Description
The best cinnamon roll recipe for big, soft and fluffy homemade cinnamon rolls filled with buttery cinnamon sugar and topped with cream cheese icing.
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Roll Dough
- ¾ cup whole milk, warmed
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus a little more only if needed
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- ½ cup unsalted butter, very soft
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
- Pinch of kosher salt
For the Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream
- Pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
Pour the warm milk into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. The milk should feel pleasantly warm, but not hot, about 105 to 110°F if you’re checking it with a thermometer.
Sprinkle the yeast and about 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar over the warm milk. Stir gently and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture begins to look creamy and foamy.
If your yeast doesn’t show any activity, it’s better to start over with fresh yeast rather than continue with a dough that may never rise.
Add the remaining sugar, egg and melted butter to the yeast mixture and stir to combine.
Add the flour and salt. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on low until a shaggy dough forms. Increase to medium-low and knead for about 6 to 8 minutes, until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
The most important thing here is not to add too much flour. The dough should be soft and slightly tacky, not dry or stiff. If it’s sticking slightly to the bottom of the mixing bowl, that’s fine.
If the dough is truly wet and difficult to handle after kneading, add additional flour just 1 tablespoon at a time.
If you’re making the dough by hand, turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead for approximately 8 to 10 minutes.
Place the dough in a lightly buttered bowl and turn it once so the surface is lightly coated. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and place somewhere warm and draft-free.
Let the dough rise for approximately 60 to 90 minutes, or until it has roughly doubled in size.
The temperature of your kitchen makes a big difference with yeast dough, so don’t worry if yours needs a little more time. Watch the dough rather than relying solely on the clock.
While the dough rises, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of kosher salt in a small bowl.
Keep the butter separate and let it become very soft. You want it soft enough to spread easily without tearing the dough.
I prefer softened butter here rather than melted butter because it stays in place as you roll the dough and helps keep all that cinnamon-sugar filling tucked inside.
Turn the risen dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently roll it into a rectangle approximately 12 x 16 inches.
Spread the softened butter evenly across the dough, leaving about a ½-inch border along one of the long edges.
Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture evenly over the butter and gently press it into the surface.
Starting at the opposite long edge, roll the dough into a snug log. Don’t pull or roll it excessively tight. Pinch the seam gently to seal.
Use a sharp serrated knife or a piece of unflavored dental floss to divide the log into 8 equal cinnamon rolls.
Arrange the rolls cut-side up in a generously buttered 9 x 13-inch baking dish, leaving a little room between them. They will expand considerably during the second rise and again in the oven.
Cover the baking dish loosely and allow the rolls to rise for another 30 to 45 minutes, or until they’re noticeably puffy and beginning to expand toward one another.
If your kitchen is particularly cool, this may take closer to an hour.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake the cinnamon rolls at 350°F for approximately 22 to 27 minutes, until they’re puffed, set in the centers and lightly golden on top.
Don’t wait for them to become deeply browned. One of the easiest ways to lose that wonderfully soft cinnamon-roll texture is simply to leave them in the oven too long.
Let the rolls cool in the pan for about 10 minutes while you make the icing.
Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and a pinch of salt and beat again until smooth.
Add milk or heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time until the icing reaches a thick but easily spreadable consistency.
Spread the cream cheese icing generously over the cinnamon rolls while they’re still warm. The icing should soften and melt slightly into all those cinnamon-sugar spirals while still leaving plenty on top.
Serve warm.