Cinnamon Bread Rolls – Fluffy, soft, doughy, and oozing with buttery sweet cinnamon flavor that will make you fall head over heels. Way better than store-bought cinnamon rolls; they’re perfect for breakfast, brunch, and holidays!
Aaaah, cinnamon rolls! Every time I pass by Cinnabons at the mall, I can’t resist stopping and spending some bucks on their heavenly cinnamon rolls. I’m a sucker for anything with yeast, and cinnamon rolls are definitely on top of the game.
That aromatic, buttery sweet, heavenly cinnamon wafting through the air just draws me in. Drizzle that cream cheese glaze on top, and it’s absolute perfection! Now tell me it’s normal to splurge on store-bought cinnamon rolls. Right??? I had been doing that for a while until I decided to make my own homemade cinnamon bread roll recipe.
Why Make Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
If you’re new to baking, please don’t fear the yeast. If I can bake with it, you can too. What’s even greater about these rolls is the simple ingredients you can easily find at a grocery store. Aannnd there is little to no kneading involved. How cool is that?
Now, let’s talk about that cream cheese glaze! Cinnamon rolls wouldn’t be complete without it. After all, it’s one of those combos destined by heaven to go together. One caveat: please don’t overglaze the cinnamon rolls because too much of a good thing is still too much.
An Immaculate cinnamon bread roll satisfies your taste buds with the perfect balance of sugar and cinnamon filling, then coated with the right amount of glaze. They shouldn’t be too soggy or too bready.
So, if you’re ready to face your yeasty fear (that does even sound right? 🤣), look on the bright side and imagine yourself heartily enjoying every bite of this classic favorite cinnamon roll.
What You Need
- Yeast – Whatever you have on hand should work as long as it hasn’t expired. Activate it with a little sugar and water.
- Wet Ingredients – Whole milk, powdered milk, vanilla extract, butter, and eggs add moisture, decadence, and flavor.
- Dry Ingredients – All-purpose flour and salt are all you need to turn milk, yeast, and eggs into a delicious bread.
- Filling – Cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter delivers the classic cinnamon sugar filling. I can’t help but add a dash of my favorite spice, nutmeg.
- Cream Cheese Glaze – Cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, milk, and butter create a sweet, creamy glaze.
How to Make Cinnamon Bread Rolls
The Cinnamon Roll Dough
- Activate Yeast – Combine the water and yeast in a large bowl. Stir until dissolved and let it set for 3-5 minutes (it should become foamy as the yeast activates). (Photo 1)
- Heat Liquids – In a microwaveable bowl, add sugar, whole milk, salt, powdered milk, vanilla extract, and butter. Heat in the microwave for a few seconds, stirring occasionally until the butter has melted, but it’s not hot enough to kill the yeast. (Photo 2)
- Add Eggs – If the butter and milk mixture is cool enough, pour it into the yeast mixture, add eggs, and stir well. (Photo 3)
- Flour – Gently add the flour a cup at a time. Mix well with hands or a stand mixer. The dough should be sticky, but add more flour a little at a time if it’s too sticky. Less flour is preferable. (Photo 4)
- Knead the dough for a minute or two. Cover loosely with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1½-2 hours or until doubled. (Photos 5-6)
- Cinnamon Sugar – Combine the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside until ready to use.
- Punch the dough down. Lightly flour a board or work surface, then roll the cinnamon roll dough into a 1-inch thick rectangle.
- Assemble – Generously brush with melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the dough, evenly sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar. Pat the cinnamon sugar gently so it sticks to the surface.
- Roll – Starting with the end nearest you, roll the dough up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Don’t forget to pinch it so it seals together and doesn’t come apart when transferring it to a baking sheet.
- Slice the roll into 4 equal pieces, then slice each piece into 3 equal pieces for a total of 12 rolls.
- Bake – Oil the bottom of the baking pan with butter or use a cooking spray. Place the cinnamon roll slices close together on the baking sheet and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 350℉ (180℃) for 25-30 minutes or until golden browned. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes.
Cream Cheese Glaze
- Whip the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and 2-3 tablespoons of milk until very creamy. Add more milk if needed to get the desired drizzling consistency.
- Serve – Drizzle over the cinnamon bun, and serve warm.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Cinnamon rolls are best the same day you make them, but they’re almost as good 2-3 days later. Store them in a covered container at room temperature for 3-5 days. Glaze the rolls before serving them.
If you want to freeze them but still have that fresh-from-the-oven taste and aroma, bake them in less time. They’ll be cooked through but not browned. Let them cool and wrap them in plastic, and they’ll last 2-3 months in the freezer.
Thaw them in the fridge the night before you want to bake them (still wrapped). Then, finish baking the next morning. Drizzle them with glaze and enjoy.
You can also make the dough ahead. Let it rest after the first kneading, and then cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise in the fridge overnight. Bring it to room temperature, knead it again, and proceed with the recipe.
What Goes Great With Cinnamon Rolls
A cup of coffee, of course. If it’s hot out, enjoy it with a blended Thai iced coffee. I personally love it with a pumpkin spice latte for holiday spice overload. Coffee-free drinks are chai tea latte, ginger tea, or lemongrass tea.
More Deliciously Sweet Bread Recipes to Try
Watch How to Make It
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Cinnamon Bread Rolls
Ingredients
Cinnamon Bread Rolls
- ¼ cup (60ml) water
- 3 teaspoons (9-10g) dry yeast
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (175ml) whole milk
- 1 teaspoon (5g) salt
- 2 tablespoons (16g) powdered milk
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
- 4 ounces (113g) butter, melted (plus more for brushing)
- 2 large eggs
- 3¼-3½ cups (390-420g) all-purpose flour
Cinnamon Sugar
- 2 ounces (60g) melted butter
- ¾ cup (150g) brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons (6g) ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (1g) nutmeg
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 4 ounces (113g) cream cheese, softened
- 1½ cups (175g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon (2-3ml) vanilla extract
- 2-4 tablespoons (30-60ml) milk (may need more or less for the right texture)
- ¼ cup (60g) butter, softened
- 1 pinch salt (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the water and yeast.
- Stir until dissolved and let it set for 3-5 minutes (it should become foamy as the yeast activates).
- In a microwaveable bowl, add sugar, whole milk, salt, powdered milk, vanilla extract, and butter. Heat in the microwave for a few seconds, stirring occasionally until the butter has melted, but it's not hot enough to kill the yeast.
- If the butter and milk mixture is cool enough, pour it into the yeast mixture, add eggs, and stir well.
- Gently add the flour a cup at a time. Mix well with hands or a stand mixer. The dough should be sticky, but add more flour a little at a time if it's too sticky. Less flour is preferable.
- Knead the dough for a minute or two. Cover loosely with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1½-2 hours or until doubled.
- Make cinnamon sugar by combining sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside until ready to use.
- Punch the cinnamon roll dough down. Lightly flour a board or work surface, then roll the dough out into a 1-inch thick rectangle. Generously brush with melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the dough, evenly sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar. Pat the cinnamon sugar gently so it sticks to the surface.
- Starting with the end nearest you, roll the dough up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Don't forget to pinch it so it seals together and doesn't come apart when transferring it to a baking sheet.
- Slice the roll into 4 equal pieces, then slice each piece into 3 equal pieces for a total of 12 rolls.
- Grease the bottom of the baking pan with butter or use a cooking spray. Place the cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 350℉ (180℃) for 25-30 minutes or until golden browned. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes.
Cream Cheese Glaze
- Whip the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and 2-3 tablespoons of milk until very creamy. Add more milk if needed to get the desired drizzling consistency. Drizzle over the cinnamon bun, and serve warm.
Tips & Notes:
- Make sure to check the expiration date of the yeast. Expired yeast doesn’t rise. Store unopened yeast packages in a cupboard or cool and dry place. Once the package or jar has opened, an airtight jar in the refrigerator is the best place to store it.
- If the yeast didn’t froth up after dissolving it in warm milk, stop and get fresh yeast because the dough won’t rise.
- Be sure to cool your milk enough so it doesn’t kill the yeast. It should be warm to the touch and not over 130℉ (55℃).
- Full fat, 2%, and skim milk all work fine for this recipe.
- To check that the dough has risen sufficiently, gently press it with two fingers. If the indentation mark remains, it’s not ready yet.
- Evenly spread the cinnamon sugar on the dough from edge to edge for decadence in every bite.
- Please remember that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Lee D. says
I absolutely loved your cinnamon roll recipe. I had always baked a lot until we moved to 7000 ft. elevation. After being unsuccessful with making bread I gave up trying.
Your recipe was successful and I could not be more pleased.
I
ImmaculateBites says
I’m absolutely thrilled to hear that the cinnamon roll recipe worked so well for you, especially at such a high elevation! Baking at high altitudes can be quite challenging due to the lower air pressure, and it’s common to face issues with bread and other baked goods.
Hi Lee!
The fact that you found success with this recipe after previous struggles is incredibly rewarding to hear. It sounds like you’ve regained your baking confidence, and I couldn’t be happier for you!
Thank you for sharing your experience. It’s stories like yours that make the food community so enriching and inspiring. Keep baking and keep enjoying! ️✨
Daniella says
Hi aunty imma. i justbtried thi recipe at home and it was so good. And i didnt even put the powedered milk
Imma says
Oh great to hear that. Yeah, you can tweak the recipe as per available ingredients.
Imma says
Oh great to hear that. Yeah, you can tweak the recipe as per the available ingredients.
Sharon says
I would like to try this recipe but I only have instant yeast, can I use it and only let it rise once?
Imma says
Hi Sharon, yes you can use instant yeast and let it rise once after kneading. You can check tips and tricks for more instructions about the dough. Thanks
Shanel Banton says
I tried it it turned out great…thank you…blessings all the way from Jamaica
Imma Adamu says
Thank you so much, Shanel!
Barbara Montgomery says
Is it necessary to use powered milk? I don’t have it available.
Thank you.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Barbara! Powdered milk heightens the flavor. But you can absolutely leave it out if you do not have it on hand. 🙂
Kristen says
These were a lot easier to make than I expected! Using yeast and taking (hardly any) time to proof the dough twice is sooooo worth it. The buns came out so fluffy—I couldn’t believe it was something I made! However, I didn’t make the cream cheese topping and just swapped it for powdered sugar I had in my pantry instead. Still pretty good I think because the bottom of the rolls get that caramelized gooodness 🙂
ImmaculateBites says
That sounds absolutely delicious, Kristen. Thank you so much for sharing!
Abbie says
What can substitute cream cheese and nutmeg?
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Abbie! You may leave out the nutmeg if you do not have it handy. You can substitute cream cheese with either pureed cottage cheese or plain yogurt, strained overnight in a cheesecloth. Hope this helps 🙂 !
Kadiri THERESA says
Good evening imma.howd the family and hope u are keeping safe.plz can u explain your measurement(2oz,4oz and so in kg)so I can.get proper measurement thanks
Imma Adamu says
Hi Theresa, so 2oz is about 57grams, small quantities. so 4oz is about 114grams (11% of 1kg). I hope this helps
cherise says
Hello love this recipe! just wondering is it necessary to brush butter on the top of the buns? if so then?
cherise says
also i want to make 16 buns but your recipe indicates that i need 0.33 cups of water. im not sure how to measure that
ImmaculateBites says
It’s about 1/3 cup of water .
ImmaculateBites says
Hello Cherise,
No it’s not necessary to brush the cinnamon rolls.
Gladys says
I tried your receipe . It came out nice but got burnt under.
ImmaculateBites says
Sorry to hear about his .Your cookie sheet maybe too thin. You might want to use a thicker aluminum pan or baking sheets.
Dunori says
I’ve made them before but never thought to freeze the dough for later use. Great idea; thanks!
Jenny says
Hi very nice gonna try this but when you put the buns in the dish before you put them in the oven are you suppose to brush them with softened butter just asking thank you for sharing
imma africanbites says
Hi, Jenny! Yes, you may brush them with butter.
gregory anderson says
Just when I was going to be taking my losing weight seriously, you publish a recipe like this.
Thanks yet again. We love your recipes.
Vivi says
Hi! Looks amazing! On what temp. is oven set?
Thank you!
imma africanbites says
Hi, Vivi! Bake it at 350 degrees F for about 25-30 minutes or until its golden brown. Happy baking!