Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

These homemade cinnamon rolls are perfection! There made with a pillow soft, gooey melt-in-your-mouth center, frosted in the best cream cheese frosting when they’re still warm and are so easy to make.

Ingredients For Cinnamon Rolls

All Purpose Flour: All purpose flour is perfect for creating a soft, pillow, and tender dough.
Instant Yeast: Any rapid instant yeast will work.

Unsalted Butter: You will need butter for both the dough, and cream cheese frosting. Using unsalted butter allows you to fully control the amount of salt going into your baked goods.
Milk: Using whole milk will work best for this recipe as it creates a soft and pillow dough. However, any other brand should wok just fine.
Granulated sugar: The granulated sugar will help activate the yeast and add a little sweetness to the dough.
Egg: Using an egg will give your dough structure.
Brown Sugar: The brown sugar is used in the the filling of the cinnamon rolls to create the gooey, melt in your mouth, caramelized flavor.
Cinnamon: You will obviously need cinnamon for the filling of the cinnamon rolls.
Salt: The salt is used in the dough, cinnamon sugar filling, and the cream cheese frosting to balance out the sweetness.
Cream Cheese: The cream cheese is used to make the delicious, creamy cream cheese frosting. Using room temperature cream cheese will create smooth and rich frosting.
Powdered Sugar: You’ll need powdered sugar to sweeten your cream cheese frosting.
Vanilla Extract: Will give the frosting depth of flavor.

How To Make Cinnamon Rolls?

Making The Dough: Use stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, follow the steps 1-4 below for better dough.
Kneading & Rising The Dough: Transfer the dough on a well floured surface, knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes.
Let the dough rest for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Rolling The Dough: flour the surface for rolling
Cutting The Cinnamon Rolls: After cutting the dough using floss, and place them in the pan, cover the rolls with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise for 1 hour until doubled in size in a warm environment.
Baking: Bake the cinnamon rolls at 350°F for 27 to 30 minutes , and or allow to cool.
Making The Icing: Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low increasing the speed to high until combined.

How To Properly Cut Cinnamon Rolls?

There is so many different ways to cut cinnamon rolls and also mess up. It’s very important when cutting cinnamon rolls to use dental floss. Its better than a sharp knife, serrated knife or any other sharp tool. The best way to cut cinnamon rolls is by using dental floss, as it slides and cuts through so easily without smooshing and tearing the dough.

While I highly recommend using dental floss, if you don’t have it, then It’s very important when cutting cinnamon rolls to use the sharpest knife you have or a pizza cutter to try and achieve the beautiful, sharp clean cuts without using dental floss.

Another great trick is to use a ruler to make sure your cinnamon roll dough is nicely even before cutting into rolls. This helps makes sure that all the rolls will be the exact same size.

I recommend using unflavored dental floss, but if mint-flavored is all you have don’t worry and go ahead and use it. Unflavored dental floss is ideal to avoid leaving any mint flavor on your cinnamon rolls, however since your only using it to cut the dough, the mint-flavored shouldn't be that strong.

How To Store Cinnamon Rolls?

If you want to keep your cinnamon rolls soft and fluffy every time you eat them, after baking, here are some tips to do when storing your cinnamon rolls.

Only frost the cinnamons rolls when ready to eat: Frosting goes weird when it gets exposed to many different temperature changes. I also found that these cinnamon rolls are better stored without frosting as it can make the cinnamon rolls soggy. Store the frosting in a container in the fridge or make it right before serving.
Store in an airtight container: I’ve found that storing most baked goods in an airtight containers keeps them fresh and last longer. These cinnamon rolls should be tightly wrapped or stored in an airtight container to keep them soft and block any excess air causing them to dry.
Heat up before devouring: We all know that cinnamon rolls taste the best when they’re warm and gooey. I highly recommend to preheat your cinnamon rolls in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute or in the oven at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes before eating. However, if your heating them up in the oven keep an eye on them as every oven is different and you don’t want them to burn.

Serving size

Around 12 cinnamon rolls

Ingredients

For The Dough

3 1/4 cup All-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar

5 tbsp cup butter
1 cup milk
1 egg
2 1/2 tsp yeast
3/4 tsp salt

For The Cinnamon Sugar Filling

1 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
Pinch of salt

For The Cream Cheese Frosting

4 ounce cream cheese
1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Step 1

In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 1 1/4 cups flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Mix to combine.

Step 2

In a microwave safe bowl microwave the milk and butter for 30 seconds or until warm and butter is mostly melted. The mixture should be warm, not hot. If its too hot, let it cool before adding to the yeast to prevent killing the yeast. Add the warm milk and butter mixture to the flour.

Step 3

Add the egg and beat on low increasing the speed to high until fully combined (about 2 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add 1 more cup of the flour, mixing until combined. Add the remaining cup of flour a little at a time, until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Step 4

Transfer the dough on a well floured surface, knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes You should have a soft and smooth ball of dough. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and cover in a warm place. Let the dough rest for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Step 5

While the dough rises, make the filling. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a small bowl and mix until combined. Set aside.

Step 6

Once dough has risen, roll dough into a long rectangle about 18 x 12 inches on a floured surface. Spread the softened butter on top of the dough to the edges. Sprinkles the sugar mixture over the butter. Roll dough away from you, starting from the long end, into a tight roll.

Step 7

Cut into 12 even rolls, using floss or a very sharp knife. Place rolls in 9 x 13 inch pan lined with parchment paper on all side, and cover them.

Step 8

Bake the cinnamon rolls at 350°F for 27 to 30 minutes or until they are golden brown. Allow to cool.

Step 9

While the cinnamon rolls cool, make the icing. Whisk cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract together. Add the milk. Mix until light and fluffy. Spread the icing evenly over the 12 warm rolls. Enjoy!