Home » Blog » Whole Food Recipes » Homemade Bread Recipes

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

ByJami Boys
Jump to Recipe

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.

✩ What readers are saying…

“I just want to say these are really the BEST cinnamon rolls ever. I’ve made them countless times over the last couple of years and everyone raves about them.” -Cristina

frosted cinnamon roll on green plate

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!

cinnamon roll on green plate from side with coffee cup

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!).

cinnamon rolls in pan with one removed

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:

yeast mixture mixed in bowl

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

yeast mixture risen in bowl

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.

steps 3-7 making roll dough

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.
steps to shape and fill cinnamon roll dough

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.)
sliced rolls placed in prepared glass pans
risen roll dough ready for oven

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.)
unfrosted baked cinnamon rolls in pan

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.

frosted rolls in pans

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!

eating cinnamon roll on green plate

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!

Reader Raves

“These were unbelievably amazing!! I used all whole wheat (hard white) flour and it worked great. I can’t thank you enough for sharing this recipe! It’s a keeper!!” -Julie

“Yes, Jami, these ARE the best cinnamon rolls! I had a beloved recipe that, after a few years, I just could not get right any longer. I went on a quest to find a cinnamon roll recipe to replace my beloved recipe. I made these yesterday for today’s breakfast. There were many words of absolute delight as my family enjoyed the rolls. Thank you so very much for sharing this recipe here.” -M.

“I can’t believe Google says there are only 14 five star reviews on this recipe. I’ve made these for YEARS now and they are the best!! Everyone who eats them thinks I’m a much better baker than I really am (I just tell them I’m pretty good at reading reviews and following your recipes!!).” -Rachel

“I have a go-to recipe but it’s pretty time consuming and kind of extra – I was hoping this recipe would replace it. Wow! these truly are THE BEST! My new got to for sure.” -Judi

More Real Food Sweet Breads To Try

Want to save this?

Enter your email below and you’ll get it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get easy new recipes, gardening tips & more every week!

Save Recipe

eating cinnamon roll on green plate
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
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
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time3 hours 20 minutes
Yield: 14 large rolls
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:

Frosting:

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.

Jami Boys headshot

Since 2009 Jami Boys has helped readers live a simple homemade life through whole food recipes, easy organic gardening and preserving the harvest on An Oregon Cottage™. From baking bread to growing vegetables to preserving them, Jami shares the easiest ways to get things done.

She's been featured in Cottages and Bungalows, Old House Journal, and First for Women magazines as well as sites like Good Housekeeping, Huffington Post, and Apartment Therapy.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




4.75 from 24 votes (16 ratings without comment)

81 Comments

  1. I tried several times to make these cinnamon rolls, followed recipe to the tee cept for the bleached wheat flour I used wheat flour, dough was dry never rose tried numerous time’s. I gave the hell up, never had luck with anything with yeast in it. Can’t rate the rolls never got made

    Reply

    1. I’m so sorry this was your experience, Steve! Without being with you in your kitchen, it’s hard for me to know what went wrong. I can tell you that all whole wheat flour would not produce rolls like I picture – they would be heavy and dry and that could be the reason they didn’t rise well.

      Reply

  2. What a delicious surprise! A whole wheat cinnamon roll! I entered this recipe in my local county fair this summer and WON FIRST PLACE Blue Ribbon for the Best Cinnamon Roll at the fair! Thank you for a fabulous roll!5 stars

    Reply

  4. Another excellent recipe! I did adjust the recipe a bit: reduced whole wheat flour to 1 1/2 cups, added plumped raisins (yum!) and made a (gasp!) glaze. Because I had leftover fresh cranberry orange relish, I spread some on about 1/3 of the dough before rolling. Eager to use up the relish, I may have used a tad too much – but it tastes really good anyway. The sweet roll recipe turned out moist and delicious. I want to use this recipe to make pecan sticky buns next.5 stars

    Reply

  5. My daughter has a medical issue that requires avoiding instant yeast and sugar. Is there a recipe for cinnamon rolls that are made with sourdough starter and just honey. No need for frosting because she does not like.

    Reply

    1. Pretty sure you can find one out there – I haven’t tried because if I make cinnamon rolls, I make these. 🙂
      (Though I don’t think you can every only use honey for the filling, it just wouldn’t work. Maybe you need a sticky bun situation?)

      Reply

    2. This has been on my list to make for some time now. Today I FINALLY got around to it. I was a little skeptical, but truly. These are the best. And it won’t be the last time I make them.5 stars

      Reply

  6. I can’t believe Google says there are only 14 five star reviews on this recipe. I’ve made these for YEARS now and they are the best!! Everyone who eats them thinks I’m a much better baker than I really am (I just tell them I’m pretty good at reading reviews and following your recipes!!). I LOVE your wheat bread as well. Thank you for sharing this with us. I make these for my birthday now instead of going out and buying some. I love that you incorporate other flours. I’ve use hard red whole wheat, soft white whole wheat, Spelt and sprouted spelt while making this recipe and the spelt flours are the best, IMHO.5 stars

    Reply

    1. Oh, I’m so happy you’re helping out the star rating, Rachel – thank you!
      And I will have to make a note on the spelt – I think I just use WW without thinking, but next time I’ll go with spelt.

      Reply

  7. I printed this recipe out a while back and today was the day that I woke up and said, “I am going to make those Cinnamon Rolls!” I have a go-to recipe but it’s pretty time consuming and kid of “extra” I was hoping this recipe would replace it – Wow! these truly are THE BEST! My new got to for sure.
    Thank you for sharing your precious recipe ~ it will bring joy to many people 🙂5 stars

    Reply

  8. I made these yesterday because I failed at the artisan sourdough loaf the day before (starter is only two weeks old but was doing double feedings for over a week and thought it’d be cool and I’m pretty sure I didn’t use enough flour, it was more of a discus, so I needed to familiarize myself with dough again and thought this was the one. Will try artisan in a few more weeks, ugh) and my plan was to split one for dessert and have one for breakfast this morning – no one in this apt is waking up that early to make these fresh in the am. Lol. But dang if we didn’t both inhale the half we had after dinner, then stand over the kitchen counter to eat another half. Was being really optimistic thinking we’d only split the one for dessert. They were delicious. Nice and soft, warm, the frosting did Melt into some of the roll.. drooling now. I did a half batch but couldn’t fit all of them into a round cake pan and had to put two rolls into a loaf pan. Did more of the optional sugar cinnamon on bottom of that pan and holy heaven crunchy sugar cinnamon bliss. It was the best part of the damn roll last night. Boyfriend was sad there was no more crunchy stuff this morning. Almost like a brûlée since the two rolls didn’t cover the entire loaf pan(?) so it crisped up. Not sure if that’s what the recipe intended or if it was just a magical mistake. Thank you Jami!!!! Your fam is 100% correct. Truth!5 stars

    Reply

    1. I love this!! So glad you were brave to try it after the sourdough (and do try it again – it gets better as the starter ages, I promise!).

      Reply

  9. Yes, Jami, these ARE the best cinnamon rolls! I had a beloved recipe that, after a few years, I just could not get right any longer. I went on a “quest” to find a cinnamon roll recipe to replace my beloved recipe. I made these yesterday for today’s breakfast. There were many words of absolute delight as my family enjoyed the rolls. Thank you so very much for sharing this recipe here. Have a lovely day and God bless!

    Reply

  10. Hey can I use whole wheat pastry flour instead of unbleached and whole wheat? Thank you, I’m obsessed with your website you should write a cookbook! I’d buy it in an instant

    Reply

    1. Oh wow, thank you Fariza – that is so encouraging! I actually have been talking with a publisher about a cookbook, but it’s narrowing it down to a topic that is hard – as you can see I like to make all kinds of good, whole foods. 🙂

      As for the rolls, I have tried it and they are okay, but not the same tenderness. Since I only make them a couple times a year, I keep some of the unbleached flour in order to keep them the texture we like. But it’s up to you – try it and see if you like it!

      Reply

  11. These were unbelievably amazing!! I used all whole wheat (hard white) flour and it worked great. I can’t thank you enough for sharing this recipe! It’s a keeper!!

    Reply

  12. Hi Jami
    Im new to your blog and really like the look of your recipes.
    im volunteering to make a lot of goodies for a bake sale, where i’ll sell individual servings vs a whole loaf etc.
    i keep trying different cinnamon bun recipes, some are too dry, one almost put my oven on fire with too much butter dripping out of the pan.
    i will follow your to a T
    also helpful to know what mixer you like. i do get intrinsic enjoyment out of kneading dough by hand, but i do a lot of baking for foodonthecorner and a mixer would be useful, the ‘reconditioned” option was helpful to know about.
    thank you for being so generous and sharing your recipes and info
    sue

    Reply

    1. I’m happy you found this, too, Sue – I think these may be the ‘one’ recipe for you, but then again, I’m biased. 😉

      Reply

  13. I just want to say these are really the BEST cinnamon rolls ever. I’ve made them countless times over the last couple of years and everyone raves about them. I did have a question though. I’ve found that by the time I’ve put all 6 cups of flour in, the mixture has already reached the consistency you talk about. Clearing the sides but still sticking to the bottom. Usually I end up almost skipping the dough hook part because I’m afraid I will over work it and it will be tough. Any idea why this could be? I have always used unbleached all purpose flour for all 6 cups. I’m not sure if it really makes that big of a difference but if I can improve what I’m doing I’d love to know! Thanks again for the wonderful recipe!!

    Reply

    1. I’m so glad to know this, Cristina – your experience is the same as mine, meaning everyone loves them! As for the dough, with yeast doughs, do not be afraid to adjust to what it looks and feels like. Don’t put all 6 cups in, just what you need to get it to that point. I would always knead it, though, as that’s what allows the gluten to develop in yeast breads (it’s only baking powder-soda breads that you have to worry about ‘overworking’ the dough). After making it as many times as you have, go with your instinct now. 🙂

      Reply

  14. Like Lisa I’m finally going to try these, just never had the time before, and I just wondered if the flour is normal or bread flour, so many things are different between USA and UK that sometimes things get messed up in the translation so thought should check. Also have never got around to replacing my very old 1960s kenwood stand alone mixer which finally died a couple of years ago, so going to make the dough in the bread maker, fingers crossed

    Reply

    1. I use normal flour, Julie – unbleached instead of the bleached white flour here (not sure if you have those options), basically whatever you have that’s regular. If I put the whole wheat in (I don’t always) I just use a regular whole wheat – so none of them are bread flours.

      And it’s a basic dough (though rich with the butter and eggs!) so it should work in your bread machine if it can handle that amount of dough.

      Reply

  15. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I might actually be brave enough to try it. Would inside the oven be an effective place to let the rolls rise? The temperature in my kitchen is always pretty cool.

    Reply

    1. I hope you do! I can never quite figure the oven for rising, but I think if you heat it at the lowest temp and then turn it off maybe that would work? I’d check at 30 min. to see if it was still warm, though.

      Reply

      1. Sounds really strange, but I run my clothes dryer for 5 minutes, then place the dough inside (covered) to rise. Works well, especially since I have furry critters.

        Reply

        1. I have heard that before! But I’m curious – our dryer’s vent connects outside, so it’s actually very cold coming in if it’s cold outside. The heat only lasts for a few minutes (I’m always running the dryer for a minute in winter before removing clothes that have sat because I prefer to fold warm things, lol). Is you dryer not like this?

          Reply

  16. A quick question. Am hoping to make these later today. Your recipe calls for “warmed milk, sugar, butter salt and eggs.” In other recipes I miexed all these together in a pan on the stove. Is that what you do, or do you just warm the milk, then add the other ingrediants to the warm milk once it’s in the mixing bowl?

    Reply

    1. I just warm the milk to the touch and then add it with the other ingredients to the mixing bowl, Emily. The butter doesn’t melt all the way, so it’s lumpy, but once the strong mixing is done with half the flour, it’s all incorporated. The reason I never heat milk (or water, etc) on the stove for yeast breads is that it’s very easy to get it too hot and that will kill the yeast. You certainly can do that, but use a thermometer and don’t let it get much past 100 degrees (though I’d never add the eggs to a pan on the stove – you wouldn’t want any part to start cooking). I hope you enjoy these – what a fun way to start the new year! 🙂

      Reply

  17. I make homemade cinnamon rolls each year for Christmas morning. I will be making this recipe this year and will let you know how they turn out. I trust you because we’ve had success with so many other recipes of yours! I usually refridgerate the dough before the second rise on my recipe and take out and let rise the next morning, then bake. I love the idea of completely baking, then reheating. I also always make a batch for my sister’s family so they can enjoy and feel my love on Christmas morning. About how long would you say you gently reheat so I can tell her?

    I love your site and always come back when I need a good recipe! Your 100% whole wheat rolls are a frequent here, as well as your honey ketchup, granola bars, ranch dressing and more. Thanks for sharing and your pictures, directions and whole look is just beautiful. I have an amazing friend that reminds me of you! She is an excellent cook and baker among everything else in life 😉

    Reply

    1. Oh, Brittany, your comment totally made my day! I’m more than happy that you find the recipes work good for you, too – they really are what I use all the time, but sometimes I think maybe they won’t be the same for others? So LOVED reading this. 🙂

      I just got through serving these cinnamon rolls to my family at our large gathering for the holidays and they were fought over once again! As our group grows bigger, I find I’m going to have to make another batch in the future to make everyone happy. 🙂 And I actually made them on Friday for a Sunday brunch, and while I think they are best on the day or day 2 from baked, day 3 was fine. We had made eggs in the oven and I stuck the rolls in the oven after turning it off for about 5 minutes before checking. It’s a balance to see how warm they are without the icing melting – that’s the only trick. If the oven weren’t already warmed, I’d heat at 250 degrees for maybe 10 minutes, checking halfway still, just to be sure. 🙂

      Reply

      1. Jami, these turned out just like you said they would! When my son ate his he commented that these were the best cinnamon rolls ever, without knowing the name and also said he was in heaven eating them! These are the new go to for a special treat! Thanks so much for sharing your talents! So totally impressed over and over again!

        Reply

  18. Oh my goodness, these really are the BEST cinnamon rolls ever! I made them today for my hubby and four sons. They loved them! I am pretty picky about cinnamon rolls and I’m always trying to find the perfect cinnamon roll. This is it!! Thank you for sharing your recipe!!

    Reply

    1. Yeah, Amanda! We are of the same mind, ’cause I was pretty picky about cinnamon rolls, too, which is why I tweaked and tweaked until I came up with one I liked. 😉

      Reply

  19. Thank you so very much for being generous enough to share one of your best recipes. I’ve tried too many cinnamon roll recipes to count and thought I’d found a keeper until I tried this recipe. We performed a taste test in our home, comparing my previous favorite recipe with this, and your recipe won hands down. I could not be more delighted to find a recipe that uses WW flour with such great results. The word my DH used was “squishy”, which is high praise! I have a question: my rolls looked wonderful going into the oven, but collapsed a little after baking. It didn’t affect the taste, but I wondered why that happened. I did a little research and one suggestion is that I used too much yeast. The 2 TB called for is more than any of the other recipes I’ve used. Is more yeast required because of the WW flour? Just curious. Thank you again for a winning recipe!

    Reply

    1. Glad they won the taste test, Linda! They sure do in my family. 🙂 Hmmm, it depends on what you mean by ‘collapsed’ – the entire rolls or just the centers? When I don’t get the dough rolled evenly, the centers sometimes descend after baking, leaving spaces between the layers. Other than that, they pretty much always turn out like pictured for me – and I always use the 2 TB yeast. I think it’s that much because it makes a large amount of big rolls, it’s pretty much a double recipe of a regular roll recipe. I also think of the recipes I use a lot of yeast in and it’s always soft breads that you want light and airy, so that’s got something to do with it, too. One more thing to think about: I’ve overproofed bread before and it collapses after cooking, so make sure not to let them rise too long.

      Hopefully you won’t have that happen the next time you make them!

      Reply

      1. Thanks for the suggestion Jami. You may be right that I let the dough rise too long….on the first rise I got distracted and by the time I returned to the kitchen the dough had almost spilled over the bowl. Also, I should have mentioned that I used instant dry yeast. I read that you can reduce the amount by about 25% if using instant yeast because it has smaller granules and is a little more compacted than active dry yeast. I’ll be more careful with the rise next time, and if that doesn’t do the trick I’ll try reducing the amount of yeast. Even with slightly collapsed rolls, this recipe is a winner!

        Reply

  20. Hi Jami! Another fabulous “share”! I tried this recipe today, the first time I’ve made cinnamon rolls & they were absolutely wonderful! However, I didn’t realize that I was almost out of vanilla, so I wound up using 1 teaspoon of vanilla & 1/8 teaspoon of orange oil that I had on hand from making Divinity. They were super-duper good, as my 13 year-old niece said! Thanks for sharing it!

    Reply