Overnight Cinnamon Rolls — These overnight cinnamon rolls are ultra soft and fluffy thanks to the buttermilk in the dough. Top them with homemade cream cheese frosting and enjoy!
The Best Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
Homemade cinnamon rolls sound great in theory until you do the math and realize in order to have a warm cinnamon roll with your 10am coffee, you need to wake up about 5am. No thanks!
I solved that problem and made the fluffiest, softest, and best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had.
Every recipe out there promises the best cinnamon rolls, and I have more recipes to try. Consider this the first installment in my Cinnamon Roll Recipe Showdown. But to date these are the best cinnamon rolls I have ever had, and I’m super picky. The next recipe will happen when I have time to work in an extra cardio session to make up for all the fluffiness I consumed.
Even if you’ve never worked with yeast or made cinnamon rolls, this overnight cinnamon roll recipe is do-able, but it’s not for everyone. There are no shortcuts, this is not bread-in-a-hurry, which is why I made the recipe work as overnight rolls.
At 5am, the last thing I am is wide awake and wanting to dive right into a yeast bread recipe. However, you can make it straight through if preferred, and start to finish you’re looking at about 5 hours of work. You’re either getting up at the wee hours, or you’re having afternoon cinnamon rolls.
These overnight cinnamon rolls have soft, fluffy, tender dough that’s buttery and scrumptious. They’re as light and feathery as cinnamon rolls can get. They’re lighter and not as dense, heavy, and ‘bready’ as Cinnabon’s. They still are heavy and filling, but less like a ton of bricks in your stomach. Maybe just a half ton.
While baking, the filling mixture of brown sugar and butter melts and caramelizes, producing a thick, sweet, caramely sauce, pleasantly spiced with cinnamon. That saucy filling, along with melted frosting, is what a cinnamon roll is all about.
Just like carrot cake needs cream cheese frosting, so do cinnamon rolls. The frosting is tangy from the cream cheese, rich from the butter, and densely satisfying. There is nothing like homemade cream cheese frosting. So smooth, creamy, indulgent, and blissful.
They were every bit as wonderful as I had hoped. Future recipes have their work cutout for them. To date, the best cinnamon roll I’ve ever had, and the family concurs.
Overnight Cinnamon Rolls Ingredients
To make the best cinnamon roll recipe ever, you’ll need:
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Instant dry yeast
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Eggs
- Buttermilk
- Light brown sugar
- Cinnamon
- Cream cheese
- Vanilla extract
- Confectioners’ sugar
How to Make Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
To the bowl of your stand mixer, add the all-purpose flour, instant dry yeast, sugar, optional salt. Let the dry ingredients hang out in the mixing bowl while you melt some butter, lightly beat the eggs, and warm the buttermilk.
I warm it in the microwave for about 45 seconds in a glass measuring cup. If after warming the buttermilk, it’s separated or gotten a little foamy, whisk it and it will smooth out.
The type of yeast you use and the manufacturer’s directions will dictate the necessary buttermilk temperature. For Platinum yeast, the water should be warmed to about 120ºF to 130ºF, which is notably warmer than most other instant dry yeast, which typically call for temps in the 100ºF range. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for whatever yeast you use.
Beat the dry and wet ingredients together with the paddle, and after a minute switch to the dough hook. Moist, wet batter will be stuck to your paddle, so just pick it off as best you can. Allow the dough hook to knead for 10 to 12 minutes.
If after 5 minutes the dough is still extremely wet and sloppy and not coming together, add one-quarter cup more flour, one tablespoon at a time, until it firms up.
The most important thing you can do in this entire recipe is trust that the high moisture level of the dough is high and not over-flour it. The more flour you add, the denser the dough becomes, and the heavier the rolls will be. It’s nice in theory to have a smooth, round, mound of satiny, non-sticky dough, but that’s not this cinnamon roll dough.
The cinnamon roll dough in this recipe is wet, gloppy, moist, messy, sticky, and of all the bread I’ve ever made, this dough gets the award as the sloppiest. I was cursing it. When kneading in a mixer, the rule of thumb for this type of dough is that it clears the sides of the bowl, but sticking the bottom of the bowl is fine.
Transfer the sloppy mess to a cooking-sprayed large mixing bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size. The sloppiness factor will diminish as the dough rises and all the moisture helps create light and fluffy rolls.
Just look at the blubbery, wobbly, jiggly puffiness after 2 1/2 hours.
It was literally pillowy soft. It felt like I was punching a pillow.
Pssssssss. Deflation. Trapped gases released. Talk about a limp, deflated state of affairs after the punchdown.
On a floured Silpat or counter, roll the dough out to a large rectangle, about 16×10 inches. I didn’t measure with a ruler because I know that’s just slightly larger than my Silpat, so I rolled it about that size.
Spread a stick of very soft butter over the dough and sprinkle with brown sugar and shake on the cinnamon. I used almost 5 teaspoons of cinnamon, but wrote to use 3 teaspoons in the recipe, or to taste.
I love cinnamon, especially in cinnamon rolls, hence their name. In no way was 5 teaspoons overpowering. That’s a lot of dough and it needs to be properly flavored, but season to taste.
Starting on a long edge (I started where you can see some letters on the Silpat peeking out), roll up the dough into as tightly coiled log as possible. It’s messy and if your log isn’t perfect, that’s okay. Slice it into 12 pieces and put them onto the baking sheet.
For slicing, use a serrated knife or unwaxed and unflavored dental floss works great. You can pinch off the slices without compressing and squishing down the log. I used my trusty bench scraper.
I used a large jellyroll or sheetcake-style baking sheet with a raised edge, 11-by-16-inches. You could use a 9×13-inch pan, but I prefer the jellyroll pan because the rolls are less squished, have more room to spread out and rise, and baking is more uniform.
Some people complain their cinnamon rolls get too browned on the top before the center cooks through, which can happen if they’re too cramped in a pan. The jellyroll pan was $5.99 in my grocery store baking aisle and did the trick. I imagine that you could also make two eight-inch round pans.
Cover with plastic wrap and now it’s decision time.
If you’re doing the overnight make-ahead option, slide the pan into the fridge and keep it there for up to 16 hours before baking the rolls. When it’s time to bake the next day, allow the rolls to come up to room temperature and rise for 1 hour on the counter, or until almost doubled in size. And then bake.
If you’re making them straight through, allow the rolls to rise in a warm, draft-free place for 60 to 90 minutes, or until almost doubled in size. And then bake.
Bake them at 350ºF for 22 to 25 minutes, or until lightly golden on top and cooked through, but not overly browned. I prefer these on the paler side. Nothing says dealbreaker like a hard or crusty cinnamon roll.
After 12 hours in the fridge, this is what my rolls looked like. They sat on the counter for 1 hour before I baked them.
I baked for 23 minutes, and rotated the pan once. It’s amazing how much they puffed during the 1 hour rise and in the oven. The term for it is called oven spring. Yes, they sprung, which is why I can’t imagine a 9×13 pan.
While they bake, make the cream cheese frosting. However, if you’re doing the overnight option, I highly suggest making it the night before so it’s one less thing to think about the next day before you’ve had your coffee.
Put the frosting into an airtight container and slide it into the fridge along with rolls. The next morning, take them both out at the same time. You want the cream cheese frosting to be very soft so that it spreads smoothly over the rolls.
Immediately after taking the rolls out of the oven, generously frost them so it drips into all the cracks and crevices. And dig into a little piece of heaven.
How to Tell If the Buttermilk Mixture is Warm Enough to Activate the Yeast
Some people just dip their finger into the liquid and if that’s the method you’re using, err on the side of warm bath water rather than hot because you don’t want to risk killing the yeast. In bread-making, I don’t like to guess and always use a candy thermometer. I just never use it for candy.
I urge you to buy a (cheapie) thermometer. They’re about $5.99 at the grocery store, Bed Bath & Beyond, or Target. It could save you from a bread fail and if you’re going to go to the work of making cinnamon rolls, having one is a no-brainer.
How to Encourage Your Dough to Rise
A trick for creating a warm environment for the dough to rise in is to turn on the oven for one minute to 400ºF, then shut the oven off. Repeat: don’t leave the oven on, you are just blasting in hot air for one minute only.
Quickly slide your bowl into the oven and let it stay there to rise. It will be about 85ºF inside the oven after the brief one-minute blast. This tricks the yeast into thinking it’s a nice, warm summer day in your kitchen, which is how do their best work.
For the 2 1/2 hours the dough bowl was parked inside my powered-off oven, I powered it on 3 times, every 45 minutes or so, for 1 minute each time. This kept the oven toasty because it was a cold night I made the dough and the oven and my warm environment was cooling off.
How to Store Cinnamon Rolls
The rolls are best eaten fresh, but will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Reheat leftover rolls for a few seconds in the microwave before serving. If you have issues with cream cheese frosting at room temperature, then refrigerate the leftover rolls; I don’t.
Can I Freeze Cinnamon Rolls?
Yes, these overnight cinnamon rolls freeze well. You’ll want to prep and bake the cinnamon rolls all the way through and then freeze them without the icing. When you’re ready to eat the frozen cinnamon rolls, set them on your counter to thaw and make a fresh batch of icing.
What Type of Yeast Should I Use?
I used Red Star Platinum yeast, which is my gold standard. It’s an instant dry yeast, so you don’t have to proof it first with water and wait for it to get bubbly and foamy. Just sprinkle it right into the bowl with the other ingredients and then pour the liquids over the top of everything. When I deviate from Platinum and use other yeast, my dough doesn’t rise as well and doesn’t bake up as puffy and fluffy.
Can I Make Overnight Cinnamon Rolls with Bread Flour?
I love bread flour for producing extra chewy bread, rolls, and cookies, but for these homemade cinnamon rolls I didn’t want any chewiness. I wanted softness and fluffiness, and all-purpose flour is the way to go. It has a lower protein and thus lower gluten content, meaning the finished rolls will be more tender and soft with less chew-factor.
Tips for Making Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
A stand mixer will make your life immensely easier because the dough needs to be kneaded for a minimum of 10 minutes. However, you can also do it by hand — and in the process, you’ll burn off enough calories that you easily deserve a couple rolls.
Also, the recipe for cream cheese frosting — like all frosting — is dictated by personal preference. I simply used butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and confectioners’ sugar in it. Adding milk, cream, buttermilk, orange zest, almond extract, or whatever you like in your frosting is all up to you.
The amount of cream cheese frosting for cinnamon rolls I made is in excess of what you may need for your rolls if you don’t like a lot of frosting, but I do. Plus, frosting keeps for a couple weeks in the refrigerator and I have also frozen it for months. When I am dirtying the mixer to make it, I may as well make a decent amount.
Halve the recipe if preferred, but you’d be surprised that if you make it, people will want it and eat it. It’s not like making extra lima beans where requests for extra are nonexistent. A smear of extra frosting before nuking leftover cinnamon rolls is extra wonderful.
And finally, please note that I wrote the recipe below as clearly and descriptively as possible. Before making these homemade cinnamon rolls, read it over at least three times so you know where you’re going, what’s next, and more importantly, how much butter you need to set aside.
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Overnight Soft and Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls
These overnight cinnamon rolls are ultra soft and fluffy thanks to the buttermilk in the dough. Top them with homemade cream cheese frosting and enjoy!
Ingredients
Dough
- up to 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast (one 1/4-ounce packet, I use Red Star Platinum)
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (3/4 of one stick)
- 3 large eggs, lightly whisked
- 3/4 cup buttermilk* (See Notes)
Filling
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), very soft – let it sit out while dough rises
- 1 to 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed (granulated sugar or a half-and-half combo of white and brown sugars may be substituted)
- 3 to 4 teaspoons cinnamon, or to taste (I use 5 teaspoons)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 pound confectioners’ sugar (4 cups)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste
Instructions
Make the Dough
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 4 cups flour, 1/3 cup sugar, yeast, salt to taste; set aside.
- Place 6 tablespoons butter in a small microwave-safe bowl, and heat to melt, about 45 seconds; set aside.
- Crack eggs in another bowl and whisk; set aside.
- Add buttermilk to a glass measuring cup and warm to temperature, about 45 seconds on high power in the microwave. Tips - Based on the type of yeast used, milk temperatures will vary. Red Star Platinum yeast calls for warmer temperatures than most, 120 to 130F; other brands and yeast call for much lower temperatures, about 95 to 105F. Warm milk according to manufacturer’s recommendations on the packaging. Taking the temperature with a digital thermometer is highly recommended, but if you’re not, make sure the milk is warm, not hot. Err on the cooler rather than hotter side so you don’t kill the yeast. If the milk separates or gets a little funny looking after being warmed, whisk it to smooth it out.
- To the dry ingredients in the stand mixer, add the melted butter, eggs, buttermilk, and beat on medium-low speed for about 1 minute, or until combined.
- Switch to the dough hook (the dough will have stuck to the paddle and just pick off what you can and put it into the bowl) and knead for 10 to 12 minutes (15 to 18 minutes by hand).
- If after 5 minutes more flour is needed, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough clears the side of the bowl but sticks to the bottom. Tips - This is a very sticky, tacky, moist, and borderline sloppy dough; don’t be tempted to over-flour it. It’s supposed to be that way. The more flour you add now, the less fluffy and more dense the rolls will be. Dough should clear the sides of the mixer while kneading but sticking to the bottom is fine. However, if the dough is simply too sloppy to work with, you can't move it from mixing bowl to rising bowl, it does need more flour so add some, as little as you can get away with, until you can work with the dough more easily.
- Remove the dough from the mixing bowl, spray a large mixing bowl with cooking spray, and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place it in a warm, draft-free place to rise for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or doubled in size. I keep my bowl inside a powered-off oven. Every 45 minutes or so, I power on the oven for 1 minute to 400F, as if I am preheating it, then I power it off. Do not, repeat not, keep the oven on. These short bursts of 1 minute of heat create a stable 85F-ish warm environment, ideal for the yeast. If your rising spot is cold, it will take longer than 2 1/2 hours.
- Prepare a 11-by-17-inch or similar sized jellyroll pan or sheetcake pan with a raised edge, or use a 9-by-13-inch pan. I prefer a jellyroll pan because it’s slightly larger so the rolls are less squished, have more room to rise, and bake more evenly. Line pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
Shape the Cinnamon Rolls
- After dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Turn dough out onto a floured Silpat or floured countertop. Knead it lightly for about 2 minutes.
- With a rolling pin, roll it out to a 16-by-12-inch rectangle; just slightly larger than a standard Silpat.
- With a knife, butter the dough with 1/2 cup soft butter, leaving a 3/4-inch border around the edges.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar over it. Sprinkle the cinnamon over the brown sugar; I was very generous with the cinnamon and used almost 5 teaspoons and recommend at least 3; just eyeball it and shake it on.
- Loosen the dough from the counter using a bench scraper (or metal spatula), and starting with a long edge, roll the dough into a tight log. Pinch the seam closed and turn log so seam side is down.
- Gently stretch the log to be 18 inches in length with an even diameter all the way around and pat the ends to even them up. Don’t fret if your log isn’t perfect; it’s okay.
- Slice the cylinder into 12 evenly sized rolls (about 1 1/2 inches wide) using a bench scraper, serrated knife, or plain unwaxed dental floss (works great to not squish and compact the log).
- Arrange the rolls cut side down in the prepared baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap.
- If making the rolls straight through: Let rise in a warm, draft-free place until the rolls have nearly doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- If making the rolls overnight: Don’t let rolls rise after they’ve been sliced and placed in covered pan. Place pan in refrigerator for up to 16 hours. Before baking, let the rolls sit at room temperature until they have nearly doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Bake the Rolls
- For either version, bake at 350ºF for 22 to 25 minutes, or until lightly golden on top and cooked through but not overly browned.
- While the rolls cool, make the frosting.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 1/2 cup butter, cream cheese, and beat on medium speed to combine, about 1 minute.
- Add the vanilla, 3 cups confectioners’ sugar (I don’t bother sifting), and beat until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Add remaining 1 cup of sugar (or more, or none) as necessary, to taste, based on desired frosting consistency and flavor.
- Spread the frosting over the tops of the semi-cooled rolls and serve. Tips - Make sure they're not too warm or the frosting will melt. You may not use all the frosting if you don't like a lot of frosting on your rolls. That's fine, you don't need to use it all. Extra frosting will keep airtight in the fridge for many weeks or you can freeze it.
Notes
Buttermilk: You need to use buttermilk and I use fresh buttermilk (Trader Joe's brand). However, if you don't have fresh buttermilk on hand I recommend the following because you cannot just use regular milk or water.
- Make your own buttermilk with whole milk and vinegar. Add 3/4 cup of 2% or whole milk to a large measuring cup. Stir in 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Let that mixture sit for 2 minutes before using in the recipe.
- You can use powdered buttermilk. You’ll mix how many ever tablespoons the package calls for, with 3/4 cup of water, to yield 3/4 cup of buttermilk. For those who bake with or use buttermilk semi-frequently, but not so frequently to keep in in your fridge, keeping a tub of powdered buttermilk in your pantry is very handy.
Storing these rolls: Rolls are best eaten fresh, but will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Reheat leftover rolls for a few seconds in the microwave before serving. If you have issues with cream cheese frosting at room temperature, then refrigerate the leftover rolls; I don’t.
For longterm storage, I recommend making the rolls as directed and then freezing unfrosted rolls; allow to thaw at room temp prior to serving and frost as directed. I prefer freezing finished rolls rather than freezing uncooked dough.
For the cream cheese frosting: I recommend making this at night if you’re doing the overnight version, refrigerating it, and taking out along with the rolls as they rise so when you need it, it’s well softened.
Frosting may be halved (makes about 3 cups as written), but unused frosting can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks and I have frozen frosting for up to 3 months; I’d rather have too much than not enough.
All measurements and ingredients are to taste; consider adding buttermilk, almond extract, orange zest, heavy cream, or your other favorite specialty tweaks as desired. I keep it very simple.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 754Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 117mgSodium: 279mgCarbohydrates: 108gFiber: 2gSugar: 63gProtein: 9g
More Cinnamon Roll Recipes:
Nutella Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Glaze — A can of crescent rolls never tasted so good as when they’re stuffed with Nutella and rolled up. Ready from start to finish in 15 minutes, no joke
The Best Glazed Orange Sweet Rolls — These homemade orange rolls are filled with a buttery orange filling and are topped with a simple orange glaze. They can be prepped the night before, if needed.
Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Bake — The recipe is easy, ready in 40 minutes, and you don’t even have to make scratch cinnamon roll dough.
The BEST Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls — The glaze soaks into the nooks and crannies and adds even more moisture and softness. Total gooey, cinnamon-and-sugary, juicy perfection.
1-Hour Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting — The dough is made, rolled out, sliced, and immediately baked, which eliminates many hours and steps compared to most cinnamon roll recipes.
Caramel Apple Cinnamon Roll Bake — This cinnamon roll recipe with apples and caramel sauce is easy, ready in 30 minutes, and you don’t even have to make scratch cinnamon roll dough.
I made these for the kids for Christmas morning and just WOW. They were SO SO SO GOOD. They take time, but it’s SO WORTH IT. I did the overnight version, which worked out perfectly. I seriously cannot recommend this recipe enough. Thank you!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad that these were so so good and worth it!! I know that they take time as all homemade cinnamon rolls do BUT like you said, they are worth it!! :)
These were delicious and such a hit!! Have you tried preparing the dough and cutting them out and then freezing the uncooked rolls? I’m looking for a way to give these to friends as a treat so they can e just pull them out of the freezer and cook them. Thank you for a such a yummy recipe!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad that they were delicious!
I’ve never tried that. Yeast can be funny…sometimes what you describe works, sometimes it doesn’t. You would have to make a test batch (or test a half batch) and see if it works. It’s not quite the same but baking them off and then freezing the baked rolls works. My grandma used to do this all the time. You can warm them very briefly after thawing them and top with frosting and they’re almost just as good!
Thank you for sharing this Overnight Buttermilk Soft and Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls, seems amazing . Can’t wait to try these delicious cinnamon roll.
Should I store the buns with the frosting on OR keep them separate until I’m ready to eat?
Either way is fine. I probably would lean towards storing separately but it’s fine either way.
Amazing! This dough was so fluffy and light! I’m at 6,700 ft. and did not have to make any adjustments for elevation. This will be my new go to cinnamon roll recipe.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad these came out great for you and you didn’t even have to make any elevation adjustments! Fabulous they’ll be your new go to cinnamon roll recipe!
Averie, HELP!
I’ve been making this recipe for a very long time, and always pass it along to my friends. But for some reason my dough never ever winds up sloppy and wet, I always have to add about a quarter cup more buttermilk just to even make the flour mix in. I’m so careful that I don’t add more flour than I should but it just doesn’t seem to work. Any thoughts??
It is really hard to say what is going on. I use King Arthur brand all-purpose flour and Trader Joe’s buttermilk. Try that specific flour. And maybe switch up your buttermilk brand.
If the rolls are working out for you, it’s probably not necessary to really get too deep into thought about this, but if they’re not, that’s when you can start doing some deeper detective work.
I was excited for these…everything seemed perfect until the baking…baked at 350 for 22min…completely burnt…guess I should have checked them sooner…but judging by how burnt they were, it’s like they only needed 10 mins to cook…?!?! Just seems weird…
Your oven sounds like it runs extremely hot. Sure you maybe didn’t set it for 450 rathe than 350 which also would make sense?
I am sorry that they were burnt but the bake time is correct (within a few minutes) and no one has ever complained of this and the recipe is nearly a decade old without anyone else saying anything…
Can you make the overnight cinnaminson rolls dough in a breadmaker
I doubt it, but I have not tried. You would have to try and see but my guess is, no.
Also, I forgot to add, I nixed the 9×13 for cinnamon rolls unless I only have 6 (maybe 9 at the most) in the pan :). I baked my test batches per the recipe instructions.
I made this recipe last year and was not really impressed. However, I had made it in a 9×13 glass pan. I decided to again last week because I need a really good recipe to make approx 100 rolls for a gathering. I made these changes: mixed whole milk with sour cream (I rarely buy buttermilk and did not want to make a special purchase for a test recipe), used active yeast (I buy it by the pound and proofed and increased appropriately) and on the test batch used white sugar in the filling because I was out of brown. I sliced my test batch into 18 rolls and froze 6, baked 6 the same day and allowed 6 to rest in fridge for 24+ hours due to knowing I would not be able to prepare and bake 100 rolls in 16 hours along with other items that must be prepared – so was trying to determine what worked or did not work. All were DELICIOUS!!! – soft and just plain good :) (fyi – I do not recommend the white sugar in the filling – follow the instructions and use brown) The ones that rested in the fridge did not proof as much as the others but it was acceptable and the softness was very close to the others. I do not plan to test other recipes. I have a batch flash freezing now and another batch on its first rise. Thank you for the detailed instructions.
Thanks for the 5 star review and for all the detailed info what you did and your opinions/recommendations! Wonderful to hear that this will be your go-to recipe now for the 100 that you need to make! Glad that sour cream + whole milk worked fine, too. Thanks for giving the recipe another try (with your tweaks) and glad it was a hit!
These cinnamon rolls and your detailed instructions were EXCELLENT! So good. Thank you for a keeper of a recipe.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that the recipe is a keeper for you!
Kneading for 10 to 12 minutes in a stand mixer was way too long! I trusted the recipe but that was foolish of me-my dough turned out very overworked and tough. I would have appreciated a caution in this recipe on over-working the dough, and a description on how dense to expect the dough to be.
Maybe your mixer is more powerful than mine, different flour, different climates, there are so many variables in bread making. I have never had someone bring up this concern though in all the comments over the years that I’ve gotten on this recipe. Thanks for trying the recipe.
Greetings–quick question! Why can you only refrigerate for up to 16 hours…how about 24 hours? Thanks so much!
The yeast can over proof and then the rolls won’t turn out properly.
Hi,
Great recipe, I have made it once before following the exact recipe for my friends as part of brunch. They loved these cinnamon rolls.
Quick question: Would I be able to substitute the granulated sugar in the dough for brown sugar as well?
I would not start changing the types of sugar around. Make it as written and as you made before which yielded great results.
I’m wanting to make a few batches and freeze them. Should I bake them and then freeze them or freeze them (with no frosting) and bake them when I’m ready?
Hard to say because I’ve never done it but I would go with the bake, freeze, frost method.
I have been making cinnamon buns for a while now but this is definitely the best recipe I have used. I followed it almost exactly except II had made some yogurt that was a little runny so I used that instead of the butter milk and they turned out perfectly. They tasted great the next day and from the freezer. The only thing I would differently is use half the icing recipe as I will now need to make another dozen cinnamon buns to use all the extra icing – I am not too unhappy about that ;)
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this is the best recipe you’ve ever used!
I know you don’t say you can do this, but I doubled the recipe and used a kitchenaid mixer and it worked great. So now ya know! This recipe is the BEST.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad these are the BEST!
Glad to know that you doubled the recipe and used a KitchenAid with great success.
These cinnamon rolls were easy to make and were quite possibly the best I’ve ever eaten….and I’ve eaten more cinnamon rolls than I care to admit! My husband declared them in the top 3 sweet things I’ve ever made in the 21 years we’ve been married (the others being lemon bars and coconut cream pie). My children loved them so much that they were sneaking the rolls out of the kitchen to eat them in secret! I don’t know how they taste the next day…they didn’t last 12 hours. The rolls were soft and pillowy, exactly what I was looking for. I loved that I could refrigerate them overnight. Next time I’ll probably make a simple glaze. I liked the cream cheese frosting but most of my family doesn’t like cream cheese. If I could give this recipe 6 stars, I would. This is going in my permanent cookbook…. the one my children are already calling dibs on! Thank you for sharing it!!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad they were quite possibly the best you’ve ever eaten and top 3 things you’ve ever made!!
I love this recipe and have made these often. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced the sugar being a bit crystallized and gritty? I wondered if I mixed the butter and sugar together if that might help. This dough is really amazing and I love that I can make them the night before. I still gave it 5 stars.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad you make these often!
I have never had any issues or read from anyone that’s written in with the sugar issue you’re talking about. Maybe as you said you could try doing what you suggested and see if that helps in your case.
I’ve made this recipe several times and it is my go to! Delicious rolls topped with decadent cream cheese frosting, how can you go wrong? I need to make 3 dozen for a wonens retreat in a few weeks, have you ever frozen the rolls or the dough? I’d love to take them frozen, leave them out on the counter to come to room temp then bake them? What are your thoughts?
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad you love these rolls! I would say in answer to your questions, I never have done any of the above so I would just make a test batch, maybe halve it – do one thing with one half and see how that goes, and another variable/thing with the other half – and then decide what’s best for the retreat. Good luck!
I make these Christmas Eve and then bake them for Christmas morning every year! We love them :)
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad these are you go-to for Christmas morning!
I may just now be reviewing, but I’ve made this recipe at least 3 times! I made them at Christmas last year and the year before for Christmas morning and they were a hit with everyone. I looooooove how you can make the day before (and I may try making them 2 days before… not sure how they’d do an extra day in the fridge) and then just put them out and bake in the morning. And they are so fluffy! And delicious. I also love the icing, but even heaping it on I only use 1/2 to 3/4 of it. But I love love love this recipe!! It has become a family favorite.
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad this is a family favorite! You can always halve the icing recipe if you find it’s too much for you.
This is by far the best recipe for cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had! When people are looking at it it may seem like a lot of steps but it is just super detailed so you don’t mess up! Thanks for such a great recipe this is my go-to!! So yummy! :)
Thanks for saying that it’s the best cinnamon roll recipe you’ve ever had! PS if you look at it it seems like there’s a lot of steps, but I’ve found with recipes in general, especially anything to do with bread or yeast, if I’m not extremely specific and detailed, people screw it up. So I try to prevent that and save everyone a lot of frustration.
I’ve made these so many times now, and iI beentoo tell you thank you! My mom used to make the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had before she passed, but her recipe was just in her head! Every recipe I’ve tried has been ok, but a failure ultimately at re-creating her recipe. Until yours. I cried the first time iI th ate them because the taste immediately brought me back to her and her cinnamon rolls. She used a glaze instead of a cream cheese, but there taste after it melts it’s identical. I can’t thank you enough for these. Not only are they amazing just on their own, but you helpedmy family find a piece of mom again. Thank you!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad these rolls are ‘the ones’ that make you feel like you’re eating your mom’s rolls! What a lovely comment and so glad these are perfect for you!
Hi there! Just want to say I’ve made these more times than I can count over the past few years, and in many climates, kitchens, states, and even multiple countries. This is one of my all-time favorite recipes and it works like a charm every time for me. Thanks so much for sharing it!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this has been a staple go-to for you – even in multiple countries! I have a few recipes like that myself but it’s nice to hear that this recipe is just that for you!
I tried your pumpkin cinnamon rolls and they were hands down the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever eaten! I can’t wait to try these for Easter tomorrow. Have you tried doubling the recipe to make more than 12?
I never have tried doubling it because I have never needed that many at once. I am glad you think they are the best cinnamon rolls ever!
I made these today and am pretty satisfied with the result! The dough tastes heavenly and is really soft. But I don’t know how to roll the dough up tighter. Whenever I roll it up, it’s super loose and as a result, they puff up a lot and don’t turn out as professional. I will keep trying to make these until I get it right! Thank you!
It just takes some practice…take your time to make as tight of a roll as you can. Add more flour to your surface and/or possibly roll the dough a bit thinner and it could be easier to make a tighter roll. Glad they taste great though!
I’m excited to try this recipe – it looks amazing!!
I’m just wondering if I can use dry active yeast or if it has to be instant yeast? If so, are there any modifications I would need to make in order to use regular dry active yeast rather than instant?
Thanks soo much!!
I have only made this particular yeast roll recipe with instant. I can’t say for sure what will happen if you use active. There may be different things in the proofing process and/or a different amount to use but I can’t say or advise since I haven’t done it that way.
Awesome. I ate much more than I should :)
That’s the best kind of compliment, thank you :) Glad you enjoyed them!
Hi Averie,
I tried this recipe and while it tasted great, the dough came out way too dense. I was wondering if perhaps I over-kneaded it (I use a KitchenAid mixer and set it on low for 10 minutes), or if my oven was too warm when the dough was rising (the dough was really warm to the touch when I took it out and sort of “limp” to work with, I couldn’t get tight rolls like yours).
This is my first time making any recipe with dough, so I definitely want to try again! Thank you!
I would say over-kneading could be the culprit but likely if it’s your first time making dough, you over-floured it. Way too dense is a sign of too much flour. And yes your oven was too warm. It’s summertime and you can just leave it on the counter and skip the ‘trick’ of the oven to cut down on the variables at play. Dough can be tricky so stick with it and keep trying :)
Can i substitute the instant dry yeast for active dry yeast??
There is a way to substitute/swap them but because I have only tried the recipe as written, there’s no way for me to tell you how much to use, what to do, etc. because I haven’t tried it that way.
I have tried several cinnamon roll recipes and these are the best I have ever made! Thank you for the tips too; I was one of those overcrowding my 9 x 13 pan and not getting the size and having the tops too browned. The oven to 400 for a minute is a great idea too. I did bake my first batch in glass (seven in a 9 x 13, the rest in a glass 7 x 11). They turned out great. I have one batch in the fridge to bake tomorrow on a metal pan. I am anxious to see how they turn out.
So glad I pinned this! Your directions are so easy to follow. Great recipe!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Glad they’re the best cinnamon rolls you’ve ever made and that the tips are helpful!
This recipe is so good! I have made it again and again. I even used this recipe to teach a group of high school and middle school girls how to put together good cinnamon rolls. They always turn out fluffy and delicious.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it’s a repeated favorite and one that you even use to teach with because it’s reliably fluffy and delicious!
Averie: I plan to give your recipe a try next week for church. I used to make wonderful cinnamon rolls, but have been failing miserably. the last batch baked on the outside but was not done in the middle. Could the switch to glass pans be the cause? When I use glass I usually reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees (F). I plan to use the foil you recommend. I could buy disposable aluminum pans, but I am concerned the bottoms will burn. What are your thoughts.
Do not use glass nor disposable pans. Use metal, line your pans, don’t change the oven temp, follow the recipe as written and I think you’ll have success. Good luck!
The very best recipe I’ve ever tried for cinnamon rolls! I only baked 4 of them today and I’m so glad! I will bake the rest when I am not alone! LOL ate the first one warm out of the oven. They are everything you said and more. Thanks!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Glad it’s the best recipe you’ve ever tried!
Just what a cinnamon roll should be- light, fluffy, covered with cream cheese frosting! I was looking for a new cinnamon roll recipe that would work for me, and this was it! I knew I had to try this recipe when the roll described sounded exactly what my ideal cinnamon roll should be! Thank you, thank you.
I did substitute 1 cup of whole wheat flour for all-purpose. Still fluffy, but probably wouldn’t do more than the one cup.:)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And I’m impressed they were still fluffy with 1 c WW flour!
Averie, this comment is well overdue. I have made these more times than I can count. They are superb and truly the best cinnamon roll recipe out there! I make them using the make ahead directions for Christmas morning. But for those times when I cannot wait, I make them immediately. Thank you so much. They are truly the best!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it’s a favorite of yours and that think they’re truly the best cinnamon rolls!!
I love you. That’s all.
But really, these are amazing. It was the perfect start to my Friday morning with a cup of coffee.
YUM.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Glad it was a perfect start to your day!
I want to try making this recipe, but I don’t have instant yeast, just regular. Do I proof the treat, then proceed with the recipe as directed?
That probably sounds about right but because I have only made the recipe with instant, I can’t say for sure since I haven’t tried your way.
Yes! It worked! I heated the buttermilk according to your and the yeast’s directions. I let it proof while I started the recipe and followed the directions otherwise.
I actually made half tonight, and the other half is in the fridge for tomorrow morning.
They taste delicious!! I will definitely have to make this recipe again!
I totally agree with Ashley! These are the best cinnamon rolls ever! I have made many a cinnamon roll recipe and this is, hands down, the best. My family went crazy over the rolls:). They are moist and gooey and just perfect. Thanks Averie!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Glad they get the award as hands down, the best, for you and your family!
Ax thanks for this recipe Averie, just made them and popped into the fridge, they have become our traditional Easter Sunday breakfast. Needless to say this recipe is foolproof and amazingly delicious. Who doesn’t love a soft gooey cinnamon roll
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And that it’s become your traditional Sunday Easter Breakfast! What a great story and thanks for sharing :)
I am making these tonight…and my dough has already risen in less than 1 1/2. I put in in a warm oven (preheated to 140, then turned off) and it looks ready to roll out. Could this be?
All climates, doughs, ingredients, etc. vary so use your judgment and do what you think is best. Enjoy!
How would you suggest making this recipe but make them as mini cinnamon rolls? Would love to make these for a brunch!
I haven’t tried the recipe that way so can’t give any specific thoughts on modifications. Good luck!
These are great but I freeze them uncooked then leave them out covered with a tea towel and bake in the morning. If the house is cold I put the oven on to 200 and then turn it off . I wait for ten minutes then put the rolls in to rise in the warmth. After they have risen I remove them and preheat the oven to 350 then bake.
This is fresh and gooey without the hassle !
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad you’ve found a method that works great and you’re happy!
I just made these for a snow day and they didn’t rise after removing them from the fridge. Therefore they probably didn’t rise like they should in the oven either. What could be the cause?
It’s hard to say with yeast-based recipes but sounds like the yeast wasn’t doing it’s job. If yeast is alive and has been integrated into the dough, then the dough should rise. If it doesn’t rise, I always suggest buying new fresh yeast and trying again. Before moving on to any other steps, if the dough doesn’t initially rise after that first 2 1/2 hour rise, then you can’t move on because you’ll be baking with heavy, dense dough and won’t get the proper results.
Super hit with my folks! Everyone loved them! Will definitely make again.
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it came out great for you! Glad they’re a hit with everyone and that you’ll make again!
I too have tried a bunch of cinnamon roll recipes, and I agree with your assessment that these are the best I’ve had. For instance, I think these are better than the Pioneer Woman recipe, the Good Eats recipe, and the Paula Deen recipe on the Food Network site. I made them twice, once for Christmas and once for our all-day of college football watching on New Year’s Eve. The second time, I didn’t have any brown sugar for the filling (I’d used it all the previous week), so I had to use white sugar. I reduced it to 3/4 of a cup, and they were still amazing, the filling was maybe a little less caramely, which I guess some people (by which I mean my husband) might even prefer. Really, really great recipe!!! This will be my staple recipe now.
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it came out great for you! (both with and without brown sugar)
And the fact that you think they’re better than PW’s, Alton’s, and Paula’s, wow, I am honored!! Thank you so much!
Hi
May I know any substitute for the buttermilk?tks
In this recipe you really do need to use buttermilk. There are ways you could probably do it with a combo of Greek yogurt and milk, but I don’t know where to start with the ratios, and recommend making it as written, no substitutions.
Averie – I just wanted to tell you how delicious these were! This was my first attempt at baking cinnamon rolls and they turned out amazing! Your directions were thorough and easy to follow and because of that, there was minimal room for error. I did the overnight version for Christmas with my family and everyone raved about how delicious, light, and fluffy they were. I think these might become a new family tradition! Thanks again for the great recipe, I’ll definitely be making these again!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And thanks for the compliments about my directions leaving minimal room for error. Glad to hear you’ll be making these again!
hey,
can they be made in mini cupcake pans?
will i have to grease them?
thank you :)
I wouldn’t try these in a mini cupcake pan. I’d make the recipe as written.
Hi Averie – Thanks for the wonderful recipe! It’s my go-to for cinnamon rolls and they’re always a hit! I have to make 5-6 batches, and I was wondering if you’ve ever tried freezing the rolls once you’ve formed them, before baking? Just trying to figure out how I might make it easier to make so many at one time. :) Thanks for the help!
So glad you’re a fan of this recipe! I have never frozen unbaked dough. I have only frozen the rolls after they’ve been baked. You could try it with one batch to see how it goes. I do worry a little that freezing the dough will deactivate the yeast and they won’t puff up nicely in the oven but then again, there is storebought freezer dough for pizza (but that has lots of commercial additives and ‘tricks’…) so I would say try one batch if you’re curious. LMK how it goes!
Hey! Wanted to stop back and let you know I tried freezing them, and it worked beautifully! I couldn’t tell the difference between the ones that were frozen and the ones that were refrigerated. I formed the dough into rolls, placed them on the baking sheets, then covered them with plastic wrap, then a layer of tin foil. I froze them, then took them out the night before I wanted to bake them and let them rise on the counter overnight. It was awesome – they rose perfectly! Anyway, I just wanted to share that with you in case you ever find that you need to do it, too! :)
Thanks for the followup comments and details about what you did and that you couldn’t tell the difference between the ones that were frozen and the ones that were refrigerated! That’s awesome and I’m sure this info will help others that may see it, too!
Hi Averie,
Thank you so much for replying and guess I have to deal with the stickiness. This gonna be my keeper. Once again thank you so much for the awesome recipe. God blessed you
Hi Averie, thank you so much for sharing your awesome recipe. I just made it today and it turned out great. The texture that I am looking for. Soft and fluffy. So far this is the best compared with the rest that I have tried.
The only issue for me was the dough is still sticky after the 10 to 12 mins hook knead plus 5 mins hand knead. The dough kept on sticking to my hand but as advice by you on above, I do it patiently although it is still sticky. Is this normal or the dough texture should be shiny and smooth ? Mine is not smooth and it is sticky. I even have to roll it slowly by scraping the dough. Did I do something wrong here ?
Once again thank you.
The stickier and wetter the dough is, the softer and fluffier the rolls tend to turn out. Adding flour is going to vary greatly based on climate, humidity, brand of flour, etc. but since you loved the texture, I say just deal with the stickiness. If you add more flour, the dough will be easier to work with but the finished rolls will be denser and more heavy from the extra flour. Glad you love the recipe!
I just made these and they were so amazing! Took me longer than the prep time said but I think each time I’ll get the hang of it more. I didn’t have buttermilk on hand so I used 2% and they were still lovely. I think the buttermilk will def make them fluffier but these were still the best i ever had. I also only used three cups of powdered sugar and that was plenty.. I’ll prob use 2.5 next time. I loved that you could taste the tanginess of the cream cheese still. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you even without using buttermilk! That will DEFINITELY make them even softer and fluffier next time, so you’re in for a treat. And yes, the more you make rolls, the faster you get!
Btw today is my b.day and I made the cinnamon rolls this morning.
Is there a best way to celebrate my breakfast B-DAY ?!
Happy birthday and thanks for trying the recipe and glad the rolls worked out great for you and that you’re able to enjoy them on your special day!!! I hope the rolls were just the beginning :)
Averie,
I am so thrilled I gave your recipe a try!
Since I live in Switzerland I wasn’t sure about the whole ingredient list and was a bit curious to see how the dough will turn out.
Eventually I’ve noticed that my dough was way too sticky and had to add extra flour to it.
Then I’ve left it the whole night for the 1st rise. Then rolled the dough and 2nd rise for about 45 minutes.
Then in the oven.
Well I have to say that since I had a bunch of cinnabons when I was in NJ,…I am so THRILLED about these cinnamon rolls. The dough is PERFECT and I love its fluffiness and just perfect moist.
I have now MY perfect recipe and for that I am so thankful.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR TREASURE WITH US ALL :)
Celina.
Hi Avery!
I congratulate you for your site and your recipes. I am a fan of cinnamon rolls, and now one of your fan. After revising a lot or recipes, I decided to make your recipe for the detailed instruction of the recipe and the lot of comments you have. Definitively this recipe ROCKS!!!! What a amazing results!. Prepared two batches this weekend. In the first one, I warm the oven at 170°F, shut off and wait 10 minutes before introduce the bowl with the dough. The dough rised more than doubled its volume in less than 1 hour. Even though I dislike the texture of the dough because it was little dry externally. The results were great, but I considered the taste was low in cinnamon. So I repeat the recipe with these changes:
Dough: 492 grams of all purpose flour (4 cups + 1 tbsp), more sugar (up to 90 g vs 65 g original) to balance the salt in butter and buttermilk. Rise on the countertop – no oven. 1st rise: 1 hour 2nd rise: 1 hour + 15 minutes
Filling: less butter (used brush instead of knife), white sugar (I didn’t have brown sugar), 2 tablespoons of cinnamon. Raisins and pine nuts added over cinnamon
Topping: Butter brushed on top of every roll and some granulated sugar added over butter
The results were AWESOME!!!! What delicious!!!! THE PERFECT CINNAMON ROLL. I am very excited with the results. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And thank you for your enthusiastic support and sharing what you did!
Just wanted to say these are the best cinnamon rolls, and whenever I need homemade cinnamon rolls, this is my go to recipe. I’m only seventeen, and I only just started working with yeast in my baking, and these were easy and amazingly delicious. The only thing I changed when I made them a second time was rolling out the dough into a 26 by 13 inch rectangle like the glazed orange rolls, so I could make 20 rolls instead of 12 and have a little better portion control. The glaze is also amazing and addictive.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it’s your favorite recipe! Good call on making the rolls a little smaller (like my recipe for the orange ones) and I am so impressed that you’re 17 and making scratch cinnamon rolls! I was making poptarts at your age…LOL :)
I just pulled the rolls out of the oven. The filling appears to be a lake in the bottom of the pan. I made the overnight version. What happened??
I think that you probably didn’t roll them tightly enough and upon baking, the buttery mixture slid toward the bottom as it warmed up. Next time really concentrate on making a tight log when you’re rolling. Also, some leakage is normal but sounds like you have more than that. But I’m sure they still taste great. Just scoop up the saucy goodness and scoop it over the top of the rolls with a spoon and enjoy!
These were truly the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had, and they were surprisingly easy to make! Can’t wait to make them again!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad they were truly the best cinnamon rolls you’ve ever had, and that they were so easy for you to make! Wonderful to hear!
Averie, thank you so much!! I made these for Easter brunch yesterday and they were incredible. Way better recipe than other cinnamon rolls I’ve made. And thank you for the DETAILED instructions!
Thanks for trying the recipe, glad they came out better than other rolls you’ve tried, and that all my details really help!
Averie-
Okay so the first time around I messed up on the oven 1 min trick.. Yes I had a Rock of bread by the time I realized :(:( I cried for about twenty min. but I just made them again today with much more patience And attention and they are amazing!!! Thank you for sharing! First timE (well I guess second time ;) ) making cinnamon rolls from scratch!
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad the 2nd time was a charm! Cinn rolls aren’t the easiest first-ever yeasted bread to make so I commend you for making these and so glad they came out amazing for you!
Averie, these were amazing!! Always great to start with an America’s Test Kitchen base. I let the dough rise longer than 2 hours the first time, so it was really quick to rise again once they were rolled up. Also, I can’t imagine someone halving the frosting recipe. I thought it was just enough (though I have a bit of a sweet tooth…). Will definitely be making these again!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And I like to do a long first rise with any bread recipe if I have the time and planned well for it…glad you had great luck with that, and then yes the 2nd rise is much quicker. And glad you’re a full-batch frosting person just like me :) Can’t go wrong with ATK recipes, plus some tweaks to make them more user-friendly!
So, I am working on my 2nd batch of this dough because I thought I had messed up the first batch. Neither of my batches were “wet” as you describe. I was wondering if anyone else had this “problem”? My dough didn’t ever stick to the sides of my bowl or the bottom. It was very nice and pliable, but never wet or sticky to the touch. Any insights? Thanks.
Neither of my batches were “wet” as you describe <--- you probably added more flour than I did. Easy fix: add less flour. It's not 'bad' that it's not a wetter dough; but the wetter you can deal with the dough (to a point!) the softer and lighter the rolls will be b/c they're not weighed down with heavy flour. Newer bread-makers tend to overflour and people tend to over-measure their flour in general so this is common, but easily fixed :)
I just made these and popped them into my fridge for the night. Question — should I let them come up to room temperature on my countertop, or in my oven, or in my oven after it’s been warmed up at 400 for a minute?
By this time you probably made them but I allow them to rise on my counter or in my oven after the 400F/1 minute trick. Kind of depends on the weather and season, and whether my kitchen is really chilly or not. If it’s chilly, I keep them in the oven. In the summer, just on the counter.
Thank you so much for sharing this awesome recipe. This was the first time ever baking with yeast. It was super exciting to watch the cut cinnamon rolls double in size. The rolls not only looked beautiful but tasted delightful! My husband claims they are superior to Cinnabon! Thank you for making me look like a true baker!!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! My favorite kind of comments are when a brand new (never made a yeast recipe in their life) baker makes a yeast recipe of mine and nails it AND their entire family goes nuts :) That’s so wonderful and if you can make cinn rolls, you can make ANY kind of bread now you want!
I did you Red Star Platinum like you suggested, but possibly my buttermilk was too warm, I did it for 45 second and it seemed to be correct but I did not take it’s temperature. I see others have had success so I am sure it was something I did. Could you send me a pan so I can taste them? :) They look delicious..
Too hot can definitely kill yeast and cause non-rising issues. If you didn’t take the temp, then no one really knows where things went wrong but honestly, I have had novice (never made ANY yeasted dough before, never made cinn rolls, etc.) bakers make these with success so after 35 years, I know it’s something very small in your case and that you will crack the code!
Was really looking forward to this recipe, I have been making my own cinnamon rolls for over 35 years, so I would say I have some experience, and I will admit, these did not turn out like I had hoped. I really felt like adding a dry yeast into the mix was the reason the rising just didn’t turn out. I am sorry because I do love buttermilk in any recipe. I may try it again but using a yeast in a warm water mix, and adding more flour.
You cannot add any old dry yeast without proofing it…you have to make sure it’s INSTANT dry yeast. The one I swear by and never lets me down is Platinum by Red Star Yeast. You possibly grabbed active dry yeast which does need to be proofed and cannot be added dry. If you’ve been making your own rolls for 35 years, you probably have an amazing recipe already but I am thinking there was just one little thing that didn’t come together for you on mine and that’s the reason they didn’t rise. Also make sure your yeast is fresh – things you probably know, but just going down my mental checklist. Thanks for trying the recipe.
I’ve made these now four times and every time I’ve been disappointed. Disappointed when others discover that I’ve made them and then eat them… because then I have fewer to eat. Because they’re delicious. I do not like difficult recipes, and I love how genuinely easy these are. I brought these to work one day and had a coworker tell me that they reminded her of when she was little and her dad would take her to the mall and they would get Cinnabon. So not only did she call these Cinnabon quality, but they also had serious nostalgia bonus points. Thanks to this recipe my coworkers and husband continue to tolerate me.
So glad these are a hit with everyone and that they brought back some fond memories for your coworker!
Waiting for my dough to double right now, but thought I’d ask why you lay foil down? Sorry if it’s a silly question. I’ve made tons of cinnamon rolls before and have never laid foil down before baking. Can I omit this step? So excited to try them out! :)
I lay foil down to save with cleanup – it truly makes cleanup soooo fast and I can just lift all the rolls out of the pan with ease, all at once, but you can omit it if you prefer.
O-M-G. These were SO amazing, even reheated the next day. Thank you for the incredible, step-by-step and detailed instructions. I don’t make a lot of recipes with yeast, but used the Red Star Platinum and it worked out beautifully. I ended up adding the 3 extra tbsp of flour – it did not come out doughy at all. My parent’s oven also stays pretty warn in between the 45 minute blasts so my dough doubled in 1 hour and 40 minutes. I had no problems rolling it out, likely because of that extra 3T of flour. I did the overnight option and stuck them into a warm oven to rise again and that worked out well for me.
I hardly ever comment on blog posts, but I just HAD to on this one. Thank you so much for the amazing recipe!
Thanks for commenting and glad you loved these rolls as much as I do and so glad they were a hit! They’re truly my fave cinn roll and so happy they turned out amazing for you too!
Waiting for my dough to double right now, but thought I’d ask why you lay foil down? Sorry if it’s a silly question. I’ve made tons of cinnamon rolls before and have never laid foil down before baking. Can I omit this step? So excited to try them out! :)
I am trying these with a gluten free yeast and flour and I can’t wait! Can they be in the fridge for 24 hours instead of just 16?
Hello! First let me say that I love ALL of your recipes. I just can’t decide if I should make this overnight recipe or your one hour cinnamon bun recipe for Christmas morning. I am not skilled in baking bread but would try the best recipe no matter what. Time is not an issue. Can you please suggest your favorite of the two? I have read and read the two recipes and cannot decide. Thank you and Merry Christmas!! Kristen
I would go with these; there is just something about them that’s truly one of a kind. They are amazing.
Also this dough https://www.averiecooks.com/2014/06/the-best-glazed-orange-sweet-rolls.html as well as this dough https://www.averiecooks.com/2014/09/the-best-pumpkin-cinnamon-rolls.html are both wonderful. Super duper soft and fluffy and I love both of them!
LMK what you go with and how things go!
Ok, first, these are hands down THE. BEST. CINNAMON. ROLLS. EVER. Second, I have been curious how I could make the same recipe a pumplin cinnamon roll. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Ta-dah!! https://www.averiecooks.com/2014/09/the-best-pumpkin-cinnamon-rolls.html They are seriously THE BEST rolls…love them. If you like these overnight buttermilk rolls, you’re gonna LOVE the pumpkin version!
So glad you’re a fan of these! LMK what you think of the pumpkin version!
Love the detail. I was looking for something to do while waiting for the church council to show up for their meeting this evening. Wonderful recipe, wonderful guidelines, thank you so much. I know they will turn out great. Best line? “If you want no-knead, make Challah or English Muffins.” LOL
Glad you enjoy the details. One can never be too specific when trying to walk strangers through how to make and roll out yeast-based dough via the internet :)
Hi, I surely would like to try this recipe because the two times I have tried on another recipe the dough when cooked was too hard for my and my husband’s liking. I hope that with this I can achieve the softness that I want. I still have quite an amount of active yeast in my pantry and maybe you could help me with the measurement of it for this particular recipe of yours.
Thanks heaps!
I pinnee this a while ago but I hace been wanting to make these for the past month. I have little yeast experience I used rapid rise yeast cause the store I went to didn’t have the other kind. So I only had let it rise for 1.5 hours. They turned out perfect! Anyways they were sooooo amazingly delicious! Thank you so much for sharing. These will be our new Christmas tradition! Yum yum!
Thanks for making these and glad the yeast you used worked out just fine and that these will become your new Xmas tradition!
Hi!
I see that medium-low is the speed with the paddle, but what speed to you kneed to dough at for 10-12 minutes? I’m always unsure of that and afraid to do it too fast or too slow and mess it up. I’ve always wanted to perfect yeast dough and have failed every time.
Thanks in advance for the info!
Anna
You always kneed with the dough hook at low, always. Like a level 2 or so.
I love that this is an overnight recipe! I don’t want to wake up at 5 either. I’m so wxcited to make these I’ve beem craving cinnamon rolls for a long time!
Hi! I just made these cinnamon roll and they came out great! This was my first time working with yeast and everything worked perfectly. Thank you for the clear instructions and great recipe!
Wow this was your first time EVER working with yeast and you made cinnamon rolls (not as easy as say just a plain old loaf of bread)! That’s impressive and so happy that they worked out great and glad my instructions/recipe worked out so well for you!
Can these be frozen? And if so at what point? Thank you
I would make them straight through, then freeze the unfrosted rolls. That method works very well with most any (yeast) bread or roll.
You can freeze them after they get cut and put in the pan. Take them out the night before and then after the rise bake them. Nothing beats fresh baked rolls!
I have made these several times, and they are always great. But they aren’t ever quite as fluffy as your’s. I also have this problem with all cinnamon rolls I make (and I have been making them from scratch for years and years), the sugar and cinnamon puddles in the bottom of the pan, while these sit overnight in the fridge overnight especially, and then while they cook, they become a melted sheet of sugar on the bottom of the pan while hot…which isn’t awful, but as they cool, the buns get quite crunchy where the sugar crusted around the bottom. Anything I can do to prevent this?!
Sounds like you’re maybe not rolling up the dough log as tightly as you could, therefore it’s leaking out. I would take your time, roll tighter, and maybe that will work? Just guessing based on what you say happens with every recipe you try. You could also reduce the amount of filling mixture (less to leak out that way).
I’ve just found this recipe (and your site) so I haven’t tried it yet. I’ve made recipes for years and for some reason the bottoms of mine always get hard. What am I doing wrong? Thank you and I look forward to trying these this weekend.
Rolls that are hard on the bottom could be due to overbaking, dough that’s too dense, or baking too long that the undersides are overcooking but the insides still may be doughy (an issue with some yeast recipes). Please follow this recipe to the letter, you will not have that issue! Or try these https://www.averiecooks.com/2014/06/the-best-glazed-orange-sweet-rolls.html
These re fabu-tastic! I was craving cinnamon rolls, but was so disappointed by several recipes I found online. Not these! Like you, I used on the upper end of the cinnamon and I think the only issue I had was because we a so dry here, I think I need to not be lazy used sifted flour for measuring. I did the spoon into the cup technique, but with the initial amount of flour but when it mixed it turned into that elastic nice ball that is great to work with, but not quite as soft as you described. They were till delicious and the guys thought they were the best cinnamon rolls they ever had! Thanks for an amazing recipe! Another keeper!
So glad that the guys thought they were the best cinnamon rolls they ever had! I love cinnamon too and glad to hear you do and yes, San Diego is super dry too compared to say TX or Fla and so I have to be very careful because dough can get so dry in a hurry. Glad everything worked out beautifully for you!
Do you have a suggestion for good cinnamon? The last two bottles I bought were not good. I want to give this a good chance to be perfect.
I just buy whatever is on sale, McCormick, storebrand, etc. or Trader Joe’s if I’m there. I have spent a ton of money on cinnamon before and high end cinnamon is actually a different type of cinnamon (cassia vs. ceylon, google it for more info) and I really don’t prefer the taste in baking.
I wanted to stop by and tell you how amazing these cinnamon rolls were. I live in Denver, CO and did not make any high altitude changes and they still turned out wonderful (I’m always worried about the altitude and how it is going to change a recipe). I followed your recipe exactly and thoroughly enjoyed learning about how to speed up the first rise. Thank you for this awesome cinnamon roll recipe!
Wow, what a great comment & so glad you loved the rolls! Thanks for LMK that you didn’t change a thing even for altitude baking (I am really not versed in that, at all) and glad to know they turned out great (people ask me this, so this is helpful). And glad you liked the tip for the first rise!
since my morning coffee happens at 6am,i guess I better do these the night before
I got your link from tatertots and jello. I’m so going to have to try this. :) I think I will add raisins to this also. Another thing I used to do (ages ago) was to slice the rolls horizontally, butter the cut sides and place butter side down in a frying pan and let sit until golden on the bottom. OMG!!! It is soooo good! Thanks for posting such a detailed recipe.
Your slicing/butter/frying technique sounds unbelievably decadent and amazing! Wow, I need to do that some time! Thanks for noticing the detail – I try to give as much detail as I possibly can to ensure the best chance for success for people!
I was just wondering if I could wait an extra day before baking them? Would you suggest freezing them or leaving them in the refrigerator??
I haven’t tried waiting an extra day to bake them but have done this with other bread recipes and have been fine. Definitely fridge, not freezer. But like I said, haven’t tried this personally. If you do, LMK!
After trying several recipes and getting cinnamon rolls that were okay but too tough or dry I was lucky enough to find this recipe. Simply the best cinnamon rolls ever.
What an awesome compliment, thank you!!!! :)
This recipe worked out beautifully as overnight cinnamon buns for Mother’s Day brunch! Everyone loved them! They were so delicious! Thank you so much! Will definitely make these again!
Thanks for trying the recipe and for Mother’s Day Brunch no less! Wonderful to hear you loved them and will make again!
so yummy
cgggggggghvh
Hello,
I just came across your recipe and these looks great! However I was wondering if I was to leave them overnight to rise, do i leave them in the fridge or just out on the side? also would I use instant dry yeast or active dry yeast? If some one could please answer my questions that would be great :) as I am hoping to prep these tomorrow evening.
Many thanks
The yeast is indicated very clearly in the recipe section of the post; re-read so you know what I recommend for optimal results.
Overnight rise, in the fridge. It’s all covered in the recipe so make sure to really read it so you know what you’re doing and where you’re headed. Bread can be tricky but this recipe is airtight and spelled out so take some time to really read it over :)
The dough is FANTASTIC! I made these cinnamon rolls this evening and baked them right away. The dough mixed up nicely in my Kitchen-Aid. I used Fleishman’s yeast (NOT Rapid-Rise) and my first rise more than doubled in an hour. I accidentally rolled too large -probably 12″ by 18″ and I mixed 1 – 1/4 cup brown sugar, 5 tbsp. cinnamon ( I also added 1/4 cup flour).Rolled and cut with floss. I got 16 rolls. The only problem I had was some filling fell out with every cut (maybe I didn’t roll tight enough?) I thought I had pressed the filling as well as I could into the butter. So I dipped the bottom of the rolls into the sugar mixture and sprinkled some on top. The 2nd rise only took about a half hour. They baked for about 25 minutes in a half sheet pan. the bottoms got crispy with the sugar mixture but not burnt. The dough yields a truly light & fluffy roll. I will use this dough for my Swedish Tea Ring. I can’t wait to try the overnight option. Also this cream cheese frosting is very good – not too sweet and it’s fluffy. Thanks for the recipe.
So glad you’re pleased with both the dough and the frosting recipe and that you’ll be able to utilize the dough for your Tea Ring!
Is there any point you can freeze them? I made them and they are delicious, but I don’t need a dozen at a time! Can I put them in the freezer instead of overnight in the fridge? Then follow the directions and thaw in the fridge when ready?
My waistline would appreciate if I didn’t have to make a dozen at a time! Thanks!
I would just make the recipe from start to finish and freeze the rolls that way. Bread in the freezer keeps quite well and you can then just unthaw and serve one-at-time or as you like.
Delish Easter morning breakfast! Thanks for sharing a fantastic recipe :)
Thanks for trying the recipe and so glad you enjoyed it for Easter morning!
I am making these now and hoping to hear back asap:) I followed all the measurements but my dough super dry with just 4 cups of flour. can I add more eggs or buttermilk to salvage or do I need to start over? TIA!
You can add either more eggs or butter to salvage it. In the future with flour and bread-making, add it very slowly; it’s climate-driven and depending on where you are, the day you’re having, etc. it can vary widely. As can the thickness of your buttermilk, exactly the size of your eggs, etc. So just add more liquid to get the dough to come together and you should be fine.
Thank you!!! I ended up just starting over and only used about 3 1/2 cups of flour. I’m new to breads:) the rolls are in he oven and look spectacular (for my first time at least). Can’t wait to frost and eat! Thank you for sharing the recipe and the very detailed instructions.
Yes even 1/2 c flour can make a huge diff so now you know, add slowly. That’s awesome this is your first yeast recipe ever – you’re in for a treat! LMK what you think!
I have made these several times since I found your recipe a month or two ago, and they are HEAVENLY! I am currently an English teacher in South Korea, and I have even made them for my co-workers at school. They were a huge hit! Thanks for sharing! :D
Oh I’m so happy you’re a fan of them and thanks for making them several times! And for reading all the way from South Korea!
Drooling over these! So making them this weekend. Pinned!
Thanks for pinning & wanting to try them! They’re my fave cinn roll recipe & hope you love them!
after pinning it, facebooking it, tweeting it…i tried to print out the recipe and directions.
very frustrating..spent one 1/2 hours, no deal!!
Sally
Sorry you were having a hard time printing. It works fine for me in Chrome & Safari. You could always just copy/paste the recipe to an email to yourself and then print.
Oh.my.gosh. Words can’t even describe how good these taste. I just made these little swirls of heaven, and let me just say wowie kazowie! I halved the frosting recipe and thought it was plenty. Also in the morning mine took over an hour and a half to rise after I put it in a warm, moist spot. Also in the oven mine got a little darker than I would have liked them to be after baking for 14 minutes, I am so glad I didn’t leave them in there for the full 22 minutes. Another note is that my dough was not a sticky mess that you described yours as. I was afraid they would turn out dense and hard but thank The Lord they didn’t!!!! God bless you and your cinnamon rolls.
Sounds like your dough was firmer, i.e. less wet, and therefore needed less baking time. Also you let them rise longer before baking, which often times can translate to some time shaved off the baking duration. Glad they turned out perfectly for you! So glad you enjoyed :)
hi,i’m Azucena fron Argentina,i don’t have a microwave,how do i warm the milk?were i live we have no stores that are close that sell sour milk,i searched on the internet and they say you can add lemon to normal milk and its the same,is that true?i hope you answer! they look amazing!
warm the milk in a pot on the stovetop and yes to lemon. Use google. Tons of info about this.
These are literally THE best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever made (my husband basically inhaled them). The recipe is DELICIOUS. I currently have a batch in the fridge. I’m going to pop them in the oven to take to our dog’s vet tomorrow morning as a goodbye/thank you gift before my family moves out of town. Thanks for sharing the recipe!!
You are so sweet to take these to the dog vet before their move! And I am thrilled to hear you say they’re the best rolls you’ve ever made! That is wonderful to hear :)
OMG FOODGASAM!!!!! My mother said she would give up sex for these cinnamon rolls,absolutely loves cinnamon rolls, one of her favorite desserts.I searched high and low for the perfect recipe and your’s is it! So glad i came across it, always saw your picture on all the comment boards for other sites and i am sooo… glad i found yours. Cant wait to try your chocolate chip cookie recipe, just made a batch from kaileys kitchen turned out phenomenal im sure yours will be just as great.Thanks for a great recipe.
P.S officially a HUGE fan!
Oh I love this comment :) I consider it a very high honor that your mom loves them THAT much! Thanks for finding me, trying the rolls, and be so ecstatic about them. That’s awesome! If you try other recipes of mine, LMK how they go!
Ok… First, I have to tell you that I decided to delve into the world of making cinnamon rolls from scratch and researched recipes for days… and days. When I decide to take on a new baking venture, I make sure I understand every single step! So, that left me with three different possible recipes, and at the very last minute before measuring out the first cup of flour, I chose yours. BEST DECISION OF MY BAKING CAREER! I, as well as my taste-testers, were absolutely blown away. In the beginning I was very nervous about my dough, it was not the sticky, ooey-gooey mess you described, and I was fearful they were going to turn out more like biscuits. Gross. But no, I followed your perfect directions (I am a bit OCD and very detail oriented) and kept chugging along. In the end, I made 2 batches, some were original flavor rolls, some were raisin cinnamon rolls, and to add a little creativity to please our palates, I even made some caramel apple cinnamon rolls. Thank you so much for making this recipe available to the world and explaining how to do it successfully. KUDOS TO YOU!!
God I love love love comments like this. THANK YOU! I am very ocd too and when I write recipes, I do my best to explain every single step so that there is NO gray area. I don’t gloss over things, especially with yeast bread and cinn rolls. Things can go wrong, in a hurry. So I am really glad you appreciate my attn to detail. It’s a pain to be that detailed but in the end, it makes everyone have a much higher chance of success. I am so glad you chose my recipe & love it!
The caramel apple cinnamon rolls sound amazing as do the cinn-raisin!
Rolls turned out picture perfect and delicious! I like to use a warm oven for proofing also. I turn my oven to the lowest temperature (170 F) before I start making the dough and then turn it off when it reaches that. By the time the dough is ready to proof, oven should be cooled off to just barely warm. To keep a little bit of warmth in the oven, just turn on your oven light. It generates enough heat to keep the oven warm for the entire proofing time. It’s a little safer than turning on your oven while proofing. It’s a little frustrating to get the oven too hot and ruin your dough!
Glad the rolls turned out picture perfect & delicious for you!
I just made these yesterday – the first time I have baked with yeast and it hasn’t been a rock-hard disaster! I really appreciated the detailed instructions. My dough was a sticky messy pile of gloop, and I would have added heaps of flour if you hadn’t explained that it’s supposed to be that way. I kept kneading and kneading until it kind of started coming together, and by rolling time it was a lovely smooth ball. Rolls came out soft. Thank you for posting this recipe!
the first time I have baked with yeast and it hasn’t been a rock-hard disaster! = GREAT
I think based on what you were doing in the past was wayyyyy over-flouring your dough. The more flour you add, the firmer and denser and more like a big rock the dough becomes & by the time you bake it, it IS a rock. Glad my post helped you!
I made these rolls so that we could eat them New Years Day. I followed all of your tips and they turned out fantastic. My family were so impressed too. This will be my cinnamon roll recipe from now on. Thank you!
I’m so glad you made them and that this will be your go-to recipe from now on! Thanks for LMK you’re so happy!
I made these for the second time last night/this morning. The first time I heated my oven too high while I was proving them and it cooked my dough… at 9.30pm on Christmas eve, as I was preparing them for a big family Christmas breakfast the next day. I was so determined to make them as they looked so good, I made them again just for me and my husband. They are incredible. I’m not even sorry that that the rest of the family can’t share them… in fact I’m glad we get them all to ourselves!
Thanks for trying them until you got them just right (I’ve done what you’ve done with yeast doughs too) and so glad you and your hubs could have them all for yourselves :)
Delicious! I made these for Christmas breakfast which we took down to the beach (I’m in Australia) and my family loved them! It was so hot here, my dough doubled in size in less than half an hour! Thanks for the great recipe.
I love baking yeast breads in warm climates & houses because the dough is like a big puffball – and gets puffier before your eyes, literally :) So happy these turned out great for you! Merry Xmas!
I made these for Christmas morning – its our tradition to have cinnamon buns. It was my first time trying a recipe with yeast too! I don’t think my dough was sticky enough and they didn’t turn out that soft, but everyone loved them anyway! Much better than the store bought tube ones. Do you know how to fix this issue with the dough? I used the yeast you suggested, but it could also be that my dough wasn’t in a warm enough place. I’ll try the oven next time like you suggested. Appreciate all the details in your recipe. I will try these again soon!
Do you know how to fix this issue with the dough? = YES add less flour. The less flour you add, the stickier your dough will be, and the softer the rolls will be. Also a warm environment is key and/or if your enviro is colder, then you will simply need to let the rolls rise longer, possibly 3 or 4 hours. If you were cooking in a 60F kitchen and that was your enviro, it could be 6 hours+ Yeast like it warm. Sounds like you are off to a good start for your first attempt ever at a yeast recipe!
Just wanted to take a moment to THANK YOU and to wish you a Merry Christmas! Our family tradition has always been fresh brewed tea and cinnamon buns on Christmas morning because we will be eating soooo much the rest of the day. I have always used the “bake-it-yourself biscuits” in a tube that I doctored. I wanted to make from scratch, but didn’t for two reasons – one, I am not an accomplished baker (great cook, but not a baker) and two, never wanted to commit to getting up at 3 a.m. and staying up most of the night for homemade ones! Your recipe took care of all that! This was my first time with a yeast recipe and with using my sister-in-laws’ stand mixer! Both worked great! My dough was never the sloppy mess you described, not sure why – but a few turns with the paddle and then onto the dough hook for 11 minutes gave me a phenomenal dough. I used Red Star yeast, but my store didn’t have platinum – it still worked great. Made the cream cheese frosting with vanilla and a splash of maple syrup. The dental floss worked like a charm and taking my biscuits out around 4 a.m. for a 7 a.m. bake they had all almost doubled in size (they sat on the stove with the range hood’s light on them that caused the area to be nice and warm. My family decided it is a new tradition and truly anyone (even a novice) that reads this recipe should try it. Your detailed step by step recipe along with the hint to read it completely several times, really made the difference. Thank you again for making this a wonderful start to a wonderful day!
Thanks for trying this recipe and the fact that this was your first yeast recipe ever (and you chose cinnamon rolls, much more of a challenge than say breadsticks) and your first time using your SILs stand mixer, and that everything came together for you is great to hear! So glad these will be on your holiday menu plan for years to come. And I’ve found that with yeast recipes in particular, one can never be too specific enough with directions so glad they were helpful for you!
Oh my god! These are about to be put in the oven and I should really wait to comment, but they look so awesome!. I made an ATK recipe yesterday that seemed to have gone horribly wrong, so woke up at 5:30 to make this for Christmas Morning for my family. Your directions are amazing. I appreciate the detail. I will be looking at your other posts. Thanks so much!
So glad you’re happy! I use buttermilk in this recipe like ATK does but that’s about as similar as the two are :) Thanks for trying my recipe and glad you appreciate the detail. I’ve found in recipe writing, especially with yeast bread, you can never be too specific!
Hi! Saw these rolls on Pinterest and HAD to try them! I’ve tried so many different recipes but these looked amazing in your pictures so I went for it! Mine are cut up and rising again right now. I think I may not have added enough flour because they were sticky but I worked with it (I’ll def add more flour next time though). Do you have any tips for how to roll it tightly? Mine may have not rolled so well because they were sticky but I’m just wondering if you have a method! Can’t wait to finish mine!
There are no secrets to rolling other than just time, patience, practice makes perfect :) And yes if your dough is overly sticky and it seems more flour would have helped, add it next time and that will help too! Thanks for trying the recipe!
I would like to make these ahead for a large family gathering. I saw that they can be frozen and then baked. Do I make them the night before and after the second rise freeze them? Do I make just make them up and freeze them and then let them thaw and rise? Do I cook them and then freeze them? When do I freeze them? I should add that I am not a bread maker or yeast user. These just sound so yummy, I want to try them. Thanks for your help!
I would make the rolls from start to finish. Then freeze the finished rolls. Then about 6 to 12 hours before your event, put them on the counter to thaw. Then, if you think they need it, put them in the oven for like 5 mins at about 200F, just to warm them, then ice them. You may not even need to do that, but it’s personal preference. Enjoy!
Also these – 1 hour, SUPER easy & fast!
https://www.averiecooks.com/2013/12/one-hour-homemade-cinnamon-rolls-with-cream-cheese-frosting.html
Hello,
I tried these rolls once before (in the summer) and I did the overnight version, and took them out to rise before backing them and they were delicious! Some of the best cinnamon rolls I’ve had! However, I did notice that when I baked them, a lot of the butter/cinnamon/sugar that you spread on the rolls melted out? Is there some way to seal the bottom of the rolls to prevent this? Or did I not let them rise/soak in long enough?
Thanks for your help & this awesome recipe!!
Britt B.
Some seeps out; that’s natural, it does with any roll. You could pinch off the bottoms slightly more before placing in the pan and/or try to roll your log/cylinder tighter.
I made two batches, one with extra sugar and buttermilk. The first batch took for ever to rise. The second batch took a long time to rise as well. I put a water soaked towel in the oven as well as on top of the dough and put the oven on the lowest setting and it really helps proofing. Great recipe! I am going to make it with instant vanilla pudding tonight, maybe use one less egg.
Thanks for trying the recipe twice, Chip! I also have a brand new recipe – similar ingredients but they are ready in 1 hour!
https://www.averiecooks.com/2013/12/one-hour-homemade-cinnamon-rolls-with-cream-cheese-frosting.html
In the winter, things rise so slowly and a low oven/damp towel can really help, yes. I’ve never tried pudding mix in cinn rolls (Although in my #1 fave banana bread, I use it with great results)
https://www.averiecooks.com/2012/08/banana-bread-with-vanilla-browned-butter-glaze.html
LMK if you try w/ pudding mix and/or try the new 1 Hour Cinn Rolls!
Hi Averie. Just want to let you know I’m officially a fan! I made these last night/this morning and they were awesome. My family loved them. And I loved that they were so easy (I’ve never even used yeast before this). Keep up the great work!
Thanks for trying these and glad to hear you & your family loved them and that you found the recipe so easy! Nice! :) Thanks for LMK you tried this yeast and the recipe!
I tried to make the dough tonight. Mine was not sticky or moist or messy at all and I am like 98% sure that I measured everything correctly. I put it in a warm (but NOT on) oven with the plastic wrap on. The plastic wrap melted and the dough after an hour, looked like a baked roll of bread! What did I do? There is no way that I could have ever rolled it out – it was practically baked through!
Your oven was WAY WAY too warm. Are you sure it was off? You want a warm version of room temperature. Like a summer day in the 80s or 90s’s F. Not hot enough to melt plastic or bake bread! I’m thinking you way over-preheated your oven OR you left the oven on OR you have some crazy hot, fast oven that’s incredibly well-insulated and zero of the warm air just naturally escaped. Hard to believe that happened in 1 minute of the oven being on and then being powered off – in one little minute.
In the future, although it will take longer to rise at normal room temps in the winter months, 68F-72F give or take, you may want to just keep at room temp until you figure out what’s going on with your oven or double check to make sure you followed the direction 100% to the T. I am thinking there was a bit of a communication breakdown somewhere. At this point, you pretty much have to bake them or toss them; keep a close eye on them when baking. Sounds like w/ your oven, won’t take long!
I went ahead and found another recipe, I’m a first time baker and feat the whole temperature thing, thank you for your help.
If you want to work with yeast, you’ll need to pay attention to temperature. There is just no way around it.
Dear Averie,
I need your help. I am going to substitute a regular yeast for a RapidRise Yeast – I have a recipe for cinnamon rolls – https://www.averiecooks.com/2013/02/overnight-buttermilk-soft-and-fluffy-cinnamon-rolls.html
how should I proceed?
My best,
Anita
The recipe you just linked to in your comment is my recipe, the one here you’re commenting on. I love the rolls and recommend making them exactly as written. Instant yeast is very inexpensive, less than a $1 per packet and rather than tinkering with a recipe I know works beautifully as written and trying to talk you through modifications, just go pick up some instant yeast and start fresh with that and make it as written. Enjoy!
These cinnamon rolls were so light, fluffy, and cinnamon-y I couldn’t believe it. (Don’t tell my mom, but these were even better than hers!) I loved that they was an overnight option and all I had to do in the morning was pop ’em in the oven. Amazing recipe and I will definitely be making them again!
Hi Sarah! I’m thrilled you love them (and that they even beat your mom’s – okay that’s a serious high honor to come in ahead of anyone’s mom’s cooking – I won’t tell her…LOL) So glad you enjoy the make-ahead option. Me too! :)
i did the overnight method and they were on my counter for an hour and didnt double, so i took them outside covered the top in aluminum foil. might there be a problem with my dough? :(
Before you put them in the fridge overnight, as long as you had a nice, normal rise, soft fluffy dough that had doubled, and then sliced/rolled them up, you more than likely are fine.
After taking them out of the fridge overnight, if you let them sit at room temp for about 2 hours and they’re not growing any more, then I would just bake them. Yeast likes a warm environment, like 100F. Think body temperature. When you say ‘outside’ I don’t know what that means but it sounds cold and drafty (yeast hate it and will not cooperate).
Hello! I made these today (not for breakfast though, as I can’t eat so much aftter I just wake up! ) and they are incredible! They are beautiful just too look at that I kinda feel sorry to eat them lol :) and that glaze…AMAZING! I must admit though, for as much as I like these rolls, I like your cinnamon roll coffee cake the best! Maybe because of its consistency or its richness, I dont know! :) Thanks for the recipe! ;)
Thank you so much for trying these and saying they look (almost) too pretty to eat! And for the pic you emailed me. You did such a great job! I am happy that you love these and of course that coffee cake. Yes that cake is super good, minus any of the work that goes into cinn rolls! Glad you’re a big fan :)
So i went through the recipe and have everything to make them but, i have active dry yeast from red star, and not instant dry yeast, do i activate my yeast first in buttermilk, before adding it to the flour?
I would say yes, you need to proof it, i.e. activate it in a warm liquid, in this case the buttermilk should do the trick. Being that I did not write the recipe this way, I haven’t tested it, but as long as you’re a somewhat experienced bread maker, you know what you should be looking for, foamy, frothy, etc.
Awesome! Ill try this now:) do i add sugar along with the yeast or just the plain yeast?
I love homemade cinnamon rolls and am happy with how easy they are to make. For some reason I always put them off, thinking it’s a daunting task, but each time I make them I’m reminded of how effortless it really is to get fluffy yummy breakfast cinnamon rolls. I’ve done this overnight method before too, a la Alton Brown, and like you been a fan since you don’t have to wake up with the chickens…not that my kids would have it any other way, but you know. :)
oooooooohhh these cinnamon rolls look soo fluffy and delicious. Yum
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! I had Googled “Soft and Tender Cinnamon Rolls” and found your website. About 2 weeks ago, I had made dough for cinnamon rolls in my bread machine for the first time, but the dough consistency turned out rather dense. I want to thank you so much for your impressive recipe and the generous instructions and beautiful progressive photos. I also appreciated the tips you shared which will help me immensely. I do have a mixer with a dough hook which I have never used for making bread dough – I will try it for this recipe. I am wondering if a substitution for buttermilk would work effectively by mixing milk with lemon juice or vinegar. I noticed you made this recipe in San Diego. I’m a native Californian who lived in Fresno for approx. 60 years and retired to Brookings, Oregon near the California/Oregon border. We have a mild climate here, and I’m sure I’ll have no problem with the cinnamon rolls rising. Again, thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Hi Sharon
Thanks for the great comment and glad you found me and find the pics, instructions, and everything so helpful – that’s great! You can make buttermilk as you said by taking about 1 cup milk to about 1-2 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar and letting it stand. You could probably also use a big dollop of yogurt, cut with a little bit of milk. You just want something like that to add softness and help the rising. As long as you’re going to the trouble of making these, I probably would stick with real buttermilk the first time, then swap out from there after your comfortable with the recipe the next time. Your dough hook is going to be your new best friend. Just put it on, and let ‘er go! Walk away and do your nails or something :)
And yes we live in San Diego. Love it here! Your area I’m sure is beautiful as well.
Keep me posted how these go for you!
Do you know if the dough can be made in the bread machine just to knead the dough and let it rise (manual option)?
I don’t use a bread machine and honestly have no idea how they fully operate. So if you’ve made other cinnamon roll dough in them with luck, I’d expect this to be similar. But I have no way of knowing for sure.
Ok, made these tonight for tomorrow morning breakfast. Of course I had to try on tonight. These are heaven! Somethin I tired an it worked well for me is….when they were rising in the oven I put a pot of boiling water in the oven , even when they do their second rising, that only took about 35 min. It speeds up the proofing process. These only took 2.5 hour from start to in my belly finish. Everything else I followed perfectly. Thank you for our new wonderful cinnamon roll recipe!
Thanks for trying them, Carrie, and glad you’re a fan and that they’ll be your new cinn roll recipe! What you describe with the water is a version on a theme of putting water in the oven in a pan having it sit there when baking pizza, bagels, baugettes. Lots of people say the steam helps to create thicker crust, which isn’t what I’d want for rolls but, like you said, it helps add moisture for the rising, which IS a great thing. Awesome little trick and thanks for sharing :)
Just wanted to say that I made these today and the family adored them. They turned out so beautifully and looked AMAZING. Thank you!!
I love hearing stories like this and so glad they turned out wonderfully and that the family adored them, too! Amazing feedback – thanks for trying the recipe!
Your cinnamon rolls are to die for. I did not add anthing, i followed the exact measurements & it was perfect. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
I am so happy to hear this! I love these rolls as well and so happy that the recipe, exactly as written, worked out so wonderfully for you. Thanks for coming back to tell me!
Well they tasted ok, you’re right though, should have trusted my instincts. Unfortunately all the sugar and cinnamon kinda slid out overnight! So we ended up with more like frosted sweet bread!
Sorry to hear that the cinnamon sugar slid out. At least you ended up with something that tasted ok but yes, next time, and with ALL bread making (all recipes, really) if what you see in your mixing bowl and your instincts differ from what’s written on a computer screen or book, you’ve always gotta go with your instincts and that ball of dough in front of you! :)
Yikes, my dough did not come together, not sure why. I trusted the moisture, but after rising still a sloppy mess. I had to add more flour but its still sticky and sloppy. My cut cinnamon rolls do not look nice like yours, they are all droopy. We’ll see how they turn out tomorrow, not sure what I did wrong!
Do you live in a humid climate? If so, you’re likely going to need more flour than I did when I made these in dry San Diego in the winter. If it’s sticky to the point that it wasn’t workable, not sure how you got them into rolls (add more flour next time – trust yourself and the dough in front of you!) But sounds like you did get them rolled up – okay good.
Just let them sit and rise overnight in the fridge and then pull them out about 2 hours before you want to bake them, and let them rise at room temp. And then bake them. I have a feeling you will be okay. Sometimes bread dough can look pitiful before it bakes – like I’ve baked some things I was sure weren’t going to work, but they do.
Keep me posted!
oops- I accidentally wrote Liza as my name, sorry its Liz!
Thanks for posting these! I really appreciate it! I’m going to make the dough today and do the overnight method.Your pictures look lovely ;) xo
please LMK how they turn out!
Yes, they were sooooo good! Almost like Cinnabon, actually! These are the most fluffiest ones I’ve ever made, usually because whenever I make yeasty breads I *always* end up with having them taste hard. And the dough rose so perfectly! I also ended up using more cinnamon ( I loveeeee cinnamon), about 4 1/2 teaspoons. They were so ooey and gooey. Especially the cinnamon filling. When I saw how the recipe needed buttermilk, I knew these were going to be good! Buttermilk makes everything so moist and fluffy!
The frosting was HEAVENLY. These were such a hit at my house. Whenever I need a recipe for something soft, light, fluffy and moist, I’ll know where to look- at your website!
Thanks again for posting this fab recipe! xo
Hi Liz – thanks for the glowing compliments about the rolls. So happy they turned out soft, light, fluffy & moist for you and that you had no issues with them & they turned out like Cinnabons for you! And yes to adding more cinnamon – love that – I always do too when I read recipes! And so glad to hear you’ll be trying out more of my recipes. Please LMK how they go!
So…..this was my first time making cinnamon rolls and I am still kinda new to yeast doughs, but this was AMAZING and EASY. I truly appreciated the detailed instructions and your many responses to comments that were also very informative. I couldn’t find instant yeast so I used “highly active yeast” which worked perfectly in its place. Like another comment I misread and added all 4 1/2 cups of flour right of the bat and the dough was too stiff so I added another 2 T of melted butter and then it was perfect. I did it all in my stand mixer and refrigerated them overnight and we took the extras to church and they recieved rave reviews. Yay! Thank you thank you thank you!!!!
YAY! Thanks for making them and coming back to tell me you had success! Being that your mistake was common (people speed-read and seem to miss the flour thing) I just updated the post and in the flour line changed it to read:
up to 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
Hopefully that should do the trick. Good call on more melted butter. Can’t go wrong with more butter.
And highly active yeast sounds like it probably was instant yeast. Good thinking!
Thanks for LMK you tried these and that all my comments, replies, and post helped you have success! LMK if you try other recipes!
These are AMAZING! These are the best rolls that I have ever made. My husband said that they are better than his grandmother’s!
I just wanted to let you know that I cut short the initial rise by about an hour (since I was really tired and wanted to sleep) and they still turned out amazing. I’ll have to try it again when I have more time, but I thought that it was kind of neat that you can cut that step short if you run out of time.
Thanks for the fabulous recipe!
Thanks for LMK you made them and find them to be the best rolls you’ve ever made! They are my personal favorite as well! And the fact that they’re better than your hubs’ grandmas is high praise :)
On cutting the rise time short, glad it worked out for you! As a general rule, in the summer/warmer times of the year you can get away with fudging yeast doughs a bit whereas in the dead of winter, the yeast are cold and need the full time to do their thing. Thanks for trying these!
These are magnificent cinnamon buns! Moist, tender and fluffy. I added a half package of vanilla pudding and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract to the dough. I increased the yeast to 1 tablespoon. When it came time to bake the buns, I put them in a cold oven and turned on the heat to 350 and baked them for 21 minutes. I learned this little trick from another website and it works wonderfully to get that last little rising out of your buns. Give it a try, you will be amazed. Fantastic recipe, a keeper for sure!
Thanks for the detailed report, Irene! I have always wanted to mix a packet or half packet of vanilla pudding mix into the dough (I’ve read recipes that do that – unfortunately when I use pudding in recipes, I get all kinds of emails from intl readers as well as those who are deadly against pudding mix…so I’ve avoided it in yeast recipes til now). My fave banana recipe of ALL TIME (and I have 15+ on my site) uses pudding mix https://www.averiecooks.com/2012/08/banana-bread-with-vanilla-browned-butter-glaze.html
Glad the 1 tbsp of yeast worked for you. 1 packet at 2 1/4 teaspoons is really close to a tbsp and with the Red Star Platinum yeast I swear by, they are SO PUFFY as it is, I don’t need to increase it or they may just fly away :)
And the cold oven, interesting. I know with puff pastry you’re supposed to bake the dough when it’s cold in a hot oven. Interesting about using a cold oven. Never heard that one! Glad you love the recipe!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
You’re welcome!
What is the difference if I use active dry yeast (Red Star Brand) compared to the instant? Can I substitute this or is there another step I need to take?
I am making these tonight for a breakfast date tomorrow :) they look absolutely delicious!!
Active dry yeast needs to be proofed, i.e. combined with water, milk or another warm liquid for about 10 minutes until foamy and bubbly and THEN added to the rest of the recipe. Whereas instant can just be tossed into the dry ingredients, no extra step required.
I really love love love Platinum Red Star yeast. It’s $2 bucks for a pkg of 3 at the grocery store and if you’re seriously making these, I do really recommend that yeast for super soft, puffy rolls if you haven’t started yet. Either way, LMK how they turn out!
I followed your advice and went to the store and got instant yeast! The rolls look amazing, I have never seen dough that soft before, and I’ve made a fair share of bread recipes. They are in the fridge now rising and I can’t wait to bake them tomorrow morning!!
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my comment and also for the amazing detailed recipe! I’ll let you know how they turn out tomorrow morning :)
YAY! Glad you made them and that you’re loving the soft PUFFball status :) Yes, that yeast is amazing and it never lets me down. And the dough itself, with the buttermilk, it’s like buttahhh!
So happy they’re in the fridge right now rising. Keep me posted how they bake up for you! I am sure you’re going to have a very happy morning!
THEY WERE ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!! :) I cannot thank you enough for your detailed recipe and all of your advice! I ended up baking them in a 9×13 glass pan for about 23 minutes and they were perfectly golden on the top and soft and doughy in the middle. The frosting was of course amazing, I ended up making 3/4 of a batch this morning and it was the perfect amount!
As expected there aren’t too many leftover :) This is my new “keeper” recipe for cinnamon rolls and I will pass it along to family and friends! I cannot wait to try more of your recipes :)
Thank you again!!
Looooove this comment & that you had success and that they turned out perfectly for you AND that this is your new keeper recipe! When I write these posts they take.me.forever. But I figure if I can help 1 person have cinnamon roll nirvana, it’s worth it! So glad you followed my instructions to a T and that everything worked out amazing! Thanks for LMK! Makes my day :) Have a great weekend and LMK if you try other recipes!
I also froze one cinnamon roll just to test out how it held up…well it’s only been a few days but I couldn’t wait any longer and I reheated it and it was just as delicious as the first day!!! I’m now obsessed with your blog and every recipe! I think I have pinned every single recipe!! I can’t wait to try more :)
And it just so happens that I have a bag of cinnamon chips sitting around and I am going to make those cookies that you posted yesterday! Thanks again :)
So glad to hear that the freezer test worked! I do it all the time :) Such a timesaver, too!
Thanks for all the pins and the sweet compliments and if you try the cinn chip snickerdoodles, LMK how they go!
I was wondering how essential it is to make these in a jelly roll pan? I know you mentioned using another but the rolls could brown easier. Also, can this recipe be halved? I am only cooking for 2 people and I think this night make too many for us :) or at least I shouldn’t eat that many!! Your recipe looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it! Thanks for taking the time to write a detailed post :)
I have never halved it but I’m sure you could. I simply make the rolls as directed and freeze extra and pull them out as desired.
You could use a 9×13 pan or a jelly roll pan for the fullbatch; I personally think you will get better results with a jelly roll pan (less squishing) but either will be fine. LMK when you make them and how they were!
OH MY GOODNESS. I baked these this morning for Mother’s day (she LOVED THEM) but made them last night, and I didn’t need to add extra flour. When I rolled out my dough, it was pretty thick and when I rolled it up, I was scared it was too thick. It wasn’t. IT WAS DELICIOUS. I had never made cinnamon rolls but these are perfect. I gave them away to neighbors and I’m sure they are enjoying them now. thank you so much for the recipe! <3
So glad to hear that they turned out so well for you and that they were a big hit!! And that you’ve never made cinn rolls before and still had perfect success! That is wonderful! Glad your mom loved them (and no doubt the neighbors)- in the future you can take the finished rolls, wrap them in clingwrap or foil, stuff into gallon sized ziplock bags and freeze for months. That way on a random Sat morning you can pull out a couple if that’s all you need :) Thanks for coming back to tell me you made these!
Hi Averie, thanks so much for this amazing recipe! I just made them and they were SO AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS! This was my first attempt at making cinnamon rolls, I was never too excited in waking up at 5AM to start the baking, even starting them the night before seemed like too much planning ahead for me :), but I love your blog and recipes so this was the one to try! They turned out fantastic, your detailed recipe was really helpful and nothing went wrong! I did kneed the dough by hand, I think it might have been easier/less sticky than using a dough hook.
The results were fantastic! I made them for my boyfriend and his roommates to help with studying for finals, everyone loved them but I think it backfired because everyone needed a nap after! Thanks for the great recipe Averie, happy baking!
I am beyond impressed that you kneaded by hand, never made cinn rolls but made them, that you got up at 5am and that you gave them to your boyf & gang for studying. You get GF of the year award!! :) Thanks so much for making them & LMK! And glad the detailed info & instructions help! :)
I don’t know if this has been asked already….I understand that you preheat the oven to 400 turn it off and then quickly place the dough inside. But, when powering the oven on again for one minute, is the dough still in the oven for the one minute of heat?
I am going to try this on Sunday night.
The point of doing this is to create a warm environment for the dough to rise. If you house is 68F inside, that’s chilly for yeast. They like it about 90F. So just keep the pan in the oven for a minute while you power the oven on, then shut it off. This creates a 90F spot. It does cool back down as time goes on, but at least it gives them a headstart. Please come back and tell me how the recipe goes for you!!
I’m making these tonight/tomorrow morning, Avery! The first recipe of yours I’ve tried (and now make whenever I want a cookie) is your Chewy Chocolate Chip and Chunk cookies – they’re amazing! Then I tried your One Hour Whole Wheat Pizza Dough, my first ever homemade pizza dough – and it turned out so delish too! So excited to make these and just wanted to say thank you for posting your recipes and also all of your detailed tips and techniques – I’m sure it takes a lot of time to write each post but it makes a huge difference!
xo
Wow you’ve made so much and thanks for LMK! The cookies are some of my faves and glad you tried pizza dough and now these rolls..you’re going to love them!
I am so glad that my writing/tips/tidbits help because you’re right, it does take a fair amount of time but I’d rather be thorough so people have success! It’s a peeve of mine when I read recipes that are not quite flushed out enough to really know if I am on the right track or not so I try to be super clear.
Please report back if you make the rolls how they went for you!
They turned out delicious! I missed the part where it said to only use 4 cups of flour and just add the 1/4 cup afterwards if needed. When I noticed that I was worried it would make them too dense but they weren’t – they were so good and a huge hit with my friends/family I shared them with! Thanks again for this amazing recipe:) I will be making these many time’s I’m sure!
Oh Stephanie I am soooo glad that they worked out well for you! If you ever want a version on this theme, these Oatmeal Raisin Rolls are very similar in preparation method and if you like oatmeal raisin bagels, you’d love these http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/11/oatmeal-raisin-rolls.html
I am so happy that everyone loved them and that they even wanted the recipe.
Oh and these take an hour, from start to finish, if you ever want something QUICK and easy! http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2013/01/soft-buttery-one-hour-pretzels.html
Just wow! My sister and I just finished making these and are in the fridge for the overnight rise, but we just haad to sample out the off-cuts, sooo good! I love the goey sticky kinda sauce that forms at the bottom, paired with the cream cheese frosting and it’s just heaven!
I am so glad to hear that you made them and they’re already in the oven for tomorrow! And that you sampled some already and are so happy! Thanks for coming back to LMK you tried a few tastes already and tried the recipe!
Um it’s so much more amazing this morning! My whole family loved them and they taste like Cinnabon, which we don’t have in Australia but tried overseas last yr and fell in love with! Thank you! I think this will become a weekend regular and my place!
I was so baffled by your last comment about the time of day and I thought, well, maybe she’s a real early riser and on the east coast, i.e. New York. Ahh, I get it now. Australia!!! :)
I love the rolls too and so glad they met your approval and the family’s, too; and that you think they’re like Cinnabons! YAY! Thanks for coming back to LMK you enjoyed them so much!
I saw those photos and I knew I had to make them, IMMEDIATELY. So I did. There were some mishaps, but there always are when making something for the first time, in my experience. I think I should have rolled them tighter. When I went to cut them, there was extra slack in the dough that made them hard to cut. Practice makes perfect! Although, I don’t know how these could be made any more perfect, given how delicious they were!
There was one thing that happened that I think you might find hilarious – heaven knows I did! I usually put yeast dough into the oven with the oven light on while it rises, and the oven light makes the oven nice and ~80 degrees. So I put the dough in the oven, and went to go read on the couch while waiting for it to rise. Only one problem – I fell asleep! When I woke up, it’d been a little over two hours. And when I went to check the dough….it had EXPLODED. It had gotten so big, it had thrown off the plastic wrap, and had spilled over onto everything! it was so unexpected that I just cracked up! I couldn’t stop laughing for half an hour, and after that I still kept giggling sporadically.
Wow, that’s some good-rising dough! Holy moly! I’ve never had any explosions quite like that. I guess your yeast was active and working well :)
And so glad to hear you made them and for a first effort, very pleased! Rolling dough into logs is a practice makes perfect thing. Trying to get a tight log/tight seal can be tricky. And then if you slice it with a dull knife, or even a sharp one, it can compress your handiwork!
Anyway, thanks for coming back to LMK you tried them & they were delicious! :)
I have tried lots of different cinnamon rolls recipes too – this will be my next (and if they taste as good as their picture, my last!) One tip I found from another recipe if you’re really pressed for time in the mornings: mix up and slice your cinnamon rolls, freeze them 1-2 hours on your cookie sheet and then store in a plastic bag, the night before you want cinnamon rolls just lay them on a sprayed cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap and leave on top of your stove overnight, in the morning they will be thawed, risen and ready to put directly into the oven!
That’s a good tip…sort of a version of a theme on my overnight/makeahead refrigeration option for the 2nd rise. To just let them go into the fridge and rise on counter the next morning for an hour or so, then bake off. Eliminates the freezing/thawing step but some circumstances/situations call for various timeframes and timing/scheduling so it’s always nice to have options. LMK if you try these & please tell me how it goes!
I have tried at least 10 cinnamon roll recipes trying to find one that my grandson thought were as good as his best friend Bo’s mother’s . Well he said these are even better . Thanks for making me a star!!!!!
You’ve tried 10 and these are the best? AWESOME! I happen to agree they’re the best I’ve ever tried, but that’s so sweet of you to say & glad you’re a star with your grandson!! :)
Oh my goodness…these look so good for a weekend brunch…or any day with my coffee:) I will be trying these! Thanks so much for sharing!
Oh goodness – I need these in my life! Cinnamon rolls have been on my bucket list for at least 2 years and I think 2013 is the year that I tackle them, starting with this recipe here!
They really are the best I’ve ever tried and if you try them, LMK!
I am truely impressed, and in love with you and your gorgeous food blog. Will you come live with me?!!! Lol jk I bet you get that all the time from your friends:-) I thought that I was a skilled baker, but you put me to shame! Beautiful pictures, even better recipes! You rock! You make me think maybe I should blog my food adventures:-)
Thank you for your kind words and high praise. This is my job and I give it 110%, every day, every post, all the time. I wouldn’t feel good about not baking, cooking, writing, or photographing the food to the best of my abilities and try to always push myself. Thanks for noticing :)
Dear Averie,
As asked in your reply on my previous post: Eventually I had to let them rest overnight, I didn’t make them straight away anymore. Today I took them out of the fridge, I finally found a warm enough spot beside a radiator and let them rest there. Then after an hour or two I baked them. And I have to say; I completely agree with Monique! This is the first time ever I tried making cinnamon rolls and I was kinda anxious for them not turning out good but they are DELICIOUS! I really appreciate how elaborately your wrote everything down. This really helped me along the way :)
So once again, this recipe rocks and is a real recommender for every one who wants to try their hand at cinnamon rolls for the first time or even for the umpteenth time that you’ve tried a recipe.
Much love,
Danie
I am so glad to hear they worked for you and that you tried your hand at making cinnamon rolls and that your first attempt was such a success! I am glad to hear that my detailed directions were helpful (when I was writing the recipe, it was getting sooooo lonnnnng and I was wondering if anyone would even make these) but glad to hear that it was all helpful and useful. Thanks for writing back to tell me all about it! :)
I stumbled across your blog one day (I have no idea how–That’s the best part, stubbling across amazing blogs when you least expected it.) I very rarely ever comment (i’m a lurker!) but I had to comment on this–I made this recipe and it was DIVINE. Everyone exclaims it was the best cinnamon rolls ever, and I have made a few before, but never like this one! This recipe is a keeper as well as your cinnamon swirl bread which i made earlier this week. I cannot wait to try your peanut butter cookies as well as others! Thank you for sharing your recipes with all of us!
Monique, thanks for writing to tell me you made these! I am so happy to hear that you love them and that you agree they’re the best cinnamon rolls ever! And also glad to hear you made the Cinn Swirl Bread. It’s always great when people write to tell me what they’ve made and what they’ve loved so thank you for that. And please write to tell me what else you try. I love the PB cookies and have a few new PB cookie recipes coming, too, over and beyond what’s in my Peanut Butter Comfort Cookbook. Thanks for finding me & making the recipes!
Dear Averie, I really want to make these cinnamon rolls. The pictures are wonderful! I have one question. I read your recipe closely and I want to make them straight away. In the recipe you wrote I have to let them rise for 1- 1 1/2 hours in a warm, draft-free place until the rolls have nearly doubled in size. There is not one warm spot in my house at the moment. Can I do the 1 minute heat blast in de oven thingy with the rolls also?
If someone else has asked this question already, I’m sorry. I didn’t take the time to read all the comments.
Thanks in advance.
(love your blog btw :-D)
Kind regards from the Netherlands,
Danie
Yes do the oven/1 minute blast trick…Make sure to let the SIZE of the rolls and not time, dictate how long they should rise for. If that takes 1 hour for you, that’s fine. If that takes 2 hours for you because your house is cold, that’s fine. With any breadmaking, patience and adapting the recipe to suit your environment is key! LMK how it goes!
I would love to wake up with these! Pinned!
Thanks for the Pin:)
I never made cinnamon rolls but I am trying my hand at yeast breads, so these are soon going to be on my list. They look amazing.
Had to come over and see your cinnamon rolls after you commented on our orange rolls! These look divine! Also, absolutely love your blog. Think I’ve found a new fave! :)
Thanks for stopping by and I love love love your orange rolls. They are so pretty and I’ve wanted to make orange rolls for awhile – right after I do some more cardio to work off the rolls…haha!
My all-time favorite part of working with yeast is the part when you punch down the doubled dough…Aaaahhhhh! It’s the best :) Well, I guess that’s a little lie. My real favorite part is when you get to dig in! Thanks for the delicious-looking recipe!
Sally has been taunting me with all of her yummy sweet roll creations, and now here you are with the cinnamon rolls — too much! In a completely good sort of way, of course. There’s not much else more comforting than a warm cinnamon roll!
These look amazing Averie and I love anything that can be made and assembled the night before. I am so not a morning make a big breakfast sort of person. I want to get up and either re-heat something quickly or pour myself a bowl of cereal. I would definitely need a big cardio workout after inhaling one of these buns, but it would so be worth it :)
I’m honestly trying to eat better these days…and then I have to look at these heavenly cinnamon rolls. I want them all!!!
Well my recipe after this one is way healthier – vegan, GF, no added sugar, but still tastes good :)
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2013/02/peanut-butter-and-jelly-coconut-cashew-sandwich-cookies.html
I just printed this recipe out. I have a carton of buttermilk that will go to waste if I don’t make these cinnamon rolls so obviously, this needs to happen in my kitchen asap! These are gorgeous, Averie. I can’t wait to slather my rolls with a ton of the frosting and since you said these are best eaten fresh, let’s see how many I can plow through ;)
Are you really going to make them? WOW that would be awesome…the post took me forever to write and honestly I wondered if anyone would ever even make them…but now to hear that you may, that makes it all better!
For your buttermilk in case you have more – and may I suggest the first two especially, unless you have bananas. But the first two are really soooooooo good if I do say so :)
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2013/01/carrot-cake-loaf-with-cream-cheese-frosting.html
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2013/02/blueberry-and-cream-cheese-muffin-top-bread.html
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2013/02/browned-butter-buttermilk-banana-bread-with-strawberry-butter.html
Hot damn! I am SO baking these!!! Love it!
These cinnamon rolls do look like the ultimate. So gorgeous and perfect!
You should open a bakery!!! :-)
I wrote a cookbook instead :)
I think at least once a week, I see a recipe on your blog that I simply HAVE to make that weekend. This is the selection for this week. :-)
Wow Averie, these look amazing! Cinnamon rolls are hard to beat especially warm with a big cup of coffee :)
Averie, these look so wonderful!!! I might have to start in the morning and eat them in the afternoon. Think I can stop at just one? :D Thank you for telling us not to add the extra flour. I made some French Bread recently and did just that. Made them much denser. Now I know to just leave the recipe alone and put up with the sticky. Can’t wait to taste these!
Yes it’s so tempting to add that last 1/2 cup or so, that would take the dough from gloppy to wonderful but don’t! Let it stay sticky and you will be rewarded!
:-) i love how you state this is your first installment on cinnamon rolls…will as always look forward to your next editions….and how kind of you to state read the recipe 3x through…I am notorious for not reading the recipe…diving in and realizing that it has to chill for an hour etc… and I wanted them done in an hour. LOL…so I have red star yeast on my grocery list…I am going to do it Averie…I am going to make one of your bread recipes!
With a recipe of this magnitude, yes, you HAVE to read it over many times! Especially yeasted breads. And I will be honest, if you are going to make bread (I dont know what your experience is) this is the trickiest one of all to make; it’s not hard but if you want a super light, flavorful loaf that’s very forgiving I would recommend that Challah b/c it’s no-knead AND make-ahead. The Raisin Bread for Raisin Lovers is also easy. So are the pretzels and the honey dinner rolls. Each of them require shaping or rolling other than the Raisin Loaf. But I don’t want to talk you out of these (but I am gathering from this comment you’ve never ever made any bread at all)! LMK what you decide on!
Although my family loves cinnamon rolls, I have never made them from scratch. I have been so intimated to try it. I never mind getting up early to make a big and detailed breakfast, but getting up that early may be pushing it, even for me! I am all for the overnight part! :-D Buttermilk sounds like it would make these so much more moist and flavorful.
Your attention to detail is fantastic. Thank you so much for making your recipes so thorough and your photos so beautiful. Really, it’s all the little things combined that make your blog so terrific. :-)
Thanks, Michele, for the nice words and I was thinking of you when I was making these…wondering if these would even be too early for you! I am glad the details help. Trust me, as I was writing this, the photos, editing, I was like…omg this post is my FT job! But hey, I did it, and can check it off my list :)
Beautiful! Given the amount I would consume, I’d have to opt for the knead-by-hand method- to avoid going up several pant sizes. :D
I was kind of thinking that, too, about kneading…hand kneading may not be all so bad :) And thanks for the pins, too!
Where were you at 5 am this morning when our alarm clock went off? One of these puppies straight from the oven would have made my morning!!!! I want to sink my teeth into one of these every day.
And you’re working the kind of job and living the type of lifestyle where you truly could go to town on these, and not miss a beat. There are benefits to all your hard work…like more cinnamon rolls :)
Oh man! I’d probably need someone to pry me away very forcefully from a tray of these babies! This one is pure brilliance, Averie!
I want a huge pan of these right now! Soft and pillowy is exactly the kind of cinnamon rolls I like. Another awesome recipe for the books!
Thanks, Nicole!
I am always looking for super soft and pillowy cinnamon rolls but it’s so hard to find the perfect one. These might do the trick, especially with how fab that dough looks.
It’s soooo hard, and over-flouring it is key with any of them. And then the buttermilk and extra egg (3 not 2) compared to many recipes, helped do the trick on these! I am super, super picky. I would not say they’re the fluffiest and best if they weren’t of every roll I’ve ever tried!
OH I am drooling looking at these. This past weekend I adapted Sally’s caramel apple cinnamon rolls but I NEEDED cream cheese frosting. Cinnamon rolls are just not right without cream cheese frosting, in my world anyways. I ate the last one yesterday for breakfast. I actually hid it in the fridge and said a few white lies that they were all gone.. oops! I would love to try some with buttermilk in the dough. America’s Test kitchen is my go to for any recipe. Will have to give this one a go next!
I agree that rolls just HAVE to have cream cheese frosting, or else a creamy white frosting of some sort…It’s how I grew up eating cinn rolls so they have to have that for me. Caramel is great…in ADDITION to my beloved frosting :)
Do you by any chance have your gluten free recipes all grouped together anywhere on your website???
Thanks!
I’m sorry, I don’t have them grouped by category like that but if you go to this page, 99% of the time if it is GF, after the recipe title, I will write (GF) or (vegan, GF) depending on what it is so you can visually look for that annotation
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/recipes/desserts
Are you kidding me? The best you’ve ever had AND an overnight recipe? I’ve been gearing up to making a batch of cinnamon buns, and now I know which recipe I’ll use. I can tell by the photos that they are amazing, thanks Averie!
Sue they are the best I’ve ever had. Just don’t over-flour the dough. It’s a sloppy mess to work with, I won’t lie..but you have a mixer and you can be 95% hands off when it’s at it’s gloppiest :) And yes, who on EARTH gets up at the crack of, to start playing with…yeast. I can barely shut my alarm clock off, let alone properly cook. Please LMK if you try these!
Averie, I cannot even put into words how much I want one of these cinnamon rolls right now. They look like complete and utter perfection!
Thanks, Amanda :)
I could eat an entire pan of cinnamon rolls all myself! I have never used buttermilk in the dough – what a great idea! I love doing them overnight. There is no way I’m getting up at 2am to get breakfast on the table at 6am, ha!
I know and not to mention, who’s even awake to even function at the level high enough for a yeast-recipe at that hour!
Wow! These look super super fluffy, I love it! And I’m totally with you on making the cinnamon roll process a bit easier in the morning. I love the overnight fridge trick. Fantastic!
I am in love with your Oatmeal Cream Pies. Those torched marshmallow edges are just…divine. That’s my idea of fluffiness!
My kids always laugh when I punch the down and it deflates :) It’s fun for all of us! Love overnight breakfast ideas. Makes it easier to get up in the morning. :) Need to make some cinnamon rolls…. It’s been a while….
Thanks for the Pin! And my daughter always laughs when I punch it down. The sound. Kids. Some jokes and sounds always get a laugh out of them :)
Overnight cinnamon rolls seem like a perfect solution for wanting them first thing in the morning. I always make them on the weekends when I’ll have more time but they still end up being eaten around brunch time or later. Your rolls seriously look like perfection. I don’t think I put enough frosting on mine last time I made them, and your cream cheese frosting looks to die for. Here’s my recipe. Let me know if you try it.
http://lmld.org/2012/10/19/cinnamon-rolls-2/
Your rolls are so pretty! They are really perfectly rolled. I think you’d love this buttermilk recipe b/c it keeps them even fluffier and there’s an extra egg (3 rather than 2) so just a smidge lighter. And yes, I am a huge frosting lover…I always add tons :)
I would like to wake up to these every day for the rest of my life! They look so soft and fluffy, and the cream cheese frosting looks like creamy perfection!
Gorgeous Averie. I’m so glad you found the “best” cinnamon rolls yet for you guys. :) Now I am curious about trying my hand at a buttermilk roll! I have had many readers ask me if there are any shortcuts to my roll recipes so far. No! There are not. It’s a recipe that requires patience and time and the result is unlike anything a storebought can or Cinnabon could ever emulate. The satisfaction of making them yourself makes it all even better. No chewiness – just soft, fluffy texture. YES. red star yeast: YES. Stand mixer : oh YES. Cream cheese frosting: YES! I am loving everything about these. And America’s Test Kitchen can do no wrong.
PS: you have me craving carrot cake w/ cream cheese frosting lately lol!
I researched the dough base until I didn’t think I could look at any more. It all came down to 3 eggs and buttermilk. Some recipes use 1 or 2 eggs and regular milk – and this just brought the fluffy factor up a bit more :) And NOT overflouring the dough! Not sure if your F & W Raspberry Roll recipe was sticky or the Orange Rolls or your latest Apple one…but this dough was so soft, sticky, and gloppy. I really was cursing it but knew to have a light rolls, super soft and fluffy, I couldn’t overflour it, even though that makes things easier, cleaner, and neater.
And no, no shortcuts. If you want shortcuts, a tube of Crescent rolls is the best call. But there is no comparison between the two :)
wowww!!! These definitely look like they are worth the effort! Unfortunately, by 10 am I’m usually long since at work. An indulgent weekend breakfast, for sure!
Trust me, I don’t whip off (weekday or usually any) breakfasts like this either…truly a special weekend treat :) But on a weekend, I am sure not getting up at the crack of dawn to do it!
Your rolls look absolutely delicious! I am amazed by your productivity Averie! :) While I was reading this post an interesting thought crossed my mind: how different recipes look in our days from what our mother’s and grandmother’s did. Last week, when I was in Seattle, I met a person, who came to US to visit her sister. We had a delicious Tuscan soup for lunch and I asked her to email me the recipe. She didn’t hesitate and exclaimed: “It’s easy!” When I got home I found in my in-box a list of ingredients from her! She assumed that I have to know what goes first, what second, and etc. She did say to ask her if I have any questions, but the fact itself put a smile on my face. And this fact also makes me deeply respect what you do as I know how much effort you put in writing such detailed and precisely measured recipes, and more. :)
Thank you, Marina, for your comment and as I was making these, and writing them, and it just kept getting longer and longer and longer…. I was wondering if it was all really necessary. But unfortunately, unless I want to deal with reader questions, emails, or worst yet an at-home recipe fail for someone who tries this due to unclear directions on my part, I am always as airtight as I can be with my writing. However, when I read recipes in old cookbooks or when I travel and read cookbooks in the Caribbean say, they assume you know what to do to get the dough to a workable stage. With just the major ingredients listed for all components and then do it yourself. Or for something like frosting – they would just say cream cheese, butter, sugar, beat until smooth. It’s amazing how far we’ve come in so many things in modern life, but with cooking and recipes, it’s gone the other way. Unless it’s all spelled out, no one can make anything. You’d be surprised how many emails I get for people who try *smoothie recipes* of mine…and can’t get them to turn out. A smoothie. So imagine a yeasted bread roll!
I know what you mean and how you feel about *smoothie recipe*. And I admire your bravery and dedication to write precise recipes (I know it works, I followed a few to a Z just to try!). :)
I’m drooling! I’ll take a half dozen, please! :)
YUM!!!!! :D These look great!
Those rolls look amazing! My all time favorite recipe is vanilla pudding cinnamon rolls recipe by art smith. I discovered it last year and have baked it several times with success every time. I might try your recipe for a change :)
I love love love using a box of vanilla pudding mix in banana bread. It’s my fave bread and everyone who tries the recipe says it’s their new fave.
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/08/banana-bread-with-vanilla-browned-butter-glaze.html
I wanted to avoid using pudding mix in the rolls only b/c many readers complain if I use a pre-packed/convenience food, or they are international and don’t have access to it; but I for one was super tempted to do it b/c I know they results are probably incredible.
You know how much of a sucker I am for a good cinnamon roll…these really do look so light and fluffy and perfectly gooey! I know what you mean about the sloppy dough part, I always have to resist adding more flour, but you can’t deny the results. :) These look fantastic Averie!
Your potato rolls were hot on my radar screen. They look so amazing and I stalk them :)
And not overflouring is such a messy, sloppy, gloppy situation but in the end, the results are so worth it!
I’m dying over those! They look amazing!
Gosh darn it! You definitely do a cinnamon roll right!! WOW!!
Oh, my, do these ever look good. I love buttermilk in baked goods, so these sound extra appealing. I haven’t made cinnamon rolls since my high school Home Economics class, which was too long ago to get in to, but this recipe is going to make me bake some more! I’ll let you know when I do!
Home Ec class. Just the name brings back memories! We made Orange Julius’ shakes/drinks. With real eggs. And everyone lived. Blast from the past :)
Oh, YUM! Averie, your Overnight Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls ROCK! Overnight is the way to go for an enjoyable breakfast the next morning. Recently, I developed a Non-yeast Overnight Cinnamon Roll recipe. So easy, so moist! Instead of buttermilk, I call for sour cream. The rolls are like Sour Cream Coffee Cake & Cinnamon Rolls in one! Meanwhile, I’ve been making the same exact cinnamon roll yeast dough recipe as yours for years. The buttermilk and instant yeast with overnight application is pure magic! Ever since I saw Alton Brown of FoodNetwork make his that way over 5 years ago, I have been making them this way ever since. THE BEST! xo
Sour Cream Coffee Cake & Cinnamon Rolls in one sounds great!
And I didn’t know Alton B made rolls like this. I adapted the dough base from the ATK source I cited and then everything else was my own. I never even saw his recipe. There’s a popular Cinnabon recipe on Allrecipes I keep stalking though!
The wind is howling and gusting this am–I’d love to curl up on the couch with one of these…and just stay in all day! I’ve never used buttermilk in yeast rolls or bread–but I know milk in general gives it a softer, more tender quality. Cream cheese frosting is always a winner! I think I’d have to go the mixer route with the kneading on this one–trying to hand knead a stickier, wet dough for that long would probably be tough. If this is just the first of more cinnamon roll recipes, I can’t wait to see what else you have come up with because this one looks pretty darn good!
After making them: research, photographing, the actual making of them, typing the post, editing the photos, it’s going to be awhile before the next cinn roll recipe. So in the meantime, enjoy these…they are the best I’ve ever had which is why I’m not in a big hurry to try this all again, fun as it was :)
these look absolutely stunning and what BEAUTIFUL pictures. i will definitely be trying these.
Thank you, Marti!
I definitely agree, when it comes to pastry things for breakfast if they are not an overnight recipe then I end up having them for lunch instead because I really don’t feel like waking up that early.
And I mean, who DOES want to get up at 4am or 5 to play with yeast with your thinking cap firmly on. I am just not that awake!
These look fantastic, I love the photos. However, I do not have a kitchenaid stand mixer. Any suggestions for how I could still make these? Thanks!
You could make them and knead by hand, as I wrote in the recipe section where I listed mixer vs. by-hand kneading times. You are just going to have to knead for longer and you will get your workout it, but do-able. Just get your elbow grease going and the results will be worth it. LMK if you try the recipe!
oops, guess i missed that. thanks for the tip!
I absolutely love cinnamon rolls but hate the time involved in making them. Wanna make a batch for me? ;)
Of all the things I make, I will say, this one was pretty labor intensive and will be hoarding all batches and not giving any away (like I do with lots of stuff I make)!
Oh my goodness, Averie. You’re killing me! These cinnamon rolls look FANTASTIC. And I love that you can make ’em the night before and chow down in the AM. Perfection! PS, I am totally with ya on the cinnamon–you can never have enough!
And please keep me posted if you try any of the coconut oil cookies!
OH. MY. WORD. Averie!!! This recipe is like a dream come true….overnight cinnamon rolls?!?!? My mom was a big cinnamon roll maker. I remember her getting up really early and even delivering them to the neighbors when THEY had company. I’m too lazy….but THESE I can handle. (Although, I’m not sure I’d ever give any away.)
Giving away my cookies, cakes, bars, brownies, etc is one thing…but I would never go to the work of making these and donating them! But my grandma used to do it…all the time! Sounds like your mom and her were cut from the same cloth!
Cinnamon rolls have been on my bucket list forever… I need to make them happen! Love that there is an overnight option – so nice to be able to have them fresh in the morning. I bet the buttermilk in here is delicious!
It really adds a special fluffiness!
Bring on the showdown – I can practically smell these from here! I’ve never made any from scratch but my cousin and I could have bought stock in the canned version during college ;-)
There is nothing wrong with the canned rolls, provided you doctor them up, very well :)
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/03/milk-bar-mondays-cinnamon-bun-pie.html
Trust me, I will be stalking your cinnamon roll series. I finally tried making my own cinnamon rolls recently, and one was an utter fail (the second version turned out much better). I love the fact that your recipe above also allows for an overnight option – that’s what I’ll probably do since we’re usually hard pressed for time in the mornings, and even on weekends!
There’s just no way that I could ever do this, start to finish, in one sitting or start early enough! I have to say after making them and the length of the post, recipe, photos, etc…and the time involved on the backend, it will be awhile before recipe #2 comes out…because honestly, I loved everything about these and they’re the best I’ve ever had and am not in a burning hurry to start this all over…if you try these, I think you will love them!
Averie, these look INCREDIBLE! So fluffy and I loooove the look of all that yummy frosting. Great overnight method. Pinning this to try!
Thanks for the pin my friend and I know you know your way around some yeast, and I bet you’d love this recipe and it would be a snap for you!
Averie.. OMG these look ahhhhmazing and I only wish I had one {or seven} to go with my coffee! LOVE!
You always know how to solve all of my life’s problems…first chewy cookies and now easy cinnamon rolls. I’m in love!
They look heavenly. I love waking up to cinnamon rolls when all the work has been done the night before.
Isn’t that the truth!
Uh oh. This is going to be dangerous, because cinnamon rolls are my Achilles heel. I am such a huge fan that even the manufactured smell of cinnamon rolls in the airport or mall Cinnabon or IKEA gets me, but I never give in because there is nothing like a freshly baked one! This is now at the top of my list for future recipes for sure. I’ve never made cinnamon rolls from scratch before because they take so much effort, but I’m definitely trying these out the next time I have a bit of time (and buttermilk!).
Buttermilk – just take 3/4 to 1 c of regular milk and add 1 tbsp of vinegar to it and wait 10 mins. You now have buttermilk :) Enjoy the cinnamon rolls. See how easy I am making this for you. And the TJ’s buttermilk…you get a nice sized container for 1.69 And you can make like 4+ recipes of mine of of it…the carrot cake, blueberry loaf, cinn rolls, browned butter banana bread :)
I sense some serious enabling going on here!
Oh man, as a teen living at home with my parents’ stand mixer, I used to make cinnamon rolls a lot. I made them starting in the afternoon though for an evening dessert because I hate eating sweets in the morning (breakfast foods are my favorites on earth but I can’t them at their appropriate time).
I made a recipe that had some whole wheat flour in it, and a frosting made with powdered sugar, vanilla, milk, and corn syrup-my fave on cinnamon rolls if applied liberally because it soaks in a bit. Actually, similar to the frosting on your cinnamon donuts I made recently! Mmmmm.
Geez, someday I ‘ll have a KA mixer again!
breakfast foods are my favorites on earth but I can’t them at their appropriate time = ME too! I do love waffles, pancakes, donuts, muffins/pastries, etc but not at breakfast time. I am barely awake and the last thing (for once) on my mind is a ton of sugar!
I bet the buttermilk in this takes it over the top!! I’ve made cinnamon rolls a few times and have been looking for a new recipe to trial, so this can be added straight to my to-do list (and be accomplished… sometime… in the next few months…)
They are totally worth it. When you have time & are in the mood, this is the cinn roll recipe to try! I have researched TONS and TONS and finally opted on this dough base and am so pleased!