I Tried Making the Best Cinnamon Rolls at Home!

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I love cinnamon in baked goods but I have always resisted making Cinnamon Rolls at Home simply because they are laden with sooooo much sugar! Finally, after making some droolworthy Swedish Cardamom Knot Buns (read it here=> The Best Swedish Cardamom Knot Buns (Kardemummaknutar) For The Win!) I thought I might as well make its more famous cinnamon cousin.

After doing a bit of research online, I was fascinated to learn that these delicious buns originated from Europe and popularized in Northern Europe and North America. According to Wikipedia, in Sweden it is called kanelbulle, and in Denmark it is known as kanelsnegl. In Norway the bun is known as Skillingsboller, Kanelbolle and Kanelsnurr, and in Finland it is known as korvapuusti. This sweet roll is also known as cinnamon bun, cinnamon swirl, cinnamon Danish and cinnamon snail.

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Whatever the name, I settled on one recipe that claims to deliver the Best Cinnamon Rolls at home! One of the members of my baking group was touting a recipe from The Stay At Home Chef. Armed with that information I started to put the ingredients together to make this Cinnamon Rolls at home. After making the rolls, I’ve written up the recipe at the end of the post, and added my tweaks, and adjustments based on my notes.

Gathering the Ingredients

The recipe is really made up of 3 parts. First, the dough a.k.a. the sugar cinnamon delivery device. Second is the delicious cinnamon sugar filling that goes inside the dough, and finally, a sugar glaze that goes on top to the buns after it is baked.

I will be listing the items in the approximate order in which it will be used. It is best to gather all the ingredients before starting so that you can put this together smoothly.

For this recipe we will need the following ingredients:

Dough for Rolls
1 cup Full Milk, warm
1 Tbsp Active Yeast
2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
1¼ tsp Salt
1 Large Egg
3 cups All Purpose Flour, sifted

Sugar Filling
6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
1 cup Brown Sugar, or turbinado sugar
2 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
a pinch of Salt

Glaze Topping
4 oz Cream Cheese, softened
4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, softened
1 cup Icing Confectioner’s Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Tbsp Milk

You will also need a large oven safe pan, approx 12″ x 8″ to bake the rolls.

Making the Cinnamon Rolls

Let’s start by making the dough.

Combine the wet ingredients – warm milk, yeast, sugar, salt, butter, and eggs in the stand mixer bowl using the dough hook. Mix on low speed. Slowly add in flour until thoroughly combined.

Next, increase the speed until that the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Then, check that the dough mixture is soft and tacky, but will not stick to your hands.

Adjust by slowly adding 1 tablespoon of flour at a time, until the dough reaches the desired consistency. When ready, transfer the dough to a lightly greased large bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise until double in size, about an hour.

When waiting, prepare the butter and sugar filling. Melt the butter. Use some of the melted butter to lightly grease a large baking dish approx 12″ x 8″. Set aside the rest. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch down and tip onto a working space. A pastry rolling mat is very handy for this job.

Roll dough into a large rectangle, approx 14″ x 20″ (or, in this case, as large as my pastry mat would allow!) Then, brush the dough with melted butter.

Next, sprinkle the prepared cinnamon sugar on top of the melted butter.

Then, roll up the dough firmly lengthwise, so you have one long roll.

Try and keep the rolling nice and tight so the signature swirls will show up clearly when cut.

Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, score and cut the dough into 12 even pieces.

I find that lightly scoring the dough with my bench scraper before cutting helps make the cinnamon rolls size fairly even.

Transfer the dough pieces to the prepared lightly greased 12″ x 8″ baking dish.

Cover and let it rest for 30 to 45 minutes, until it has become puffy.

When the rolls are visibly puffy, remove the cling wrap and it’s ready for the oven.

Baking the Cinnamon Rolls

Preheat oven to 325°F. When the rolls have proofed enough, bake for about 28-30 minutes, until they are light brown on top edges. Bake for another 3-5 minutes if necessary to achieve this color. If you take them out too early, your rolls might be undercooked.

Put together the cream cheese glaze when the rolls are baking. Use a hand mixer to whip together the softened cream cheese and butter in a bowl until light and fluffy. Then, add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, milk and whip till the glaze becomes a smooth thick liquid. If it is too goopy, the glaze can be thinned out with more milk. What you want is a glaze that is pourable so it can be drizzled over the warm cinnamon buns.

When the rolls are ready, remove from oven and place on trivet.

Finally, pour the glaze on top of the warm rolls and spread evenly.

The Homemade Cinnamon Rolls are ready!

After eating one, and then another with a cup of black coffee, I have to say these rolls are truly scrumptious! They are fluffy and soft, and the filling and glaze makes it all ooey and gooey. Plus my whole kitchen smells like a bakery for the whole day! My family obviously agree since the 4 of us managed to polish off the entire tray in one day!

If you are in the mood for Cinnamon Rolls and want to make them at home, give this a try. It’s totally worth it! Yum!

Baker’s Notes:

1. If not consumed, the rolls can be cool and stored in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days. For longer period, freeze. 
2. These cinnamon rolls can easily be made ahead. OVERNIGHT METHOD: After placing your cut dough into the lightly greased pan, cover with cling wrap and place in your refrigerator. The next day, remove from the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature (about an hour) before baking.
3. FREEZER METHOD: After cutting your cinnamon rolls dough, place on baking sheet several inches apart to freeze rolls individually. Once frozen, transfer rolls to a resealable plastic freezer bag. When ready to bake, place the frozen rolls in a lightly greased baking dish and allow to come to room temperature before baking.

More Flavorful Food Ideas:

Do you like colorful and delicious roasted veggies? Check out my post on making this cool tart = >Colorful And Happy Veggie Blossom Tart

If you are in the mood for something garlicky, have you seen my pull-apart petals bread? Here’s the post where I show how you put it together => Beautiful Pull-Apart Flower Petals Garlic Bread

For something quick and delicious that bakes up in an hour, have you read about my Blueberries Scones? They are lusciously lumpy and full of blueberries with every bite. Check it out here => Quick and “Bursting with Blueberries” Scones

The recipe is adapted from https://thestayathomechef.com/best-homemade-cinnamon-rolls-ever/