Seriously, is there anything better than homemade cinnamon rolls fresh out of the oven? As easy as it is to use pre-made dough, the extra effort it takes to make your own cinnamon rolls from scratch is totally worth it.
Whether new to making your own dough, or just looking for the perfect cinnamon roll recipe, this one is excellent and has become my go-to recipe for perfect cinnamon rolls every time. Whether you like them with or without nuts or raisins, this recipe can be customized to your taste.
My family loves this particular recipe for cinnamon buns, and so do my co-workers. It has actually become a fun Christmas time tradition for me to take freshly-made cinnamon buns into the office on the morning of our Christmas party.
These can be enjoyed with a drizzle of icing, or slathered in a rich, cream cheese frosting. I’ve included both icing recipes below.
Enjoy!
The BEST Cinnamon Buns
Servings: 12
Ingredients
- Dough
- 7-8 cups all purpose flour divided
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 slightly beaten eggs
- 2 packets yeast
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup melted butter
- 1 cup warm milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
- Filling
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cinnamon
- about 1/2 stick butter
- For simple Icing or see cream cheese frosting - ingredients below
- 2 or more cups confectioners sugar
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- For Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 8- ounce package cream cheese room temperature
- 2 tablespoons butter room temperature
- 2 or more cups confectioner's sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the warm water, yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Set aside for several minutes until the mixture becomes foamy. If the yeast doesn't foam, start again.
- In bowl of stand mixer, using paddle attachment, mix together the following ingredients: 5 cups of the flour (keep the other two cups nearby), the yeast mixture, milk, butter, eggs, sugar, and mix until mixture is sticking together in one clump (takes about a minute).
- Swap paddle attachment with dough hook attachment, and continue to mix; dough will still be sticky and damp. Add remainder of flour, a little at a time, until a smooth consistency and the dough is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl; about five minutes.
- Turn dough out on to a clean, floured surface and knead a couple times into ball.
- Place dough in large greased bowl and rub the top side of the dough with a little oil. Place a piece of plastic wrap lightly over the dough. Cover the top of the bowl with a towel and place in a warm spot for 1.5 hours. The size of the dough should double.
- After rising, remove the dough from the bowl and place on floured, clean surface.
- Punch the dough down and knead just a couple times and let rest for about 10 minutes.
- Knead a few more times and roll out in a large rectangular shape so that the dough is about one inch thick. Make sure to flour the surface of the rolling pin so it doesn't stick.
- To make the filling, mix the sugar with cinnamon until its a nice light brown color.
- Brush the butter onto the surface of the rectangular shaped dough. Now sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar mixture generously over the butter.
- Beginning on the longest side of the rectangle, begin to roll evenly until you have a long roll. Then pinch the edges and seal the loose end. Don't roll too tight, or the middle will pop up while baking. Check the photo above to see how the unbaked rolled dough should look after the second rising.
- Grease rectangular pan with butter and sprinkle with about 1/4 cup of the sugar and cinnamon mixture.
- With a sharp knife, cut one-inch slices and place them together in a rectangular baking pan. If you have too many, you can bake a few extra in a smaller baking dish. Don't put them too close together or they won't have room for their final rise.
- Cover with plastic wrap and then a towel and let sit for another 45 minutes.
- Before baking, drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with more of the cinnamon and sugar.
- Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, until the buns look nicely browned.
- Remove from oven and let cool a bit.
- For drizzle, beat with mixer (or whisk) powdered sugar, butter, vanilla extract together. Add warm water, one teaspoon at a time until you've reached the consistency you prefer.
- For cream cheese frosting, beat cream cheese and butter until creamy with mixer, add sugar, and continue to beat until you've reached the consistency you prefer. Add a little more milk for a thinner icing, and for thicker icing add less milk and more sugar as needed.
- Spread or drizzle the icing on the cooled buns.
Hi Jodi! I can smell them buns from here! I love Cinnamon Buns~~~
Chef Chuck – I think you're as sweet as the Cinnamon Buns! 🙂
Yum yum yum! I made these yesterday morning and just had leftovers for breakfast. They are easy but hard to wait for. I will probably try making the night before just so they are ready earlier in the morning! Carolyn
I know what you mean about waiting for them! Thanks Carolyn!
I would strongly advise using dental floss in place of a knife, a knife often smushes the cinnamon roll in one direction. Slide the dental floss under the rolled up cinnamon rolls to where you want to cut, then cross the floss over the roll, looping the floss around the roll. When you pull on both ends of the floss, it will cut the roll from all directions, not smushing it. I would also advise adding orange juice concentrate or a little orange oil to the frosting to lighten up the roll.
🙂