The Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

At this time of year, I love soft and moist cinnamon rolls with homemade cream cheese frosting. If you take the time to make them, these are going to be the best homemade cinnamon rolls you’ve ever eaten! Making things from scratch is one thing families should know how to do. If there’s a disaster scenario in your area, you’re still going to crave something sweet that you can make and enjoy at home until things get back to “normal.”

Both Thanksgiving and Christmas are holidays when we make and enjoy some of our favorite recipes, especially desserts. There is nothing quite like the smell of a meal cooking in the oven, and these rolls are a great addition to any meal.

Below, you’ll learn to make the best homemade cinnamon rolls in your oven and use a proofer, if desired! I recommend knowing how to proof the dough both ways. Please keep in mind, I don’t usually use a proofer, though others swear by them.

If you keep your home furnace heat at (65°F or 18°C) the room may be too cool for the rolls to rise. I also make sure there are no storms coming. It may be an old wives tale, but I never have homemade dinner rolls, bread recipes, or my cinnamon rolls fail, ever. I keep my kitchen temperature at around (72°F) or (22°C). I prefer a sunny day, plus the pictures of the finished product turn out better for me since I’m not a professional photographer. Gotta love it!

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

What makes these the best cinnamon rolls? First of all, everything tastes better when it’s made from scratch, but these homemade cinnamon rolls come with high standards. We like our cinnamon rolls soft, fluffy, gooey, and moist, and that’s exactly what you get when you use this recipe. 

These rolls puff up tall, but they are soft all the way through. With homemade cream cheese frosting, they’re also gooey and delicious! They melt in your mouth with every bite! 

Cinnamon Roll Ingredients

You will need a few baking ingredients to make these deliciously moist cinnamon rolls. Here’s what you need:

• Yeast– I use SAF Instant Yeast, but you can use any instant yeast that you prefer. Over the years, I’ve found that having fresh yeast is critical to seeing a successful result. Actually, that goes for all the ingredients. My yeast is stored either in the fridge or freezer as an extra precaution.
• White Bread Flour– You can use all-purpose flour, but I find the rolls come out fluffier with white bread flour. And my bread flour has more protein than other flour varieties, which I appreciate when making any of my bread rolls.
• Milk- Warm your milk up as it helps to dissolve the yeast, sugar, and butter, making your cinnamon rolls fluffy and delicious. Warm milk, just like liquid warm water called for in many recipes, is an easy step to help make the ingredients work well together.
• Oil- I use olive oil or vegetable oil.
• Sugar– You’ll need both white granulated sugar and brown sugar for this recipe. Scoop the sugar using your measuring cup, pack it down, and level it off. 
• Cinnamon– You can’t have cinnamon rolls without cinnamon! My family likes some extra cinnamon, so I add a little more.
• Butter– Soften the butter at room temperature. Take it out of the fridge a couple of hours before you begin the recipe for the best results. You will need ¼ cup of butter.
• Eggs– Yeast likes a warm environment, so it’s best to use room-temperature eggs, along with your room-temperature butter for optimal yeast activity. 
• Dough enhancer– This makes your dough rise better, stay softer, and last longer! Make sure to stock dough enhancers for better recipes! I typically use dough enhancer when I make my soft dinner rolls, it adds to any dinner roll recipe. The brand I buy is gluten-free. NutriMill Dough Enhancer 
• Salt– You will need sea salt for this recipe, not regular salt. 

For the Glaze

You’ll also need additional ingredients to make your homemade cream cheese frosting to glaze the cinnamon rolls. Here’s what you need:

• Butter– Again, the butter needs to be softened, so if you take it from the fridge or freezer, you’ll want to let it thaw first. You’ll need to soften ½ cup of butter for the glaze. 
• Cream cheese– Let the cream cheese sit out with the butter to soften before you start making the recipe. 
• Powdered sugar– Powdered sugar melts easier in frosting and glaze. Don’t use regular sugar for the glaze! 
• Vanilla– For a delicious flavor, you’ll need a little bit of vanilla extract. 

How to Make Homemade Cinnamon Rolls With Cream Cheese Frosting

Nothing is better than the aromas that fill your home when you make fresh cinnamon rolls! Gather all your ingredients and let’s start baking!

Step 1: Gather & Mix Your Ingredients

First, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yeast, warm milk, olive oil, sugar, sea salt, dough enhancer, butter, and eggs. Note that the large bowl I use is the one with my Bosch mixer. I like the Bosch unit since it has the extra power I need for many of my bread recipes, and I like how the dough hook works with my bread. That way I don’t need to worry about the size of the batch, it just does its thing!

If you have a powerful enough stand mixer, you can use the bowl of a stand mixer just as well.

Step 2: Gradually Add the Flour

Next, add half the flour. Then, keep adding the flour gradually until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The Bosch actually does the kneading for you.

Step 3: Proof the Dough (let it rise)

Cover your mixing bowl with plastic wrap and place the bowl with the dough on the countertop. You want to let it rise for about an hour.

Step 4: Roll the Dough

After an hour, punch the dough down, place the dough on a lightly floured surface in your kitchen, and then roll it into two 12” by 18” rectangles. You’ll roll out TWO of these. I only have ONE pictured below.

Step 5: Add Cinnamon and Brown Sugar

Lather the dough with softened butter, you suggest using a kitchen brush to make sure it goes on evenly. Then, sprinkle your desired amount of cinnamon on the dough ( I use ALOT). Then sprinkle with 1/2 cup of brown sugar on EACH rectangle.

Step 5: Brown Sugar

You can see below how I’ve scattered the brown sugar on top of the cinnamon. Using something like kitchen tablespoons to apply and spread the cinnamon works great.

Step 6: Proof the Dough Again (let it rise again)

Roll the dough tightly into a tube. Then, cut it into 1-1/2-inch rolls.

Step 7: Put the Rolls on a Cookie Sheet

Place the cut rolls on a greased cookie sheet and cover them with greased plastic wrap. I’ve found that cookie sheets work better for me than a baking dish since I can put more rolls on the sheet.

Step 8: Let Them Rise

Let the rolls rise one more time for about an hour, or until the cinnamon rolls double in size. 

Step 9: Bake the Cinnamon Rolls

Finally, preheat your oven to (350°F) = (176°C). Then, bake your cinnamon rolls on the greased cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Make sure you take off the greased plastic wrap first.

Step 10: Make the Cream Cheese Frosting

While your cinnamon rolls are baking, make the cream cheese frosting.

Cream the butter and cream cheese together. Then, slowly add the powdered sugar to your desired thickness. Add the vanilla and blend until well incorporated. Frost your cinnamon rolls while they are still warm so that the frosting melts on top.

Final Product

 Recipe Tips

1. Don’t overheat the milk. Warm your milk to about (110°F)=(43°C). Anything over that will kill the yeast, and anything lower can increase the time it takes the dough to rise. Dip your finger in the milk, it should be warm, but not hot. 
2. Use soft butter. The secret to super tender cinnamon rolls is the butter! You want very soft butter, but not melted butter. Take it out and set it on the counter a few hours before you start the recipe. 
3. Do Not scoop the flour with the measuring cup! Flour packs tightly so if you use your measuring cup to scoop it, you will use too much flour and your rolls will be dry. Instead, use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup, and then scrape the excess off with a butter knife. 
4. Use room-temperature butter for the rectangles. When lathering with butter before adding the cinnamon and sugar, it’s best to use room-temperature butter rather than melted butter. This prevents the cinnamon and brown sugar from seeping out of the sides. Use the back of a spoon to spread the soft butter on the dough gently.
5. Don’t overbake the rolls. Your cinnamon rolls should be golden brown. If you overbake them, they won’t be as soft and moist as you’d like them. Check them after 15-minutes of baking to get a feel for how much longer they’ll take. 

How to Make Cinnamon Rolls in a Proofer

If you have a proofer, you can use it to make cinnamon rolls as well! First, follow the steps above to make your dough. Then, you can use a proofer to proof the dough for even better cinnamon rolls! If you aren’t sure how to use one, check out my proofer post: How to Make The Very Best Cinnamon Rolls. Just so you know, I don’t use a proofer.

Why Doesn’t My Dough Rise?

If your dough doesn’t rise to double the size the second time that you “proof” it, it’s probably because the yeast was not fresh enough. As I have stated in the past, you want to store your yeast, dough enhancer, and wheat gluten in the refrigerator or freezer to keep it fresh longer. Proof your yeast before adding it to the dough to be sure it is good. 

Why Are My Cinnamon Rolls Hard?

Most of the time, the reason a cinnamon roll is hard is that you added too much flour. As stated in the recipe tips, you have to measure the flour correctly or you will end up using too much. This results in rolls that are hard and dough that is dried out. Be sure to measure your flour precisely.

You also may have cooked the rolls too long. Monitor them while cooking so they get to that golden brown color you want.

How Do I Know My Cinnamon Rolls are Done?

The best way to tell if your cinnamon rolls are done is to do the toothpick test. Stick a toothpick or a knife into the center of a cinnamon roll. If it comes out clean, it’s done. If you see raw-looking dough sticking to it, it needs to cook a bit longer. Begin checking your rolls after 15-minutes of baking. 

Cream Cheese Frosting

More Homemade Recipes You’ll Enjoy This Time of Year:

• White Chocolate Chex Mix
• Eggnog Pancakes with Eggnog Syrup
• Cranberry Banana Coffee Cake
• Instant Pot Cheesecake

Final Word

Knowing how to make things from scratch is essential for a family. You have to know how to use what you stock! I love the best homemade cinnamon rolls written about today, so if we can’t get to the grocery store to buy the pre-made cans which really won’t taste as good, then we have to know how to make them from scratch!

Plus, I think homemade cinnamon rolls are so much better, anyway! What do you think? May God Bless this world, Linda