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German Pastry Chef, home

Pastries and Cookies, Sweet Pastries

Cinnamon Rolls

by Lisa

Trained pastry chef

Golden cinnamon rolls in a baking dish topped with creamy white glaze

4.8 (14)out of 5, 14 ratings

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Prep
10 min
Bake
25 min
Rest
1 hr 30 min
Total
2 hr 5 min
Makes
16

Cinnamon rolls like Cinnabon's are the perfect breakfast or a sweet treat in between. These little delights really pack a punch! They're so moist, fluffy and full of wonderful cinnamon flavor.

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I first shared this recipe 8 years ago, but I thought it was time to revisit it and share it with you again. Since then I've grown as a pastry chef, and my techniques have improved considerably.

To make these cinnamon rolls, we start with a yeast dough flavored with sugar, butter and vanilla. The dough is rolled out thin, sprinkled generously with cinnamon and sugar and rolled up. The roll is then cut into slices and baked until golden and fragrant.

You can portion these cinnamon rolls however you like. If you want big cinnamon rolls, cut them large. But if you prefer them small and sweet, you can cut them smaller and bake them in a muffin pan, for example.

Another great thing about these cinnamon rolls is that they're perfect for making ahead. You can make the dough the evening before, let it rest in the fridge overnight, then slice and bake the rolls in the morning.

After baking, the cinnamon rolls are covered with a creamy butter glaze made from powdered sugar, butter and vanilla. This glaze is the perfect finish for these moist cinnamon rolls and rounds out the flavor beautifully.

Give this classic cinnamon roll recipe a try and adapt it to your taste. Big or small, these cinnamon rolls are sure to be a hit with your friends and family.

Ingredients

Makes 16

  • ¼ cup60 mlwaterwarm
  • ½ cup plus 2 tbsp150 mlmilk
  • ½ cup plus 2 tbsp125 ggranulated sugar
  • 1large egg
  • 4 tbsp60 gunsalted buttersoftened. German butter is unsalted and has about 82 percent fat. In the US use unsalted butter (European-style unsalted butter is closest); in the UK, unsalted butter.
  • 5 ¼ cups650 gall-purpose flourIn German recipes plain flour means soft wheat flour Type 405 unless stated otherwise. In the US use all-purpose flour; in the UK, plain flour.
  • ½ cubefresh yeast½ cube = 21 g. German recipes use either a 42 g cube of fresh yeast or a 7 g packet of dry yeast; one cube equals about two packets. In the US use active dry or instant yeast (one ¼ oz (7 g) envelope replaces half a cube of fresh yeast); in the UK, fast action dried yeast (7 g sachet per half cube), or fresh yeast from a supermarket bakery counter.
  • 1 tspsalt
  • 2 tspvanilla sugaroptional. 1 packet = 2 tsp (8 g). Sugar flavored with vanillin (artificial vanilla), sold in small packets of about 8 g. In the US use 1 tsp vanilla extract plus 2 tsp sugar for each 8 g packet; in the UK, vanilla sugar sachets, or 1 tsp vanilla extract plus 2 tsp sugar per sachet.
  • lemon zestoptional

For the filling

  • 7 tbsp100 gunsalted buttersoftened
  • ¾ cup150 glight brown sugarpacked. In German recipes this is usually light brown cane sugar, a little drier than American brown sugar. In the US use light brown sugar; in the UK, light brown soft sugar.
  • ¼ cup50 ggranulated sugar
  • 2 tspground cinnamon

For the glaze

  • 1 tbspunsalted buttersoftened
  • ⅔ cup150 gcream cheeseA soft, full-fat fresh cheese. In the US use full-fat cream cheese; in the UK, full-fat soft cheese.
  • ⅔ cup80 gpowdered sugarVery finely ground sugar for icings and dusting. In the US use powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar); in the UK, icing sugar.
  • 4 to 5 tbspmilkwarm

Method

  1. Sprinkle a spoonful of the sugar into the warm water & crumble in the yeast, then set the mixture aside until the yeast starts to foam slightly.

  2. Mix the milk, sugar, egg, butter, salt, vanilla sugar & lemon zest in the stand mixer until smooth. Then add the yeast mixture & mix everything again.

  3. Add 1/2 of the flour to the liquid & let the mixer run until there is no dry flour left in the bowl, then add the rest & knead the dough for about 10 to 15 minutes until it is nice and smooth & soft.

  4. Shape the finished dough into a ball & brush the bowl with a splash of neutral oil. Put the dough back in & brush the top with a little oil as well, so it doesn't form a crust. Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap & put it in a warm spot in your home where there is NO DRAFT!

  5. Let the covered dough rest & rise until it has doubled in size (for me this usually takes 1 to 2 hours).

  6. Dust the work surface with a little flour and turn the risen dough out onto it. I usually roll it out to roughly 24 × 16 inches (60 × 40 cm) before spreading it with the soft butter and sprinkling it with both sugars and the cinnamon. Once all the filling ingredients are on, roll the dough up from the long side and cut it into up to 16 pieces. I usually use a serrated knife for cutting.

  7. Place the rolls cut side up in a greased baking dish, cover and let them rise for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) conventional (top and bottom heat).

  8. Optional: Gently brush the cinnamon rolls with a beaten egg before baking.

  9. Put the baking dish on the middle rack and bake for about 45 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown and smell wonderful.

  10. Meanwhile, beat the butter, powdered sugar & cream cheese together before stirring in the milk.

  11. Spread the glaze over the cinnamon rolls as soon as they come out of the oven, and they're best enjoyed fresh on the same day.