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Easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Easy homemade cinnamon roll on a white plate

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This recipe for easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls is extremely sweet, soft, and buttery. Easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls need only one rise, causing them to be quick, scrumptious and possibly the best breakfast or dessert ever! These are escpecially yummy hot out of the oven, slathered with vanilla icing or butter. Cinnamon Rolls are eaten as dessert, breakfast, snacks or even along with chili. This Easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls recipe is a tested and tried, never fail, tasty recipe. This recipe can be made to eat right away, or frozen to have later. If frozen, just freeze the cinnamon rolls before letting them rise, then just place them in a greased casserole dish right before you go to bed. First thing in the morning, pop them into the oven for 20 minutes and you have freshly baked Homemade Cinnamon Rolls!!!

close up of Easy Homemade cinnamon roll

These Easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls are great with icing drizzled on them, or eaten warm with butter! For the icing, just a simple butter, cream, vanilla, and icing sugar blend is fantastic and super easy. Homemade cinnamon rolls make great gifts for any time of the year. Surprise your family and friends with this tasty treat! You can have these made up and frozen, then, place in disposable pans the night before you want to bring them somewhere, bake in the morning, and take them to any event! I often have these unbaked in the freezer for when company comes. It makes for a super simple, extremely impressive breakfast when you serve fresh-out-of-the-oven, homemade cinnamon rolls!

Easy homemade cinnamon roll on a white plate

History of Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls are made with a yeast dough, and filled with a cinnamon sugar filling. They are traditionally "rolled", hence the name. Sweet rolls have been around since ancient times. Cinnamon was added to sweet rolls when Europe was first introduced to this delicious spice. Roman spice traders brought Sri Lankan cinnamon to Europe. Sweden takes credit for baking the very first cinnamon roll! These sweet, cinnamony rolls are common in Northern Europe. Topping cinnamon rolls with icing is a yummy American tradition (and Canadian). Although in the American Midwest, cinnamon rolls are commonly eaten with chili. In 1956, Pillsbury started selling their version of pre-made cinnamon rolls. However you like them, cinnamon rolls or buns are famously delicious and truly a home-baked comfort food!

Ingredients for cinnamon rolls

Ingredients for Easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Rolls:

  • Granulated Sugar:
  • Warm Water: Be sure that it is warm, not hot.
  • Active Dry Yeast:
  • Honey: This adds a sweet and sticky element.
  • Butter:The fat keeps these cinnamon rolls moist and soft.
  • Salt:
  • All Purpose Flour: Be sure not to add too much flour and don't overknead the dough.

Filling

  • Butter: Softened, not melted.
  • Brown Sugar: Adds a hint of caramel flavor.
  • Cinnamon: Add as little or as much as you'd like!

Icing

  • Icing Sugar:
  • Butter: melted
  • Cream:
  • Vanilla Extract:

Method of Making Easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

  1. In a large bowl or mixer, stir sugar in warm water. Add the yeast and let sit for 10 minutes. Stir to dissolve the yeast.
  2. Mix in the honey, egg, 1/4 cup butter, and salt.
  3. Mix in flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl or mixer.
  4. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth.
  5. Divide dough into 2 sections. (I always use a scale to divide it evenly)
  6. Roll out the section of dough into a thin rectangle-ish shape.
  7. Next, spread each dough section with 1/4 cup softened butter, then sprinkle 1/2 cup of brown sugar and as much cinnamon as you like.
  8. Roll each rectangle up from the long side.
  9. I measure this, then divide it evenly to cut each piece into 12 sections.
  10. Place cinnamon rolls into greased 9"x12" pans. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour until doubled in size.
  11. Bake in 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes.
  12. When still warm, drizzle with vanilla icing glaze if you wish.
Easy homemade cinnamon rolls in a greased 9x13

For overnight Easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls.

If you decide to freeze these before baking, just place the cinnamon rolls onto a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze. Transfer to sealed containers or plastic bags after they are frozen. When you want to bake them, place in a greased 9"x13" pan and cover with plastic wrap . Let sit out overnight. bAke at 350°F for 20-25 minutes.

Cooking Method
Cuisine
DifficultyIntermediate
Time
Prep Time: 80 minsCook Time: 20 minsTotal Time: 1 hr 40 mins
Servings24
Calories227
Best SeasonSuitable throughout the year
Description

This recipe for easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls is extremely sweet, soft, and buttery. Easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls need only one rise, causing them to be quick, scrumptious and possibly the best breakfast or dessert ever! These are especially yummy hot out of the oven, slathered with vanilla icing or butter.

Ingredients
    Cinnamon Rolls
  • 2 tsp Granulated Sugar
  • 1 1/2 cup Warm Water
  • 1 tbsp Active Dry Yeast
  • 1/3 cup Honey
  • 1 Egg
  • 1/4 cup Butter
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 5 cup All Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 cup Butter (softened)
  • 1 cup Brown Sugar (packed)
  • 2 tsp Cinnamon
  • Icing
  • 1 cup Icing Sugar
  • 2 tbsp Butter (melted)
  • 2 tbsp Cream
  • 1/2 tsp Vanilla
Instructions
    How to Make Easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
  1. In a large bowl or mixer, stir the sugar in warm water. Add the yeast and let sit for 10 minutes. Stir to dissolve the yeast.

  2. Ingredients for homemade cinnamon rolls

    Add the honey, egg, 1/4 cup butter, and salt. Mix well.

  3. Dough for easy homemade cinnamon rolls in a bosch mixer

    Mix in the flour gradually until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl or mixer.

    Turn out onto a floured surface and knead only until smooth.

  4. Weighing the dough for easy homemade cinnamon rolls

    Divide the dough into 2 sections. (I always use a scale to divide it evenly)

  5. rolling out dough for cinnamon buns

    Roll out into a thin rectangle.

  6. rolling the dough for homemade cinnamon rolls

    Spread each rectangle with 1/4 cup softened butter, then sprinkle 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 tsp of cinnamon on.

    Roll each rectangle up from the long side.

  7. Cutting the dough into equal sections for homemade cinnamon rolls

    Measure this roll and divide it evenly to cut into 12 sections.

  8. Easy homemade cinnamon rolls in a greased 9x13

    Place 12 cinnamon rolls into a greased 9"x13" pan.

    Cover and let rise for 1 hour, until doubled in size.

  9. 20220602 124603 Scaled E1654552176646

    Bake in 350°F for 20-25 minutes.

    Mix the ingredients for icing and when the Cinnamon rolls are still warm, drizzle the icing on them.

    Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Servings 24


Amount Per Serving
Calories 227kcal
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 7.4g12%
Saturated Fat 4.5g23%
Trans Fat 0.3g
Cholesterol 25mg9%
Sodium 109mg5%
Potassium 54mg2%
Total Carbohydrate 37g13%
Dietary Fiber 0.8g4%
Sugars 17.4g
Protein 3.3g7%

Vitamin A 10 IU
Thiamin 24 mg
Riboflavin 15 mg
Niacin 13 mg
Folate 22 mcg
Selenium 18 mg
Manganese 11 mg

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Note

Make sure the water is only warm, not hot, before adding the yeast. If it is too hot, it will kill the yeast.

Consider making a double batch of this recipe and freezing half of them before baking.

Ice the cinnamon rolls when still warm, but not immediately after taking them out of the oven. This will cause the glaze to run down among the rolls. Then the glaze hardens a bit as it cools.

Use softened, not melted butter for the filling. Â

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