With their pillowy dough, perfect cinnamon + brown sugar filing, and a luscious cream cheese frosting, these homemade classic cinnamon rolls will be your go-to for breakfast or brunch.
There's something incredibly comforting about the aroma of freshly baked cinnamon rolls wafting through your kitchen. These homemade classic cinnamon rolls are a perfect embodiment of that comfort. Soft, gooey, and swirled with the perfect blend of cinnamon and sugar, these rolls are a treat for the senses. Grab your apron, because we're diving into the delicious world of homemade cinnamon rolls. Let’s make them.
Ingredients:
For the Dough:
1 ¼ Ounce Pack of instant or dry active yeast
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 ⅓ cups Whole Milk, warmed to about 110°
⅔ cup salted butter, softened to room temperature
2 Large Egg, room temperature
1 Teaspoon Salt
4 ¾ cups All Purpose Flour, plus more for dusting and rolling the dough out
⅓ cup heavy cream, for pouring over the risen rolls prior to baking
For the Filling:
½ cup salted butter, softened to room temperature
⅔ cup packed brown sugar
2 ½ tablespoons cinnamon
cream cheese glaze:
2 tablespoon salted butter, softened to room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup sifted C&H powdered sugar
½ tablespoon pure vanilla paste
2 tablespoon half and half, optional
For the Dough:
The foundation of any great cinnamon roll is its dough. This recipe starts with a yeast-based dough that's wonderfully soft and pillowy. Here's how you make it:
In the bowl of your standing mixer, combine a 1 ¼-ounce pack of instant or dry active yeast, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, and ½ cup of warmed milk. Let it sit until it becomes frothy, which should take about 10-20 minutes.
Add the rest of the warmed milk, softened butter, eggs, salt, and a cup of flour. Mix on low and gradually add the remaining flour until a soft dough forms.
Knead the dough in your mixer on low or by hand on a floured surface for 5-8 minutes until it's smooth and elastic. You're looking for a very soft dough here. If it's too sticky, add a bit more flour as needed, but you want a very soft dough.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise in a warm place for 1 ½ - 2 hours or until it doubles in size.
For the Filling:
The heart of a great cinnamon roll is the sweet, cinnamon-filled center. Here's how to make it:
In a bowl, combine ½ cup softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Mix until you have a smooth, cinnamon-infused paste.
Assembling the Cinnamon Rolls:
Once the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out into a large rectangle, about ¼-inch thick on a floured surface.
Spread the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the dough.
Cut twelve equal slices with a pizza cutter and rolling each dough slice up. You can also roll the dough into a log and then cut the log into 12 equal slices. Either way is perfectly fine and totally based on your preference!
Place the slices in a greased 9x13-inch baking dish and let them rise for another 30 minutes, covered with a kitchen towel.
Baking:
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Before baking, pour ⅓ cup of heavy cream over the risen rolls.
Bake the rolls in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until they are golden brown and cooked through.
For the Cream Cheese Glaze:
While the rolls are baking, let's whip up that luscious cream cheese glaze:
In a bowl, beat together softened butter, softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla paste, and half and half until smooth and creamy.
Finishing:
Once the cinnamon rolls are out of the oven and slightly cooled, drizzle the cream cheese glaze over the top.
Serve the classic cinnamon rolls warm and savor every delightful, homemade bite!
These homemade classic cinnamon rolls are quite simple to make, but definitely require a bit of patience as they rise. I promise you that the end result is well worth it! With a perfect balance of sweetness, warm cinnamon, and that rich cream cheese glaze, these rolls will steal the spotlight at any breakfast or brunch gathering.
Dietary substitutions:
I love providing gluten and dairy free substitutions so that those with alternate dietary needs can enjoy my recipes to their fullest! These are subs that I have either used and continue to stock in my own home, or that have come highly recommended from others. I want your baking experience to be the best it can be, and avoiding gluten or dairy shouldn’t hinder that process in the slightest.
As always, here is a list of tried and true dietary substitutes, so that you can enjoy this recipe without the additions of gluten or dairy.
Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour is a wonderful all-purpose sub, and it’s cup for cup, so use the same measurements as you would all-purpose flour.
Miyokos butter is a plant based brick that closely resembles dairy butter not only in its look, but it’s taste as well. It melts, browns, and spreads just like real butter, and truly is a fantastic substitute in this recipe. Use it as a 1:1 ratio sub, same as the flour, so the recipe measurements will not change.
Miyokos also makes a wonderful cream cheese that would be an excellent dairy free base in the glaze.
Silk Plant Based Half and Half Alternative is a great alternative to dairy based cream.
Silk Dairy Free Heavy Cream is a great option in leu of dairy based cream for this recipe.
Use your favorite unsweetened plant based milk in place of the dairy milk.
If you loved this recipe, I’d be so grateful for you to leave a 5 star rating + review.
Tag @heathershomebakery on Instagram if you upload a pic too, because I want to see your creations.
Lastly, post this recipe to any of your boards by tapping the Pinterest icon and clicking on your favorite photo. Save and enjoy!
XO,
Heather
PS- Try my Biscoff Cinnamon Rolls for a truly fabulous treat packed with cookie butter flavor!
Homemade Classic Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 1- ¼ Ounce Pack of Yeast, instant or dry active {.25 ounce if weighing}
- ⅓ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 ⅓ Cup Whole Milk, warmed to about 110°
- ⅔ Cup Salted Butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 Large Eggs, room temperature
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 4 ¾ Cups All Purpose Flour, plus more for dusting and rolling out the dough
For the Filling:
- ½ Cup Salted Butter, softened to room temperature
- ⅔ Cup Dark Brown Sugar, packed (light or dark is fine as well)
- 2 ½ Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon
For the Cream Cheese Glaze:
- 2 Tablespoons Salted Butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 Ounces Cream Cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 Cup Powdered Sugar, sifted to remove any lumps
- ½ Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 2 Tablespoons Half and Half, optional
Instructions
- For the Dough:In the bowl of you standing mixer, combine the instant or dry active yeast, the sugar, and ½ cup of the warmed milk. Let it sit for about 10-20 minutes until it becomes frothy.Add the remaining milk, softened butter, eggs, salt, and a cup of the flour. Attach the paddle to your mixer. Mix on low and slowly add the rest of the flour until a soft dough forms.
- Knead the dough in your mixer on low for 5 minutes on by hand on a floured surface for about 5-8 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. If it's too sticky, add a bit more flour as needed, ¼ cup or so, but you want a very soft dough. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it with a clean kitchen towel, and let it rise in a warm place for 1 ½ - 2 hours or until it has doubled in size.
- For the Filling:In a bowl, combine the softened butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Mix until you have a smooth, cinnamon-infused paste.Assembling the Cinnamon Rolls:Once the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out on a floured surface into a large rectangle, about ¼-inch thick.Spread the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the dough.Starting from one long edge, tightly roll the dough into a log.Cut the log into 12 equal slices with a sharp knife. You can also use a pizza cutter to cut twelve equal slices prior to rolling the dough, and roll each piece up individually. Either way is perfectly fine and entirely up to you and your preference. Place the slices in a greased 9x13-inch baking dish.Cover the dish with a kitchen towel and let the rolls rise for another 30 minutes.
- Baking:Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).Before baking, pour the ⅓ cup of heavy cream over the risen rolls.Bake the rolls in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until they are golden brown and cooked through.
- For the Cream Cheese Glaze:While the rolls are baking, prepare the cream cheese glaze.In a bowl, beat together the softened butter, softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla paste, and half and half until smooth and creamy.Finishing:Once the cinnamon rolls are out of the oven and slightly cooled, drizzle the cream cheese glaze over the top.Serve the classic cinnamon rolls warm and enjoy!
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