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Sunday cinnamon rolls in our house always started on Saturday night. The dough was mixed after supper, rolled and cut, packed into the pan and slid into the refrigerator, and then everybody went to bed. By morning it had risen all on its own in the cold, slowly and quietly, and all that was left to do was turn on the oven while the coffee brewed. The boys came down the stairs following the smell, still in their socks. That overnight rise is not only a convenience. It is the reason these rolls taste the way they do.
The common complaint about homemade cinnamon rolls is that they come out dry, bready and flat, nothing like the soft, gooey rolls from a bakery case. Three things fix it: a rich, soft dough with enough butter and milk, rolls packed close together so they rise up instead of out, and a slow cold rise that keeps the dough tender and full of flavor. Bake them until golden but still soft in the center, ice them warm, and the middle stays gooey. Here is exactly how to keep them soft and gooey instead of dry.
Why this cinnamon rolls works
- A rich, soft dough. Warm milk, butter and an egg make a tender dough that stays soft for days. It should feel slightly tacky, never stiff.
- A cold overnight rise. A slow rise in the refrigerator develops flavor and gives a moist, fine crumb, and you bake fresh rolls without getting up at dawn.
- Very soft butter in the filling. Soft butter spreads to the edges and melts with the brown sugar into the sticky layer everybody fights over.
- Rolls packed close together. Touching rolls support each other and rise tall, with soft sides instead of crusty ones.
- Icing on warm rolls. Cream cheese icing spread on warm rolls melts down into every swirl and keeps the tops soft.
Ingredients
Makes 12 large rolls in a 9 by 13 inch pan. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the dough
- 1 cup whole milk, warmed to about 110 degrees (240ml)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast (one 7g packet)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (85g)
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (500g), plus a little more if needed
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
For the filling
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar (150g)
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft (85g)
For the cream cheese icing
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened (115g)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (40g)
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (180g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Whole milk and real butter give the softest rolls. If you use active dry yeast, let it sit in the warm milk with a pinch of the sugar for 5 minutes until foamy before adding the rest. Plain sewing thread or unflavored dental floss cuts the cleanest rolls.
How to make cinnamon rolls
Saturday night
- In a large bowl, stir the warm milk, yeast and sugar together. Whisk in the egg, the yolk and the melted butter.
- Add 3 1/2 cups of the flour and the salt and stir until a shaggy dough forms. Add the rest of the flour a little at a time, only until the dough pulls away from the bowl. It should stay soft and slightly tacky.
- Knead on a lightly floured counter for 6 to 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Put it in a buttered bowl, cover and let it rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour, until doubled.
- Butter a 9 by 13 inch pan. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling.
- Punch the dough down and roll it into a rectangle about 16 by 12 inches. Spread the very soft butter all the way to the edges, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly and press it in lightly.
- Starting from a long side, roll the dough up tightly into a log and pinch the seam closed. Cut it into 12 equal rolls with a piece of thread: slide it under the log, cross the ends over the top and pull.
- Set the rolls cut side up in the pan, close together, almost touching. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, 8 to 16 hours.
Sunday morning
- Take the pan out of the refrigerator and let the rolls sit, still covered, in a warm spot for 30 to 60 minutes, until puffy and pressing against each other. Heat the oven to 350 degrees (175°C).
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the center roll reads about 190 degrees on a thermometer. If the tops brown too fast, lay a sheet of foil loosely over the pan.
- While they bake, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth, then beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla and enough milk for a thick, spreadable icing.
- Let the rolls cool for 10 minutes, then spread the icing over them while they are still warm so it melts into the swirls. Serve warm.
Tips that make the difference
- Keep the dough soft. Adding too much flour is the number one reason homemade rolls turn out dry. Stop as soon as the dough leaves the sides of the bowl.
- Use a thermometer for the milk. Too hot and it kills the yeast; around 110 degrees is warm bath temperature.
- Pull the rolls when the center one is set but still soft. A few minutes too long in the oven dries the middle.
- Corner rolls bake a little crisper, center rolls stay the gooiest. Everybody has a favorite.
Variations
- Same-day rolls. Skip the refrigerator. After shaping, let the rolls rise in a warm spot for 45 to 60 minutes and bake.
- Pecan rolls. Scatter 1 cup chopped pecans over the filling before rolling.
- Apple cinnamon rolls. Add 1 cup finely diced apple, tossed in a spoon of the cinnamon sugar, over the filling.
- Simple glaze. Replace the cream cheese icing with powdered sugar whisked with milk and vanilla.
Storage and make-ahead
Keep leftover rolls covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Warm a roll in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds and it is soft and gooey again.
To freeze, wrap baked, un-iced rolls tightly and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw, warm in the oven, then ice.
Frequently asked questions
Why are my cinnamon rolls dry?
Usually too much flour in the dough or too long in the oven. Keep the dough soft and tacky, and take the rolls out when the tops are golden and the center is just set.
Can the rolls stay in the refrigerator longer than one night?
Yes, up to about 16 hours. After that the dough can over-rise and taste yeasty.
Why do you cut them with thread?
A knife squashes the log and flattens the swirls. Thread cuts cleanly and keeps every roll round.
Do the rolls have to touch in the pan?
They should be close. As they rise they press together, which makes them taller with soft sides.
Make the dough on a Saturday night, and let the smell of Sunday morning bring everybody down the stairs.
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls (Overnight Rise, Soft and Gooey in the Middle)
Soft, tall homemade cinnamon rolls made with a rich milk and butter dough, rolled with brown sugar and cinnamon, left to rise overnight in the refrigerator and baked on Sunday morning under a melting cream cheese icing.
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk, warmed to about 110 degrees
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (500g), plus a little more if needed
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir the warm milk, yeast and sugar together. Whisk in the egg, the yolk and the melted butter.
- Add 3 1/2 cups of the flour and the salt and stir until a shaggy dough forms. Add the rest of the flour a little at a time, only until the dough pulls away from the bowl. It should stay soft and slightly tacky.
- Knead on a lightly floured counter for 6 to 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Put it in a buttered bowl, cover and let it rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour, until doubled.
- Butter a 9 by 13 inch pan. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling.
- Punch the dough down and roll it into a rectangle about 16 by 12 inches. Spread the very soft butter all the way to the edges, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly and press it in lightly.
- Starting from a long side, roll the dough up tightly into a log and pinch the seam closed. Cut it into 12 equal rolls with a piece of thread: slide it under the log, cross the ends over the top and pull.
- Set the rolls cut side up in the pan, close together, almost touching. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, 8 to 16 hours.
- Take the pan out of the refrigerator and let the rolls sit, still covered, in a warm spot for 30 to 60 minutes, until puffy and pressing against each other. Heat the oven to 350 degrees (175°C).
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the center roll reads about 190 degrees on a thermometer. If the tops brown too fast, lay a sheet of foil loosely over the pan.
- While they bake, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth, then beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla and enough milk for a thick, spreadable icing.
- Let the rolls cool for 10 minutes, then spread the icing over them while they are still warm so it melts into the swirls. Serve warm.
