Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Recipe and Review

These homemade cinnamon rolls are delicious! 

I wish I could say they are fast, but they do require time for raising.  I have not found a way to start the cinnamon rolls in advance and bake them later.  This is a recipe you will want to prepare and bake on the same day.  Therefore, you either need to serve them for brunch, or get up before sunrise to start the dough.  Either way, these cinnamon rolls are worth it!

It looks like a lot of instructions when you read the recipe below, but they are still fairly easy to make.  I simply give enough details that even the inexperienced baker will have success with the recipe. Please do not let the appearance of difficulty or length keep you from baking these divine cinnamon rolls.

I will warn you in advance, the recipe makes 12 cinnamon rolls, but most of us can only eat one.  They are that big and filling.

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Recipe 

Dough Ingredients 

• 2 ¼ teaspoons (1 pkg) active dry yeast 
• 
  3/4 Cup Warm Whole Milk
• 1/2 Cup of Buttermilk  
• 1 Cup Warm Water 
• 2 Tablespoon Softened Butter 
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar 
• 1 ¼ teaspoons Salt 
• 6 Cups All Purpose Flour (plus extra for flouring work surfaces)

  

Filling Ingredients

• 1/4 Cup Melted Butter 
• 1 Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar 
• 4 teaspoons Instant Coffee Granules – mashed with spoon to fine powder 
• 2 teaspoons Ground Saigon Cinnamon 
  

 

Simple Icing Ingredients  (If prefered, click here to jump to cream cheese alternative icing recipe)

• 1 ½ Cup Confectioner’s Sugar 
• 2 Tablespoon Softened Butter 
• 2 Tablespoon Whole Milk 
• ½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract 

 

 

Set-up for Baking Success

Set out 1/4 Stick (4 Tablespoons) of Butter to Soften plus a little more to grease baking pan & bowl (should set out about 30 minutes before needed) 

Set out the mixing bowls & other supplies you will need.  I use the following:

• Deep bowl for mixing (flour tends to blow when mixing, so use a deep bowl)
• Large glass bowl for raising  
• Hand Held Mixer
  
• 13 x 9 Baking Pan 
• Cutting board for kneading 
• Clean the counter top for rolling out dough to 18" x 12" size  (Note:  I have a 18 x 12 glass microwave plate from an old microwave that is perfect for this.  If you can find one, it will save a lot of mess and clean-up time. Otherwise, I recommend the pastry mat with measurements featured below)
  
  

Preparation

• Grease large glass bowl for raising
• Flour Cutting Board for kneading
• Warm Milk & Buttermilk in microwave (stir every 15 seconds to avoid burning)
  

Directions 

1.  In a large, deep mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water
   
2. Add warm milk, warm buttermilk, sugar, softened butter, salt and 4 cups of flour.  Beat (mixer) on medium speed until smooth. 
3. By hand, spoon or fork, Stir in remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will still be sticky) 
4. Turn onto a floured cutting board surface, knead 6-8 minutes. (Dough should be smooth and elastic.) 
5. Place in a greased bowl, turning over once to grease top of the dough ball. 
6. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour
7. After the hour, Grease 13 x 9 baking pan
   
8. Flour clean counter or rolling surface & rolling pin
9. Melt 1/4 Cup Butter in microwave
   
10. Combine Brown Sugar, Instant Coffee Granules and Cinnamon
    
11. Punch Dough down, turn onto floured surface and roll out to 18" x 12" rectangle. 
12. Brush with melted butter 
13. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over buttered dough to within ½” of edges.  Use all of the mixture
    
14. Starting with long edge, Roll up Jelly-roll style and Pinch seam to seal 
15. Cut into 12 slices 
16. Place rolls, cut side up, in greased baking pan 
17. Cover and let rise 30 minutes (will double again) 
18. Preheat oven to 350 – Bake 25 – 28 minutes until golden brown
19. In a small bowl, beat icing ingredients until smooth and spread over rolls 
20. Serve your delicious homemade cinnamon rolls

 

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Alternate Cream Cheese Icing Recipe

  

Ingredients 

• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened 
• 7 Tablespoons butter, softened 
• 2 Tablespoons milk
  
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract  
• 1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
  
• ¼ teaspoon salt  

Instructions:  Beat softened cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer in a large bowl until creamy. Mix in the milk and vanilla, then gradually mix in the confectioners sugar and salt until smooth.

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There are a few things in this post that may cause questions or uncertainty. Therefore, I am featuring a deep mixing bowl that I recommend for mixing dough. It won't keep the flour from "blowing", but it will keep more of it contained in the bowl. Also, saigon cinnamon is not the average, everyday cinnamon most of us have on our spice rack. It is a bolder, stronger tasting cinnamon that really gives the cinnamon rolls the needed "kick" that sets them apart from others.

 Pyrex Prepware 4-Quart Rimmed Glass Mixing Bowl, ClearCheck Price Mccormick Gourmet Organic Ground Saigon CinnamonCheck Price SiliQueen Silicone Pastry Baking Mat with MeasurementsCheck Price OXO Good Grips Silicone Basting & Pastry Brush - SmallCheck Price

 

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Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Recipe & Review Written by:

© 2021 Cynthia Sylvestermouse
 

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