This recipe yields a pan of buttery soft, gooey cinnamon sweet, and extra fluffy homemade cinnamon rolls topped with tangy cream cheese icing. It’s been a reader favorite recipe for years and I love it so much that I turned this rich dough into apple cinnamon rolls, maple pecan sticky buns, maple cinnamon rolls, and even a cinnamon roll wreath. You can make the cinnamon rolls within a few hours or get started the night before using the overnight preparation option.
I originally published this recipe in 2014 and have since added new photos and a video tutorial, as well as more detailed instructions and success tips. This recipe is such a fan favorite, that it deserved a spot in print! You’ll also find this recipe in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
After making countless batches of these cinnamon rolls since I published the recipe many years ago, plus answering readers’ comments and questions, I thought it would be beneficial to update the post with more helpful information and success tips. Homemade cinnamon rolls are a popular breakfast choice, so I want to make sure you have all the resources you need for this classic recipe.
By the way, if you love this dough, be sure to try it as raspberry sweet rolls or strawberry sweet rolls with lemon glaze next. Or for a sprinkle loaded treat, my birthday cake cinnamon rolls use the same dough, too!
Tell Me About These Homemade Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
- Texture: This is one of my richest homemade doughs, so you’re already promised a soft, springy, and fluffy texture. I usually use all-purpose flour, but if you use the optional bread flour, your rolls will be a little chewier. I find that these homemade cinnamon rolls are even fluffier than my easy 1 rise cinnamon rolls (and that’s because there’s the additional rise here!).
- Flavor: The smell of warm cinnamon rolls is oh-so-irresistible and inviting. Once you take that first bite, you’ll enjoy a fresh homemade dough that’s swirled with endless pockets of (Cinnabon style!) sweet and gooey cinnamon.
- Ease: Homemade dough and shaped breads require more precision and effort than making say, a coffee cake. But the dough is pretty straightforward and simple to shape, as long as you have enough flour nearby for your hands, work surface, and rolling pin.
- Time: This dough requires 2 rises. Once you understand the assembly process, the prep moves pretty quickly. Set aside at least 4-5 hours from start to finish or divide between 2 days with the overnight option. Whichever method you choose, keep in mind most of that time is hands off as the dough rises.
If you are craving cinnamon rolls right now, and just can’t wait for dough to rise, try these no yeast cinnamon rolls!
What Readers are Saying:
“I HAD to come and leave this rave review. I just baked and iced these cinnamon rolls ay 9:05 am. It’s now 10:55 am in a household of only 3 people only two are left. This recipe is the best I’ve ever tried. ★★★★★” – Chelsea
“Delicious and easy to follow! This was my first time cooking with yeast and my first time making homemade cinnamon rolls and this was a great recipe to start with. Everyone at brunch was blown away. ★★★★★” – Hannah
“Delicious! I have tried many cinnamon roll recipes, and this is my new favorite. I prefer a roll that is large, more fluffy than dense/gooey, and buttery without being overly sweet. This fit the bill! ★★★★★” – Brice
Are You A Yeast Beginner?
This Baking with Yeast Guide is a wonderful starting point for beginners. I answer many common yeast FAQs in easy-to-understand explanations, so you can learn the basics before beginning.
7 Crucial Ingredients in These Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Feel free to skip straight to the recipe. But if you’re new to making bread, the following explanations are points that I’ve learned over the years and will be massively helpful.
- Whole milk: Whole milk is ideal for the richest tasting cinnamon rolls. Buttermilk works just as well without any changes to the recipe. Many readers have successfully substituted nondairy milks. In a pinch, you can use 2% or 1% milk, but do not use nonfat milk.
- Sugar: You need 2/3 cup of white granulated sugar in the dough. Use 2 Tablespoons in step 1 below (the proofing step), then add the rest in step 2.
- Yeast: You can use active dry or instant yeast. Follow the directions exactly as written regardless of which you choose. You’ll still proof the yeast in warm milk with some sugar even if you use instant yeast. This step ensures that the yeast is active and not expired. Most yeast these days is already active, but it’s a quick 5-10 minute step that prevents you from wasting your time just in case the yeast has expired. If using active dry yeast, the rise times will be a little longer. For the past 10+ years, my go-to brand has been Red Star Yeast. I always recommend Platinum Yeast from Red Star.
- Butter: This is a rich dough, meaning it has fat to help guarantee softness. Use 1/2 cup of softened butter and to help it blend easier, cut it into 4 pieces before adding.
- Eggs: Like butter, eggs promise a softer, richer dough.
- Salt: Dough is bland without salt.
- Flour: Flour is the structure of the dough. You can use either all-purpose flour or bread flour. You’ll notice the rolls are a little chewier if you use bread flour, which is exactly why we use it in recipes like these blueberry bagels. It’s not a huge difference, so don’t worry if you only have all-purpose flour. (That’s what I usually use!)
Note: You’ll notice that I use more yeast in this recipe compared to my easy cinnamon rolls. Why? These are much fluffier and larger—about twice the size.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here’s what you’re looking for after you let the warm milk, some of the sugar, and yeast sit for about 5-10 minutes. The top will be a little foamy:
After the dough comes together, it will be a little soft and sticky—that’s normal. As explained in step 3 below, knead the dough on a floured counter or keep it in the mixer for kneading. If you’d like a visual of how to knead the dough by hand, you can watch the full video tutorial in my post on how to knead dough.
What If I Don’t Have a Stand Mixer? If you do not own a mixer, you can mix the dough together with a large wooden spoon/silicone spatula. It will take a bit of arm muscle. A hand mixer works, but the sticky dough repeatedly gets stuck in the beaters. Mixing by hand with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula is a better choice.
Let the dough rise until doubled in size:
Punch the risen dough down and roll it out.
Baker’s Tip: If the dough keeps shrinking as you roll it out, stop what you’re doing, cover it lightly, and let it rest for 10 minutes to relax the gluten. When you return to the dough, it should stretch out much easier.
Spread softened butter on top, then sprinkle on a mixture of cinnamon and sugar (I use brown sugar, but you could use white granulated sugar if you prefer).
Roll it up:
Use a very sharp knife to cut the roll into 12 rolls, each about 1.5 inches. Arrange in your greased baking pan, cover, then let the rolls rise until doubled in size and puffy, usually about 1 hour. The left photo is before rising and the right photo is after rising:
Bake the rolls and then make the tangy cream cheese icing to smother on top. If cream cheese isn’t your favorite, you could top the rolls with vanilla icing, the brown sugar icing from these pumpkin donuts, cinnamon cream cheese frosting from these gingerbread cinnamon rolls, maple icing from maple cinnamon rolls, or even the caramel icing from apple cinnamon rolls. Lots of options!
5 Success Tips
- Use brown sugar or granulated sugar in the filling: I used to use granulated sugar in the cinnamon sugar filling, but recently switched to brown sugar for extra flavor. Brown sugar doesn’t necessarily make the filling more moist—there’s also butter, so it’s moist and gooey either way. (I love the brown sugar filling so much I used it to create this cinnamon swirl cheesecake!) Use whichever sugar you prefer.
- Best pan to use: I recommend a 9×13-inch glass pan or metal pan. Avoid ceramic pans. If you must use ceramic, keep in mind that the rolls will likely take longer to bake through.
- Evenly baked cinnamon rolls: These are extra big and fluffy cinnamon rolls, so to help guarantee the centers AND tops cook evenly, tent a piece of aluminum foil over the rolls after about 15 minutes in the oven. This will protect the tops from browning too quickly before the centers can cook.
- Don’t have all morning to spend on this dough? Feel free to prep the dough the night before. This is a wonderful way to save time in the morning so you can wake up and eat sooner. See my make-ahead/overnight instructions in the written recipe below.
How to Freeze Homemade Cinnamon Rolls So They Still Taste Fresh
Let me share a tip I’ve learned after working with this dough for several years. You can prep the rolls and freeze them ahead of time so they still taste fresh.
- Here’s how: Bake the rolls in step 9 for only about 10 minutes. Cool completely, then cover and freeze. To serve, take the rolls out of the freezer and place in the refrigerator overnight to thaw. Once thawed, finish baking them for about 15-20 minutes.
I often use this method when I gift cinnamon rolls to others—just copy/paste or write these freezing instructions down. This method is also helpful if you have company over, want to cut down on time, or are entertaining. I like to make these cinnamon rolls ahead when I’m hosting holidays. For more inspiration to complete your menu, see my Easter brunch recipes, make-ahead Thanksgiving breakfast ideas, and Christmas breakfast ideas.
Print
Homemade Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
- Prep Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes (includes rises)
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours (or overnight)
- Yield: 12 rolls
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This recipe yields a pan of buttery soft, gooey cinnamon sweet, and extra fluffy homemade cinnamon rolls topped with tangy cream cheese icing. You can make the cinnamon rolls within a few hours or get started the night before using the overnight preparation option. This recipe is also in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
- 2/3 cup (133g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons (14g) active dry or instant yeast (2 standard packets)*
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature and cut into 4 pieces
- 4 and 1/2 cups (563g) all-purpose flour or bread flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons oil or butter for the bowl (or use nonstick spray)
Filling
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2/3 cup (133g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 ounces (113g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) heavy cream or milk
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: Whisk the warm milk, 2 Tablespoons of sugar, and the yeast together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow mixture to sit for 5–10 minutes or until foamy on the surface. *If you do not own a mixer, you can do this in a large mixing bowl and in the next step, mix the dough together with a large wooden spoon/silicone spatula. It will take a bit of arm muscle. A hand mixer works, but the sticky dough repeatedly gets stuck in the beaters. Mixing by hand with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula is a better choice.*
- Add the remaining sugar (1/2 cup or 100g) and the butter and beat on medium speed until the butter is slightly broken up. Add about 1 cup (125g) of the flour, the eggs, and salt and beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the remaining flour. Beat on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. Dough will be soft. If it seems too sticky and clings to the sides of the bowl instead of forming a rough mass around the dough hook or spoon, add more flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time, and continue to mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl but is still moist and tacky. If it feels dry and crumbly, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer (and switch to the dough hook if you used the paddle) and beat on low speed for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should feel smooth, supple, and elastic. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
- 1st Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or butter (or use nonstick spray). Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled in size. (I always let it rise on the counter and it takes about 2 hours. For a tiny reduction in rise time, see my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
- Grease the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch baking dish (glass or metal) or line it with parchment paper.
- Roll out the dough: Punch down the dough to release the air. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface and using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 12×18-inch rectangle. Make sure the dough is smooth and evenly thick. If the dough keeps shrinking as you roll it out, stop what you’re doing, cover it lightly, and let it rest for 10 minutes to relax the gluten. When you return to the dough, it should stretch out much easier.
- For the filling: Spread the softened butter all over the dough. The softer the butter is, the easier it is to spread in this step. (Microwave it for a few seconds to soften if needed.) In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together. Sprinkle evenly over the butter. Tightly roll up the dough to form an 18-inch-long log. If some filling spills out, sprinkle it on top of the roll. With an extra-sharp knife, cut into 12 even rolls, about 1.5 inches thick. Arrange in the prepared baking pan.
- 2nd Rise: Cover the pan and allow the rolls to rise until puffy, about 1 hour. (Or use the overnight option in the Notes below.)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Bake for about 25–28 minutes or until they are lightly browned on top, rotating the pan halfway through. If the tops are browning too quickly, loosely tent a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the pan. Remove pan from the oven and place pan on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes while you make the icing.
- Make the icing: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, cream/milk, and vanilla. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 1 minute. Spread the icing over the warm rolls and serve immediately.
- Cover leftover frosted or unfrosted rolls tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions – Overnight: To prepare the night before serving, prepare the rolls through step 7. Cover the rolls and refrigerate for 8–12 hours. (16 hours max. 8–12 hours is best, but 16 hours is OK if absolutely needed. Do not exceed 16 hours.) The next morning, remove from the refrigerator, keep covered, and allow to rise for 1–2 hours at room temperature before continuing with step 9.
- Make Ahead Instructions – Freezing: You can freeze cinnamon rolls for up to 3 months, and I recommend a few different methods for freezing cinnamon rolls. The first method is to freeze them after shaping, before they’ve had their 2nd rise (step 7). Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then let rise for 1.5–2 hours at room temperature before baking. The second method is to par-bake the risen rolls for 10 minutes, let cool completely, then cover and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. Finish baking for 15–20 minutes. You can also freeze fully baked cinnamon rolls. See How to Freeze Cinnamon Rolls for more details about all of these methods.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Stand Mixer or Large Glass Mixing Bowl with Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon | Rolling Pin | 9×13-inch Glass Baking Pan or Metal Baking Pan | Cooling Rack
- Milk: I recommend using whole milk for the best, richest-tasting dough. You could also use buttermilk. Reduced-fat, low-fat, or nondairy milk works in a pinch. Do not use nonfat milk.
- Yeast: You can use active dry or instant yeast in this recipe. Follow all of the same instructions. If using active dry yeast, the rise times are usually slightly longer. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Other Icing Options: Instead of cream cheese icing, you can top the warm rolls with vanilla icing, the brown sugar icing from these pumpkin donuts, maple icing from maple cinnamon rolls, or even the caramel icing from apple cinnamon rolls.
- Gluten Free: We have not tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, so we are unsure of the results.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I just made this for Christmas for the boyfriend and myself. The doughy part of the cinnamon rolls tastes more bread-y and less pastry-like, which is fine. I was pretty happy with these, but I do wish I had used a more instant yeast rather than traditional. While it rose and foamed as it should have, I should’ve gone with my gut and used instant. Overall, a great recipe. I’d recommend a different frosting if you want more of the cream cheese frosting, which would balance out the bread-y flavor. Overall, recipe gets a 4/5.
These were amazing!!! Thank you so much for the recipe! Christmas breakfast 2017 was a bit hit:). Only problem is they are already almost gone!
I have made a lot of cinnamon roll recipes and this is by far the best!!!
Can I use half of the ingredients to get only 6 rolls?
Hi Maria, Yes, this recipe could be halved. Though for best results and ease, we would recommend making the full batch and freezing the leftovers. See recipe notes for details. Or try our Easy Cinnamon Rolls recipe that makes a smaller batch. Happy baking!
Hi Sally,
I tried several of your recipes but never commented until now. My husband called this recipe a “fortuitous find” so I know it’s definitely a keeper. I made them with the help of my 11 year old son who loved the whole process, especially waking up to warm cinnamon rolls on Sat morning. I used half skim milk and half almond milk because it’s all I had in the fridge and turned out fine. I also used half brown sugar and half granulated in the filling. Thanks for all the great recipes!
Sadly I was doomed from the start with this one. I did read over the recipe several times before I started, but apparently that wasn’t enough because I realized when the dough was being kneaded in my mixer that I had accidentally added way less sugar than the recipe called for. I also had to use regular yeast instead of the platinum- they had it at my store but it was about to expire and I didn’t want to take that chance.
Otherwise, though, I followed the directions quite carefully and I still ended up with sad cinnamon rolls. Maybe having them rise in the warm oven was TOO warm? The softened butter was melting on the dough when I was spreading it on… and the rolls were very soft and hard to cut, resulting in sloppy rolls that didn’t resemble the nice ones that you made. It was rather humid and warm in my house that day, so maybe it got too warm?
If you were cutting the rolls with a knife that may have been your problem! I highly recommend using a piece of dental floss to cut them – it produces a clean cut without smooshing the dough.
Hi Sally! First of all I want to thank you for share this delicious recipe, but more for the advice and for emphasize of the importance of the correct temperatures and measures to achieve a perfect and balanced taste and texture in this recipe. I enjoyed so much making my cinnamon rolls. I ate them with my coworkers and they love it. Now I will follow you to learn how to make other recipes. Success in everything always.
Just wanted to comment and say I also made these on Xmas Eve for Christmas morning – my first yeast dough EVER and a big occasion to boot. I knew I didn’t have to worry, though, because Sally recipes are basically fool-proof. These were easy and so so so so delicious straight out of the oven. Making a killer yeasted cinnamon roll was like an extra Xmas present. On the last day of leftovers I sliced & toasted them and then topped with maple syrup because holidays.
A few notes :
– I made a half recipe & put 6 rolls in an 8×8″ pan which worked just great. (It’s an easy split since there are 2 eggs and 2 packets of yeast)
– I had these in the fridge for about 16 hours so they got a little extra rise time in the morning but they still came out delicious.
My daughter (11yrs) wanted to make Daddy something for his bday and then this recipe came up. Cinnamon buns being a family favorite she was enthused to try them. We aren’t big bakers (yet) so we followed everything to a T. They were dynamite! My husband (& our other daughters) thoroughly enjoyed them. The only trouble we had was trying to roll out the dough into a perfect 13×18 rectangle. It didn’t happen and at that point we improvised and adjusted accordingly but they all worked out. The only thing I would alter is the icing – more cream cheese flavour next time. Thanks for sharing, it was a positive baking (& dining!) experience:)
I made your cinnamon rolls for Christmas and last night (New Year’s Eve), I dreamed we still had some! That’s how memorable & remarkable they were. But they were SO delicious that, sadly, no, there weren’t any more left from Christmas. I just wanted to thank you so much for the recipe and the step-by-step, foolproof instructions. I was particularly impressed with the tip for getting my dough to rise. You really made my Christmas with these rolls. Thank you, Sally!! I will definitely be making them again. ❤
I made these on Christmas Eve day for the next morning and they were SO good!! I think I will put more sugar and cinnamon inside for the filling because mine seemed to evaporate more than I would like. But other than that, a very simple recipe to follow and it will be my go to form now on !
Glad you liked them, Autumn! Yes, you can definitely add more filling to make them as sweet as you would like 🙂
These are amazing!!! I had been researching on homemade cinnamon rolls and I read the reviews, which is usually what leads me to a particular recipe. We had biscuits and gravy for breakfast and breakfast casserole. My husband ate 2 of these after eating breakfast and kept going on about how wonderful they were. I stayed up and ended up cooking instead of refrigerating. On the 2nd time the rolls weren’t rising after 30 min. I actually turned the oven on like before and waited 15 min and then they were ready to go. I did one With pecans and one without. This will go in the books. Thanks
Thanks for sharing a lovely lovely recipe. I plan to make this recipe Friday morning and place the unrisen rolls (tightly wrapped in a layer of plastic and foil) in the freezer–not the fridge. Then at about 2pm on Saturday, I will move them from the freezer to the refrigerator. Then on Sunday morning I will remove them from the fridge at about 5 am and place them in a warm place to rise. I will bake them between 7-8 am. This method came from The Pioneer Woman but I have not tried it yet!
This recipe was amazing. Cinnamon rolls are a heck of a lot of work, but being able to do all of it the night before and simply bake them in the morning is so much less stress when you’ve got a breakfast/brunch to host, and other dishes that need to be made that morning. Much better than waking up at 4am!!! Also, my whole family asked if these were a Cinnabon copycat recipe! 10/10, would make these again for sure.
I roll my dough out onto a jelly-roll pan for shaping and adding the filling. It’s the right size (13x18inch rectangle) and clean up is pretty easy. I have limited counter space (and no kitchen table) and don’t like fishing flour out from under the toaster and microwave to clean up.
I have tried several cinnamon roll recipes that claim to be “the best” and always end up disappointed. This was by FAR the best cinnamon roll recipe I have ever tried. I had to tweak just because of what I had on hand and we are stuck in the house due to snow right now, but even with 2% milk and brown sugar in the filling…they were fantastic. I loved your recommendations for putting the dough and the rolls in a warm oven to rise. They were the fluffiest cinnamon rolls I’ve made. Thanks for being my go-to baking site!
I made these for Christmas breakfast and they were fabulous! I made one substitution, my son is allergic to eggs so I replaced the eggs with whole plain Greek yogurt. We will definitely be making these again!
Sally:
We have a family tradition of eating Cinnamon Rolls for Christmas Breakfast, and your recipe makes it so easy. I had to take a vote on making the Monkey Bread or the Cinnamon Rolls for this Christmas, and the Cinnamon Rolls won. My teenage daughter had her first attempts at baking these and they were fantastic. My husband posted pictures on FB and some fellow workers wanted to pay my daughter to make them a pan!! Thanks for your recipes. 🙂
Sally these are straight up amazing! Just had them for Christmas morning breakfast, and had to say thanks for the awesome recipe, so thanks!!! Merry Christmas!!
I just made these for a brunch with my housemates today and they were wonderful! Everyone absolutely loved the rolls. I will certainly be using this recipe in the near future!
Side note: I LOVE frosting/glaze/icing, but I had extra! I was so, so surprised. I don’t know if I could halve it because that may be way too little, so I guess I’ll have to find another use for the glaze! Too good to waste 🙂
Hi Sally, I have never posted a message on any website before but these were so scrummy I couldn’t not..I love how you give so much detail and you explain the recipe so well I found them very easy to make and they will become a firm favourite in my home..ps I also love how you give the recipe also in grams as so many American recipes don’t, we in Ireland don’t use the cup method so it’s great I can actually use your recipes xx
I tried making these cinnamon buns a few weeks ago for my family, and we’re nice with a good yeasty flavor.
I adjusted and made them again yesterday and the results were even better. I upped the cinnamon to 2 tablespoons in the filing and replaced two cups of white flour with two cups of whole wheat flour (mostly because i ran out of white!) These were great with a tad less guilt.
I love the suggestion of letting dough rise in a warmed oven. I’ll definitely be using that for all of my yeast dough recipes. Thanks!
I made these Saturday night and baked them Sunday morning. They were heavenly. I took them out of the fridge. preheated the oven and left them to rise there while the oven preheated. 20 min from the time oven was preheated they were cooked to the right darkness, light fluffy, and oh so delicious.
I made a gooey caramel sauce for them to sit in also. so when flipped out of the pan, they had this awesome caramel sauce drizzling from them.
This was my first time making homemade cinnamon rolls. I followed your recipe and I have to say, these rolls are delicious. I did make a few rookie mistakes, but none of them seemed to come back to haunt me. Thank you for sharing your very easy to follow instructions. Not only will I make these again, but I will be looking to you for more recipes.
***** Seriously the best cinnamon bun recipe ever. I glutinously doubled the filling which made it extra gooey. Thank you!!
Hi Sally,
I just saw these on Pinterest and it reminded me to tell you how amazing they are! I have made them twice now and they are so moist! This recipe really is so easy to follow and the results are wonderful. Even if it’s your first time working with yeast, you can do it! Even the dough on the outer edges is moist and not dry like most cinnamon rolls I have had (bakery, even!).
Hi Sally! I absolutely love your cinnamon roll recipe ( and your site) already made it successfully a few times…… My family coudn’t get enough of them
I’ve tried your easy cinnamon rolls that required one rise before- they were good but i hoped for a softer version of the rolls. So i tried this recipe out and THIS RECIPE WAS PHENOMENAL. i have to say that you are just amazing. this recipe produced the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had in my entire life. soft, gooey, buttery- even on the next day it was baked! I am just obsessed with your blog. So far I’ve tried some of your oatmeal bars, tons of cupcakes, and of course your chocolate chip cookie recipe which all tasted phenomenal. You are the true motivation for me to bake from scratch. You are just amazing, Sally. I truly admire your passion for baking and your generosity to share all your recipes. Definitely ordering your cookbook (and also your candy addiction that is coming soon!) although it is going to take a while to arrive since I live in Korea. ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU!
Hello Sally. I really had to post this comment to thank you so much for this recipe. Where we live, yeast is not easy to come by, milk labels are so simple (no “whole milk”, no 2%, etc.), so it’s not easy to bake anything I fancy (plus working with yeast is intimidating). I got my instant yeast just before November started and it took me until New Year’s Eve to actually muster the guts to bake cinnamon rolls. I scoured the net for the perfect recipe and I decided on yours. I had to improvise on the milk: I used the canned evaporated version and used half a cup of it and half a cup of water to make the one cup needed in your recipe. Anyhow, you should add FOOLPROOF as a description of your recipe as true enough, my cinnamon rolls came out heavenly, like in your pictures. Everybody in my family liked how it was not too sweet and thanked me for skipping the icing. I liked how they were fluffy yet solid, like the ones I grew up to. My husband said they were the best cinnamon roles he has ever had. Thank you so much for making my first time baking with yeast a great one. Keep up the work. God bless you.
Are you supposed to chill before cutting? I just made these and popped them in the fridge to bake in the morning . The dough was extremely soft when rolling and cutting. While I know enriched doughs are softer, I had a hard time getting clean looking cuts like in your picture. Mine kind of just squished. Was I supposed to pull and roll as I went so it was tighter maybe?