it this time.

Again, make sure you do not use random metal utensils or a metal bowl when working with the yeast. When in doubt, use a wooden spoon and a ceramic or glass bowl to mix the dough.

Tips for working with the dough

• The flour must go in little by little to keep the dough hydrated. Most recipes will say you need 4-5 cups of flour. I have it measures to 4 1/2 cups in this recipe. That’s all you should need. Maybe have a tablespoon or two nearby for rolling but that’s it. This dough is supposed to be a little soft. That’s what makes the rolls so fluffy.
• When you think the dough is ready, press a finger into it. If your finger sticks or comes back with dough on it, keep kneading. If it makes a nice indent in the dough and your finger is clean, you’re ready!
• The dough will go through 3 phases. The first will be a very wet, thin phase. As you being it add flour it will be come more of a sticky, thick dough. When you add the last of the flour you will notice it starts to become shaggy. This is went you really want to work with it with your hands and help the ingredients combine well. It will still feel a little sticky and that’s ok.
• Once the dough is done, form it into a ball with your hands. Let it rest uncovered for 10-15 minutes so it can rise just a little bit. Put it in a warm spot in your home out of the sun. For me, this means I usually put it in the kids’ school space. Our kitchen is surrounded by windows and only has a small vent in the floor for the whole space. It’s frequently a little chillier than the rest of the house.
• This rise time also give the gluten time to relax making the dough easier to roll out.

Rolling out the dough

• Once the dough is rested, remove it from the bowl and add it to the counter on a layer of parchment paper.
• Use 1 -2 Tablespoons of flour if needed. I will sprinkle some on the parchment paper and then coat my roller once. You really shouldn’t need more than that. Again, you want the dough to be workable and no overly dry. It’s ok if it is just a tad sticky as long as it’s not ripping.
• I roll a few times away from me to widen the dough slightly. Then I roll from the longest end so I’ll have a nice dough space to make the log.

Secret quick filling mix that helps to make this the BEST

• Before you begin mixing the dough, or while the dough is resting, melt the butter for the filling. I’ve found I prefer to melt my butter and let it come to room temperature again to help it spread more evenly over my dough. I will melt it for 30 seconds in the microwave and then put it in the refrigerator while the dough is resting.
• While the dough is resting, I pre-make the filling mix. I simply mix together brown sugar and a little granulated sugar. I’ve found that a lot of recipes only use brown sugar. But adding in a little extra granulated sugar helps the rolls to be sweeter. This sets the flavor apart from other recipes I’ve tried over the years.
• Mix the sugars together and then sprinkle them on. Then, add the cinnamon over the top of the sugar mix.

Cutting the dough

Once you roll the dough into a log, it’s time to cut it into the rolls.

• To cut the dough into pieces, it’s often suggested you use a wire cutter or non-flavored dental floss. Well, I don’t have a wire cutter for baking (only for pottery and they don’t mix) and I have kids so buying unflavored floss feels like a waste. I use a serrated bread knife to cut my rolls.
• Just be careful when cutting not to press with the knife. You don’t want to squish the dough. With the serrated knife you can lightly saw back and forth and still get a nice cut.

Proofing or refrigerating my recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Once the rolls are cut and placed in a buttered baking pan, (and it’s ok if they are touching), it is time to proof them again. If you want to make them that day, cover them with a towel and put them in a warm spot out of the sun.

If you want to make these the night before baking, cover them with plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator overnight. They might not get as puffy as they would if you were baking them right after cutting them but that’s okay. The refrigerator slows the yeast growth a bit. Before baking, remove them from the refrigerator and let them come back to room temperature.

Frosting the Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

I make my cream cheese frosting while my Homemade Cinnamon Rolls are baking in the oven. It takes about five minutes to make and works best if you have soften the cream cheese ahead of time. If you forget, you can microwave it for about 30 seconds. I also microwave the butter in this recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls for 30 seconds before combining the two with the vanilla and confectioners sugar. When the ingredients are a little warm, I find that they mix really well together with a good whisk. I will frost the cinnamon rolls the moment they come out of the oven.

Storing the homemade cinnamon rolls

To store my recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls, simply cover them well and put them in the refrigerator. I’ve kept mine for up to five days in there nicely. Just make sure there’s a good fitting cover.

To re-heat them I will give them 30 seconds in the microwave. Then I’ll add another 15 or 20 seconds to make them just like they came out of the over.

Looking for more celebratory breakfast ideas?

Here’s a few delicious breakfast ideas that are perfect for the holidays or any family gathering:

Apple and Sausage Breakfast Casserole {HERE}

Sun Dried Tomato & Kale Frittata {HERE}

Sausage and Biscuit Gravy Casserole {HERE}

Homemade Blueberry Danish {HERE}

Blueberry French Toast Casserole {HERE}

Thank you so much for stopping by today, friends! I hope that you love my recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls and that you come back again. You can find the full, printable recipe below!

Recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

My recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls is one of my kids' favorite breakfast requests! This recipe is perfect for weekends or any holiday breakfast or brunch! Save it today so you can make it the next time you get a sweet breakfast craving!

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cinnamon rolls from scratch, Homemade Cinnamon Rolls, Homemade Cinnamon Rolls from scratch, recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls, The best homemade cinnamon rolls

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Rising Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: 12 rolls

Author: Rachel

Equipment

• A stand mixer with stainless steel attachments or a ceramic mixing bowel and wooden spoon

Ingredients

Ingredients for the Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour This should be broken out by 2 cups, another 2 cups and then a 1/2 cup. OR you can dump it all in one bowl and measure out again as you go.
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 packets of active dry yeast This is about 4 1/2 teaspoons.
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or the scrapings of 1 vanilla bean pod
• 1 1/2 cups milk I use whole milk. 2 percent is fine but I don't recommend skim.
• 1 stick of butter, unsalted and sliced
• 1 large egg

Filling Ingredients

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, microwaves and then cooled
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp. cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

• 1 8 oz. package of cream cheese
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter (microwaved for 20/30 seconds)
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

• In a large mixing bowl or in a stainless steal mixer whisk together 2 cups of flour, yeast, sugar and salt.
• In a microwaveable bowl, combine the milk and sliced butter and heat for 30 to 45 seconds. The butter will not melt.
• Pour the butter and milk mix into the mixed dry ingredients and let it sit for 30 seconds to 1 minute. You will see the mix bubble which means the yeast are alive and being activated. Then mix with a wooden spoon or whisk on the mixer for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Combine the egg and the vanilla in a bowl and whisk together. Add this to the dough mix and mix again for about 30 seconds to 1 minute or until well combined.
• Add in two more cups of flour and mix again. The dough will be thick and sticky at this point. Mix well.
• Add in the next 1/2 of flour and mix again. The dough will turn shaggy at this point and be difficult to stir. If using a spoon set it aside. If using a mixer turn it off and remove the bowl. Use your hands to continue to pull the dough together and mix well. If it is still too sticky after all the flour has been worked in, add another two tablespoons of flour. Add them one at a time. It should be a tacky dough ball but smoother after being worked with your hands.
• If your hands have dough on them, clean them and take one finger and press it into the dough. If it indents and doesn't stick, the dough is ready. If it does stick, add another tablespoon of flour and continue to combine.
• Shape the dough into a ball and let it rest uncovered for 10-15 minutes. When the time is up the dough should have puffed up some. It won't double in size though.
• Melt the butter for the filling now by microwaving it for 30 seconds. Then let it sit. You can put it in the refrigerator for a few minutes if you like.
• While the dough is resting, mix the brown sugar and granulated sugar for the filling.
• When done, place the dough on lightly floured parchment paper and roll it out into a rectangle with a wooden rolling pin. You want it to be about 10 inches wide and 15 inches or so long. Just eyeball it.
• Mix the butter for the filling and then brush it onto the surface of the dough, giving yourself about a half inch all around the circumference.
• Sprinkle the sugar mix over the butter. The sprinkle the cinnamon mix over the sugar.
• Start at one end and lightly roll the dough into a log. You can place a hand at each end and push it in a little once it is rolled to help compact the dough.
• Butter a 9x13 baking dish in preparation for the rolls. I suggest using butter here, not a cooking oil.
• Use a serrated knife or unflavored dental floor to cut the dough. Cut in the middle first to cut it in half and then cut those into 6 rolls. You should be able to just discard the tail ends.
• Add the rolls to the pan. It's ok if they're touching. Then cover them with a clean dish towel and place them in a warm spot that's not in the sun. Let them proof for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees about 30 minutes before the rolls are done proofing.
• Remove the dish towel and check the rolls. They should have grown larger in size. Sometimes I find the won't quiet double and that's ok as long as they grew.
• Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes
• While the rolls are baking, make the cream cheese frosting by combining the softened cream cheese, lightly melted butter, vanilla and confectioners sugar.
• Once the rolls come out of the oven, let them cool for about 5 minutes. Then frost them and serve warm.