The Best Cinnamon Rolls Period. (Recipe & Picture Tutorial)

These seriously are the BEST cinnamon rolls – friends and family tested and approved! Served warm and frosted, these are just the right mixture of soft, cinnamony goodness. Bonus – they freeze beautifully, even frosted.

Yes, that’s a period in the title – as in The Best Cinnamon Rolls, period.

I could’ve also said: Ever. In The World. In The Universe. Or You’ve Ever Eaten. And I wouldn’t be exaggerating, tooting my own horn, or overstating it at all.

I know there are hundreds of recipes out there for homemade cinnamon rolls – some even with “best” in the title, too. But I’m going to lay it on the line – they might be good, but these are better than any others I’ve tried (And the recipe by a huge blogger that gets written up all over the internet as “the best?” All I’ve got to say is baking powder and soda have no place in a yeast dough – ever. Unless you want cinnamon biscuits, that is…).

How can I be so sure?

Twenty-plus years of testimonials from family and friends. These are a special recipe that I make only a couple times a year, but they are begged for at every major family gathering – and many have asked for them for their birthday presents, too!

My sister told me once that their family went out of their way on a hiking trip near Canada to stop in a little cafe that they read had the most awesome cinnamon rolls.

She shook her head sadly as she told me they were not nearly as good as mine. And that she sort of felt sorry for the people who thought they were getting the best cinnamon rolls!

So I’m not putting the title on these lightly or flippantly or just to get Google traffic.

Here is my gift to you (after going back and forth on if I even wanted to publish the recipe!): The Best Cinnamon Rolls with a full tutorial to walk you through the steps (which aren’t hard, by the way – I promise that, too!).

Regular whole wheat was used for the batch shown above, along with half unbleached flour, so it’s a bit darker than the other photos where white whole wheat was used.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Yeast – both active dry or instant work.
• Warm water – hot tap is fine, 105-115 degrees.
• Honey – or more granulated sugar.
• Granulated sugar – regular fine sugar is best, I’ve found cane sugars are usually larger grains and do not fully integrate as well as regular granulated sugar.
• Milk, lukewarm – I haven’t tried any of the milk substitutes and I haven’t read a comment from someone who has, but I do think it would be possible.
• Butter – I do not recommend changing this ingredient.
• Salt – regular sea salt is used.
• Eggs – I haven’t tired it, but I do know the flax egg substitute works on other bread products, so it may here, too.
• Unbleached flour – I use this for a little more than half the flour (when I tried to go all whole grain, the rolls were heavier and grainier).
• Whole wheat flour, white whole wheat, or spelt – I like to add any of these whole grain flours for a bit more texture, flavor, and to up the health factor a bit.
• Brown sugar – this is the preferred sugar for the center – white sugar is too grainy and this caramelizes a bit.
• Cinnamon
• Optional (but highly recommended): cinnamon-sugar coating for pans.
• Frosting: cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla.

How to Make Cinnamon Rolls

Detailed quantities and instructions are included in the full recipe box below, but here is a picture tutorial with tips to help with each step:

Step 1: Yeast Mixture. Mix yeast, warm tap water, and a bit of honey in a measuring cup and set aside.

You’ll want to move quickly to the next step, because it will grow to fill a 1-cup measure in only a few minutes.

Step 2: Mix the Cinnamon Roll Dough

1. Using a large mixing bowl, stir together warmed milk, sugar, butter, salt and eggs. You can see in the photo that it won’t actually totally combine. Just mix them together as best you can and then add the bubbling yeast mixture and stir it in.
2. Add half the flour (3 cups) and beat on medium speed until smooth – about a minute.
3. Stir in another 3 1/2 cups flour to make a stiff, yet sticky dough and change to a dough hook. Knead with the mixer for 5-6 minutes, until the dough is clearing the sides. The dough should still be sticking to the bottom. Add only enough extra flour – a tablespoon at a time – to have it just clear the sides, as pictured (to make by hand, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes).
4. Turn the dough out into a large, lightly greased bowl for rising. (TIP: The dough should still be soft, sticking to the bottom of the bowl like pictured, but not sticking to your finger when you lightly touch it – similar to another awesome bread recipe, my 100% Whole Wheat Soft Dinner Rolls).
5. Cover and let rise until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The picture is the doubled dough and shows it’s not typically smooth like some doughs can be.

Step 3: Fill and Shape Cinnamon Rolls

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface (I always used a tea towel before I had a quartz counter – now I use the counter) and let rest for 5 minutes. While dough is resting, prepare pans and filling.

1. Divide a 1/2 cup of butter: put 1/3 cup into a pan or glass measuring cup to melt and split the remaining softened butter between the baking pans. I use 2 glass pans, a 13×9 and a 11×7 inch, fitting 8 rolls in the larger pan and 6 in the smaller pan. (TIP: It’s easiest for me to divide the butter up first, like pictured, and then melt it in the pans and cups using a microwave. If you want to melt in a pan, you can pour the entire amount of melted butter into a measuring cup and pour a little in each pan until you’re left with the 1/3 cup you’ll need for the filling).
2. Use a pastry brush to spread the melted butter all over the pans. Sprinkle a sugar-cinnamon mixture on the butter-coated pans. Yes, this is a special treat – go ahead and do it.
3. Mix brown sugar, white sugar and cinnamon (lots!) in a small bowl.
4. Roll out the rested dough into a 15 x 20 inch rectangle, pour the remaining 1/3 cup melted butter on top and spread evenly – but make sure not to lose it over the edges. Use a pastry brush and go close to the edges only, not up and over them. The butter will be pooling in spots. That’s good.
5. Evenly distribute the filling mixture over the buttered dough. (TIP: I usually make a line of the sugar mixture all around the edge first before filling in the center, just to make sure I don’t push any butter off the dough with the sugar – that would be bad.)
6. Roll up the dough on the long side and pinch the edges to seal. (TIP: I often take the butter-coated pastry brush and run it along the edge first to help the dough stick better when pinched.)
7. Cut into 14 rolls. You can use a serrated bread knife which I find cuts easily or the floss trick or whatever works for you. (TIP: Sometimes I use a tape measure to cut the rolls evenly and sometimes I cut the roll in half, then cut each half into one larger and smaller piece before cutting the larger piece of each half into fourths and the smaller into thirds. Do what seems best.)

Step 4: Let Rolls Rise

1. Place the cut slices close together in the prepared pans. You may need to re-pinch the ends as you place them. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 45 minutes – 1 hour.
2. Start preheating the oven to 350 degrees about 15 minutes before ready to bake. (TIP: See my fingers on the risen rolls? That’s to show you that I often push down any centers that are popping up before putting them into the oven. The standard response to the problem of high centers is that the dough was rolled too tightly. I have found, however that some centers will rise no matter what – so I gently push any down before baking and sometimes after, too, which makes it easier to frost. It doesn’t seem to hurt them and it’s usually only a few.)

Step 5: Bake and Frost Cinnamon Rolls

Bake the rolls 18-22 minutes, until lightly browned, rotating halfway through if needed. The smaller pan is usually done first in the lesser time and will need to be removed, letting the larger pan continue to bake.

Cool the rolls on a wire rack for a few minutes while you mix up the cream cheese frosting.

Divide the frosting evenly among the warm rolls using a large spoon and then spread to fully cover. Yes, this is a frosting – no wimpy glaze allowed!

As the rolls continue to cool, the frosting seeps into all the crevices, mixing with the filling and creating…well, cinnamon roll heaven.

Can you make these ahead of time?

Yes! I often make these at least a day ahead of time as well as freezing rolls for later.

• To make these a day ahead for family gatherings: let frosted rolls cool completely, cover with plastic wrap and then foil. Leave on the counter. The next morning, remove both covers and reheat gently in a 300 degree oven for a 5-10 minutes before serving, if desired. Just watch closely as you don’t want all the frosting to melt!
• To Freeze: I have frozen these successfully – frosting and all – for a a few months! Wrap individual rolls in plastic and then foil. Thaw thoroughly before reheating in a 300 degree oven.

See if my family and I are right about these rolls (and now all the comments from people who’ve made them!) – but don’t blame me if you find you’re spoiled for any other cinnamon rolls. We are, too!

More Real Food Sweet Breads To Try

• Glazed Make-Ahead Real Food Monkey Bread (our Christmas morning tradition!)
• Easy Cinnamon Oat Apple Bread (Whole Wheat, Honey Sweetened)
• Sticky Bun Sourdough Coffee Cake
• Starbucks Inspired Frosted Maple Oat Scones Recipe (Whole Grain)
• Cranberry Crumb Loaves (with leftover cranberry sauce)

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4.75 from 24 votes

The Best Cinnamon Rolls- Period.

You will be spoiled forever for any other cinnamon roll after trying this amazing recipe – I promise. My entire family begs for these at any holiday or gathering!

Prep Time3 hours hrs

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time3 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Yield: 14 large rolls

1x2x3x

Author: Jami Boys

Click for Cook Mode

Ingredients

Dough:

• 2 tablespoons yeast active dry or instant- both work
• 1 cup warm water hot tap is fine, 105-115 degrees
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup warmed milk
• 1/2 cup butter 1 stick
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups whole wheat flour* white whole wheat, or spelt work as well
• 4 ½ cups unbleached flour* plus extra for kneading and rolling

Shaping & Filling:

• 1/2 cup butter 1 stick
• cinnamon-sugar coating for pans: 1/4 cup sugar + 1 teaspoon cinnamon optional to coat the pans, but highly recommended
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cinnamon

Frosting:

• 3 ounces cream cheese softened
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 tablespoons hot water

Instructions

• Make the Dough:
• Mix yeast, warm tap water, and honey in a measuring cup and set aside. (It will bubble quickly, so only leave it while you mix together the first ingredients.)
• Using a large mixing bowl, combine warmed milk, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup softened butter, salt and eggs. Mix them as best you can, then add the bubbling yeast mixture and stir it all together.
• Add the whole wheat flour (2 cups) and beat on medium speed until smooth – about a minute. Stir in the remaining 4 1/2 cups unbleached flour, making a stiff, yet sticky dough.
• Change to a dough hook (or turn out onto a lightly floured surface if kneading by hand). Knead with the mixer for 5-6 minutes, until the dough is clearing the sides, but still sticking to the bottom. If the dough is still sticking to the sides, add only enough extra flour – a tablespoon at a time – to have it just clear the sides (by hand knead for 8-10 minutes on a lightly floured surface).
• Turn the dough out into a large, lightly greased bowl for rising. The dough should still be soft, sticking to the bottom of the bowl as you transfer it to the greased bowl, but not sticking to your finger when you lightly touch it. Cover and let rise until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Shape and Fill:
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface (I use a tea towel -less flour needed and easy clean up- or quartz/marble counter) and let rest for 5 minutes. While dough is resting, prepare pans and filling.
• Take the 1/2 cup of butter and divide it like this: Place 1/3 cup in a glass measure to melt for the filling and use the remaining butter between 2 baking pans, a 13×9 and a 11×7 inch (about 2 tablespoons for the larger pan and 1 tablespoon for the smaller). Melt the divided butter in the pans and glass measuring cup in a microwave, using a pastry brush to coat the pans with the melted butter (alternatively, melt the all the butter in a saucepan, pour the entire amount of melted butter into a measuring cup and pour a little into each pan until you're left with the 1/3 cup you'll need for the filling). Sprinkle the optional (though not really…) 1/4 cup sugar-cinnamon mixture on the butter-coated pans.
• Mix the brown sugar, 1/2 cup white sugar and 3 tablespoons cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside.
• Roll out the rested dough into a 15 x 20 inch rectangle, pour the 1/3 cup melted butter on top and spread evenly using a pastry brush. Brush close to the edges, but don’t allow the butter to go over them. Evenly distribute the filling mixture over the buttered dough. Start around the edges first before filling in the center to make sure the sugar doesn’t push the butter off the dough.
• Roll up the dough as evenly as possible – too loose and you'll get spaces in the rolls, too tight and the centers will pop out – and pinch the edges to seal. Cut into 14 rolls (cut the roll in half first and then cut each half into a larger and smaller piece; cut the larger piece of each half into fourths and the smaller into thirds or use a tape measure). Place the cut slices close together in the prepared pans. You may need to re-pinch the ends as you place them.
• Rise and Bake:
• Cover pans with a damp towel or plastic "shower cap" and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 45 minutes – 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees about 15 minutes before the rolls are ready to bake.
• Bake the rolls 18-22 minutes, until lightly browned, rotating halfway through if needed. The smaller pan is usually done first in the lesser time and will need to be removed, letting the larger pan continue to bake.
• Cool the rolls on a wire rack for a few minutes while you mix up the cream cheese frosting.
• Frost:
• Combine all the frosting ingredients together in the bowl of a mixer and use the whisk attachment to beat until smooth.
• Divide the frosting evenly among the warm rolls using a large spoon and then spread to fully cover all the rolls. Let cool a bit more before serving.*

Notes

*Or use only all-purpose and omit the whole wheat. You can also use bread flour.

**To Make Ahead:

• To make these a day ahead for family gatherings: let frosted rolls cool completely, cover with plastic wrap and then foil. Leave on the counter. The next morning, remove both covers and reheat gently in a 300 degree oven for a 5-10 minutes before serving, if desired. Just watch closely as you don’t want all the frosting to melt!
• To Freeze: I have frozen these successfully – frosting and all – for a a few months! Wrap individual rolls in plastic and then foil. Thaw thoroughly before reheating in a 300 degree oven.

Note on a refrigerator rise: I’ve tried the overnight refrigerator rise with these (after shaping and adding to pans) to have fresh rolls in the morning, but the dough was tougher than normal and I didn’t care for it. Try at your own risk!

Nutrition

Serving: 1roll | Calories: 563kcal | Carbohydrates: 95.9g | Protein: 9.4g | Fat: 17.4g | Saturated Fat: 10.3g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 467mg | Fiber: 5.1g | Sugar: 51.2g

Did you make this recipe?Mention @anoregoncottage or tag #anoregoncottage!

This recipe has been updated – it was originally published in February of 2013.