Welcome to my version of the Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Ever. I have to start out with a disclaimer. While I do love to bake, I am not a bread maker. I would love to be good at making bread, it just takes more time than I usually have. And, it feels like there is so much guess work. You may need more or less flour depending on the climate, the altitude, the weather that day, your mood that day, or the kids’ mood that day! Okay, maybe that’s a little overboard, but I have always said I feel like I need someone to come over to my house and teach me how to bake bread.
Enter my desire for a fabulous, soft and gooey cinnamon roll. I mean, the PERFECT homemade cinnamon roll. Now, remember I am not the queen of baking bread, and I have not had someone come over to my house to teach me. However, my desire for that perfect homemade cinnamon roll took over, and I had to give it a try.
I was planning to make the cinnamon rolls myself, but we had been house-bound for 3 days due to weather, and my husband decided he wanted to give it a try. The second day we were home he tried a recipe he had found, and we’ll just say it was less than grand. Not a complete failure, but you wanted to eat it fresh out of the oven, or it was pretty much a no-go. Dry and dense. I had a cinnamon roll recipe that I had pinned for quite some time on Pinterest. I had just never gotten around to trying it. Sound familiar? I was going to bake them that third day home. However, my husband really wanted to make some good cinnamon rolls since the first batch didn’t turn out so great. So, I was the moral support.
The original recipe is the Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Ever from the Stay at Home Chef (linked).
I mean, if you want to make the best cinnamon rolls, why not try a recipe called The Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Ever? The first attempt at this recipe was a definite fail because unfortunately we used expired yeast. The second attempt, well that’s a different story which I will share with you below! We mostly kept the original recipe with just a tweak here or there (recipe below).
But first, I have to highlight a few things from the original recipe at the Stay at Home Chef. Not only does she share her best ever cinnamon roll recipe, but she also shares a lot of tips and answers to almost any question you might have about making these cinnamon rolls. Make ahead instructions, freezer instructions, answers to common questions. She also has a video demonstration of her making the cinnamon rolls. This is s as close as I could get to having someone in my house to show me how to do it! My husband’s preferred method for making this recipe was just to follow along with the video.
Making these cinnamon rolls went off pretty much without a hitch (if you don’t count the expired yeast attempt). Your dough should look something similar to this after you have mixed and are ready to put it in the bowl to rise.
I would say the amount of time for the dough to rise is approximate. The time will be close but may need just a little more or a little less time depending on the temperature in your home. You will need to let the dough rise twice. First you put the dough into a bowl and cover it with a towel. Like this tea towel that was my grandmother’s and is very special to me, and is perfect for just such an occasion.
After the dough has risen in the bowl, you’ll take the dough out, punch it down, roll it out into a rectangle, put on your butter, cinnamon and sugar, and roll it lengthwise into a log. Cut into 12 even slices. The original recipe suggests using dental floss to cut clean lines without smushing down the dough. All we had was floss picks, so we used a serrated knife which worked pretty well. Place the cinnamon rolls into a lightly greased 9×13 pan and let them rise again for 30-45 minutes.
Yes, my husband uses the pretty flower rolling pin. It’s nice and heavy and works great for rolling out dough. This is a little snippet of what was actually going on behind the scenes.
Once the dough has risen a second time, in the oven they go! After they bake you put the glaze on, and they look like this deliciousness! My husband added some extra cream cheese to the glaze recipe as he didn’t think it had quite enough.
I would venture to guess our first attempt at these cinnamon rolls didn’t turn out quite as amazing as the original creator (we would cook them just a few minutes less next time). However, I would definitely call this a Pinterest Success. They were the best cinnamon rolls either of us had ever made. Delicious, soft and yeasty.
A Few Notes:
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Thank you for supporting me!
- As a reminder, The original recipe is the Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Ever from the Stay at Home Chef (linked).
- This is the instant yeast I prefer to use for my recipe Saf Instant Yeast, 1 Pound Pouch
- Mexican vanilla happens to be my favorite just like this one that you can grab from Amazon Mexican Vanilla Blend By Molina Vainilla, 33.3 Oz / 1000 Ml (Vanillin Extract) by Molina Vanilla
- Make sure not to overheat the milk. It could cause the yeast to not work as well. I would start with heating the milk for 45 seconds. You want it to be warm but not hot.
- A stand mixer is not a must, but it will definitely make things SO MUCH EASIER! My favorite is definitely KitchenAid KSM150PSER Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield, 5-Quart, Empire Red
Copycat Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Method
- In a stand mixer, combine warm milk, yeast, sugar, salt, butter and eggs. Add flour. Start with 2-3 cups of flour and increase amount if needed. Using a dough hook, mix starting on low speed.
- Once flour begins to incorporate, increase the speed to medium. Dough should begin to to pull away from the sides of the bowl. If it does not, you may need to add more flour as necessary. Dough should be somewhat sticky, but not so much that it sticks to your hands. Amount of flour is always an approximation as many factors can effect the consistency of the dough. You should go by more of the feel of the dough.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise until double in size (approximately one hour).
- Using your counter top or a pastry mat, punch down the dough and roll into a 12 inch by 18 inch rectangle.
- In a small bowl combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon mixture. Roll up tightly lengthwise so you have one long roll or log. Cut into 12 one-inch slices. a serrated knife or plain dental floss work best for cutting into slices.
- Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish and place the slices in the dish. Cover and let rise for another 30 – 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and bakes rolls for about 14 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned. Cooking time is approximate and varies from one oven to another.
- While cinnamon rolls are baking, make the cream cheese glaze. Whip together cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add in powdered sugar and vanilla and mix. Add enough milk to make it your desired drizzling consistency.
- Frost cinnamon rolls while still warm. Rolls are best when served immediately. Cool and store for up to 5 days.
Awesome! Now I’m craving cinnamon buns!! This looks like a yummy treat I could make with the kiddos. Thanks for the recipe and inspiration. ❤️
You’re welcome. Hope you give them a try and enjoy!
I am officially hungry & in need of a cinnabon! I’ll be saving this for later. Thank you for sharing.
It’s been a couple weeks since we last made them, and writing this post has definitely made me want them this week!
Cinnamon rolls are my husbands fav but such a taunting task. I’m always saving recipes to try but then dont follow through. I like hearing your real experience with these ones. I’m adding them to my list!
It took me about a year to actually try these after I pinned the recipe because I too always felt it was a daunting task. I’m so glad I did! Of course, I did have to do it on a day when I had plenty of time.
I love recipes that have easy to understand instructions. Thank you! And 😋 these cinnabuns looks so good! I can’t wait to make them for my son!
I’m so glad. I’m sure he’ll love them!
These look positively decadent. Sounds too complex for me to try. But I love them and always buy them as a teatime treat.
I was nervous to try them for about a year, but I finally gave it a try, and I’m so glad I did! I will say they are somewhat time consuming.
All last week Ive literally been looking for a good recipe for CInnamon Buns to finally try! These may be it! Pinning for later!
Yes, you at least have to give them a try! As I said in the post, neither I or my husband are amazing bread bakers, and we both thought these turned out pretty tasty!
These look delicious! I can’t wait to make them for Easter brunch.