Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe (2024)

Home / Latest Posts / Recipes / Course / Bread / Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Jump to Recipe Print

By: Leigh Anne Wilkes

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure policy here.

This is my go to homemade cinnamon roll recipe and they are a favorite at our house. They are soft and tender thanks to a secret ingredient.

Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe (1)

I think Fall arrived and has already left here in Portland. The rain is here and it’s cold! It seems like I was just saying summer had just arrived. I do love Fall though and am hopeful it might come back for a few weeks but you never know here in the Pacific Northwest. If winter is here to stay I’m going to embrace which includes pulling out the sweaters, scarves and boots and baking a pan of cinnamon rolls. What a better way to welcome winter!!!

Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe (2)

If you spend a little time looking around the blog you will discover that I have a thing for cinnamon rolls. I think I have about 15 different cinnamon roll recipes. This is my tried and true cinnamon roll recipe. These cinnamon rolls take about 2 hours to make, if you are looking for something quicker try my One Hour Cinnamon Roll Recipe. It’s amazing too!

Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe (3)

This recipe has a secret ingredient in it that most cinnamon roll recipes don’t. This ingredient helps create a tender and soft dough which is the basis for any good cinnamon roll. That ingredient is instant mashed potato flakes! You can also use leftover mashed potatoes in cinnamon rolls as I have done in these Amish Cinnamon Rolls. Using potato flakes is super easy. You don’t have to hydrate the potato flakes or make mashed potatoes before making your cinnamon rolls. Just add the flakes in with the flour.

How to Make Cinnamon Rolls

  • Proof the yeast first by adding it into 1/2 cup of warm water and letting it sit for about 5-10 minutes. If you have questions about working with yeast check out all my tips and tricks here.
  • After mixing the dough together, put it in a greased bowl, covered with a towel and allow it to sit in a warm place. I often will turn on my oven to 150 degrees F. and as soon as it is preheated I turn it off and put my dough in there to rise, it’s a nice warm place for it. The dough will double in size.

Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe (4)

  • After the dough rises for about an hour or until double in size, divide it in half and roll out each piece into a rectangle, 18″ x 15″.
  • Brush melted butter over the dough and then sprinkle with half of your cinnamon and sugar mixture.

Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe (5)

  • Starting at the long end, roll your dough up into a log. Roll it up nice and tight. Repeat with your other piece of dough.
  • Slice the roll into about one inch pieces, twelve pieces from each roll. I cut the roll in half and then cut each half in half, and then three pieces out of each quarter. Use dental floss or thread to make a nice clean cut. Just wrap it around the dough, cross it over and pull. It will slice right through the dough. The recipe makes 24 large cinnamon rolls but if you don’t need that many, the recipe can easily be cut in half.

Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe (6)

  • Place the pieces on a parchment covered or greased cookie sheet and then let them rise covered for another 30-45 minutes.

Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe (7)

Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until they are golden brown. Allow them to cool for about 10 minutes and then frost.

Cinnamon Roll Frosting

I prefer a buttercream frosting on my cinnamon rolls and you will find a recipe below.

  • Maple Frosting is one of my favorites.
  • If you prefer a cream cheese frosting use the recipe here.
  • Caramel frosting is another delicious addition to cinnamon rolls.

If you want a pretty frosted cinnamon roll, allow the cinnamon rolls to cool completely. Or you can allow them to cool for about 4- 5 minutes and then frost and the frosting will soak into the roll.

Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe (8)

Can I Freeze Cinnamon Rolls?

Absolutely! Follow the directions up until the second rise. After you have rolled them out, added the filling, and cut them into one inch slices, place the individual sliced cinnamon rolls on a baking sheet. Place them in a single layer, not touching each other, and put them in the freezer for one hour until they harden. Then place the individual frozen rolls into a single layer in a zippered freezer bag.

The night before you are ready to bake them, place them in the refrigerator to thaw overnight. In the morning place them on a greased cookie sheet and allow them to rise for about an hour. Bake according to directions below.

Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe (9)

Other favorite breakfast treats:

  • Creme Brulee French Toast
  • Lemon Rolls
  • Orange Scones
  • Starbucks Coffee Cake

For all of my other favorite kitchen products and tools visit my Amazon Store.

Did you know I wrote a cookbook? Check out the Holiday Slow Cooker Cookbook for 100 delicious recipes

Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe

4.75 from 8 votes

Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe (10)

Cinnamon Rolls

Recipe From: Leigh Anne Wilkes

Soft and tender cinnamon rolls, this will become your go to cinnamon roll recipe.

serves: 24 rolls

Prep:1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook:30 minutes minutes

Total:2 hours hours

Rate Recipe

Ingredients

Dough

  • 8 cups flour 7-8 cups
  • 1 cup powdered milk
  • 1 cup instant mashed potato flakes
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup butter melted
  • 3 1/2 cup warm water divided
  • 2 Tbsp yeast
  • 2 Tbsp butter melted for brushing on dough

Filling

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1-2 Tbsp cinnamon

Frosting:

  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 3-4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 4-6 Tbsp half and half enough for the frosting to be spreading consistency.

Instructions

Dough

  • Add yeast into 1/2 cup of warm water, allow to proof for 5-10 minutes.

  • Mix together 3 cups flour, powdered milk, potato flakes, sugar and salt.

  • Add eggs, butter and yeast mixture. Add in remaining water and and 5 cups of flour, more flour as needed. Knead until dough is soft and smooth dough, about 4-5 minutes.

  • Cover dough and let rise 1 hour. Divide into 2 pieces.

  • Roll each piece out to a 18 x 15 rectangle and brush with melted butter

Filling

  • Mix the brown sugar, sugar and cinnamon together and then sprinkle over the dough spread with melted butter.

  • Roll up each rectangle starting with the long edge.

  • Slice and put on parchment covered pan and let rise for 30-45 minutes.

  • Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

  • Let cool slightly and frost.

Frosting

  • Mix together until a desired consistency is found.

  • Spread onto warm or cool rolls.

Recommended Products

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 400kcal (20%) Carbohydrates: 69g (23%) Protein: 7g (14%) Fat: 11g (17%) Saturated Fat: 7g (44%) Cholesterol: 43mg (14%) Sodium: 303mg (13%) Potassium: 167mg (5%) Fiber: 2g (8%) Sugar: 34g (38%) Vitamin A: 344IU (7%) Vitamin C: 2mg (2%) Calcium: 71mg (7%) Iron: 2mg (11%)

* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full disclosure here.

Course:Bread

Cuisine:American

Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe (11)

Did you make this?I love seeing what you made. Be sure to share a picture and tag @yourhomebasedmom on social media!

Tag on Insta! Leave a Rating

Originally shared Oct. 4, 2011

If you’ve tried this recipe or any other recipe on Your Homebased Mom, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how it went in the comments below, I love hearing from you!

You can alsoFOLLOW MEonFACEBOOK,INSTAGRAMandPINTERESTto see more delicious food, party ideas and travel tips and what I’m up to on a daily basis!

Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe (12)

Previous PostCanned Salsa Recipe
Next Post Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review

  1. Lilia G Warkentine says

    Wow. Made this recipe for the first time this morning. As I needed a large batch, I doubled the recipe. These cinnamon rolls are delicious and fluffy and out of this world. This will become my to go recipe from now on. I enjoy your recipes and have tried several and I always have great results. Thank you.

    Reply

  2. Nada says

    can you tell me what is the purpose of milk powder??
    is it a better choice than real milk?

    Reply

    • Leigh Anne Wilkes says

      Milk powder has an amazing way of adding a terrific baseline flavor to baked goods.

      Reply

Older Comments

Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret ingredient in Cinnabon? ›

Cinnabon's Secret Ingredient

This special Indonesian cinnamon, called Makara, is trademarked by Cinnabon. And because of that trademark, you won't find this product in your local grocery store spice aisle.

Why are my homemade cinnamon rolls hard? ›

Don't Overmix the Dough

When making cinnamon rolls, mix the dough just until the ingredients are incorporated and the dough is smooth and soft. Overmixed dough leads to tough cinnamon rolls. The dough is ready when it pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl and feels tacky but doesn't stick to your fingers.

What happens if you add too much flour to cinnamon rolls? ›

ONLY add as much flour as needed to handle the dough. It's better for the dough to be sticky at the start than to add too much flour and wind up with dense rolls, instead of light and fluffy ones.

Why didn't my homemade cinnamon rolls rise? ›

Add more yeast, blend in the starter, or knead in more flour to help initiate rising. Dough that has expired yeast, too much salt, all-purpose or cake flour, or antifungal spices like cinnamon might have trouble rising.

What is the most unhealthy Cinnabon? ›

Cinnabon is known for the enticing aroma and gooey sweetness of their signature cinnamon rolls. Classic Cinnabon cinnamon rolls are large and dense, rich in fat and carbs and contain 880 calories each (15). But these are not even the most unhealthy item on the menu. That honor is reserved for the Caramel Pecanbon.

Does Cinnabon use real butter? ›

For the filling, Cinnabon uses margarine instead of butter because margarine has a lower melting point than butter so it should make the rolls gooey-saucy-melty. Let's face the fact that most people have butter on hand more than margarine so I don't think you need to go out and get some just for today's rolls.

Is melted butter or softened butter better for cinnamon rolls? ›

It can definitely be tempting to just stick that butter in the microwave if you've been storing it in the fridge, which can easily lead to accidentally melting it, but ensuring that your butter is softened will make all the difference: It will make it easier to evenly spread the filling on top of the dough.

What happens if you let cinnamon rolls rise too long? ›

The rolls are still prone to over-proofing if left in the fridge too long; and the cinnamon-sugar filling can melt and make the bottoms of the rolls syrupy and damp if left unbaked for too long.

Is it better to use bread flour or all purpose flour for cinnamon rolls? ›

Most people recommend baking cinnamon rolls with bread flour, as this creates a fluffier and softer cinnamon roll. Though all-purpose flour will also work to create tasty cinnamon rolls. All-purpose flour is exactly like bread flour, but its lack of protein will not result in as much structure.

Why do you pour milk over cinnamon rolls? ›

Julie Clark, the blogger behind the website, notes that after years of research, she discovered that the key to getting perfectly gooey rolls is to “pour heavy cream over the cinnamon buns before baking. THIS is the secret ingredient and what makes the rolls rich and gooey.”

How do you know when homemade cinnamon rolls are done? ›

Once proofed, bake the cinnamon rolls for 20-30 minutes. When the cinnamon rolls are lightly golden brown, spot-check their internal temperature with a Thermapen to test their doneness. Their internal temperature should be 190–200°F (88–93°C).

How do you know if cinnamon roll dough has risen enough? ›

Physically test your dough with the poke test

Lightly flour your finger and poke the dough down about 1". If the indent stays, it's ready to bake. If it pops back out, give it a bit more time. The poke test is especially helpful for free-form breads like cinnamon rolls.

Where is the best place to let dough rise? ›

A warm kitchen worktop, sunny windowsill or somewhere close to a radiator often works. You can also leave dough to rise in an oven but you do need to be very careful and also have an oven that can deal with lower temperatures. When you are mixing the dough preheat the oven to 50c (and no more than 60c).

How does Cinnabon smell so good? ›

If there are no buns in the oven, some store operators warm baking sheets of cinnamon and brown sugar to strengthen the aromas. "Aroma is who we are," Bill Gellert, president of Gellfam Management Corp., a restaurant franchisee that owns several Cinnabon restaurants, told WSJ. "It is our greatest asset."

Why does Cinnabon taste different? ›

Unlike the common cinnamon varieties found in grocery stores, Cinnabon sources a special cinnamon called Makara. This unique cinnamon comes from the mountains of Indonesia and is known for its rich, sweet, and slightly spicy flavor profile.

How is Cinnabon so soft? ›

If so: These are made of yeast-leavened dough which is quite soft. (Yeast-leavened dough is also part of toast, pizza, bagels, some kinds of donuts etc.) In addition, it's a kind of not-so-fine puff pastry (Danish pastry): Between two layers of dough there is a layer of solid fat (like butter).

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Aracelis Kilback

Last Updated:

Views: 6390

Rating: 4.3 / 5 (44 voted)

Reviews: 91% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Aracelis Kilback

Birthday: 1994-11-22

Address: Apt. 895 30151 Green Plain, Lake Mariela, RI 98141

Phone: +5992291857476

Job: Legal Officer

Hobby: LARPing, role-playing games, Slacklining, Reading, Inline skating, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Dance

Introduction: My name is Aracelis Kilback, I am a nice, gentle, agreeable, joyous, attractive, combative, gifted person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.