Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls: Soft, Fluffy, and Irresistible
Is there anything better than waking up to the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls? The best homemade cinnamon rolls are soft, fluffy, and filled with a gooey cinnamon-sugar swirl and that’s just what this recipe provides. With just a little planning ahead, you can make a batch of these delicious rolls that will quickly become a family favorite.
These fluffy cinnamon rolls are the perfect combination of soft, buttery dough and sweet cinnamon filling. The overnight rise makes them super convenient for busy mornings—just pop them in the oven and enjoy warm, fresh rolls with minimal effort. The dough is soft and fluffy, and the cinnamon-sugar filling melts into a gooey, delicious swirl with every bite. This recipe makes 25 cinnamon rolls, so you can put some in your freezer for another day. These aluminum pans are perfect for just that.
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Ingredients You’ll Need
- 1 tbsp active dry yeast
- 3 cups warm water or warm milk
- 1/2 cup oil
- 2 beaten eggs
- 1 tbsp salt
- 11 cups all purpose flour or bread flour – I like to do 7 cups with all purpose and 4 cups of bread flour
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1.5 cups brown sugar
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp clove
How to Make the Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Ever
Activate the Yeast
In a large bowl, combine 1 tablespoon yeast with 3 cups of warm water and 1 cup of sugar. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes. This allows the yeast to activate and ensures your cinnamon rolls rise perfectly.
Make the Dough
After the yeast has bloomed, mix in 1/2 cup oil, 2 beaten eggs, 1 tablespoon salt, and 7 cups of flour into the yeast mixture. Use the mixer attachment on your stand mixer to mix for easier mixing.
Slowly add in the remaining 4 cups of flour, one cup of flour at a time, incorporating it into the dough. Continue mixing until the dough is smooth and elastic and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. This may get done before using all 4 cups of flour and that’s okay.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface (not too much flour!) and knead by hand or with knead hook with stand mixer on low speed for 7-10 minutes. This step is essential for developing the dough’s texture and making it soft and stretchy. After kneading, the dough will still feel sticky until you clean the dough off. After rinsing fingers, dry them off and press a finger into the surface of the dough. If it sticks, keep kneading. If it bounces back, then it’s ready.
Place dough in a large greased bowl, cover it with a clean kitchen towel, and let it rise for it’s first rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
Making the Rolls
Once the dough has risen, roll it out on a floured surface into a large rectangle, about 1/4″ thick, with a rolling pin. If you’re surface isn’t very large, cut dough in half and work with one half at a time.
In a small bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of white sugar, 2 tablespoons of cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon of ground clove. Brush the entire surface of the dough with 1/2 cup of softened butter.
Then, evenly sprinkle the dough with cinnamon sugar mixture.
Starting from one of the longer sides, roll the dough up tightly into a log. Using a sharp knife, dough cutter, or unflavored dental floss, cut the dough into 2” pieces.
Alternatively, you can use a pizza cutter to cut individual rolls and then roll each dough piece together.
Place each roll in a buttered baking dish, leaving space between them to allow for rising.
Brush the tops of the cinnamon roll dough with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a clean towel and let the rolls to have a second rise overnight (8-9 hours) in the refrigerator or on the counter, depending on the room temperature.
The next morning, preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the plastic wrap or towel and bake the cinnamon rolls for 25 minutes, or until they are golden brown and cooked through.
Frosting the Best Cinnamon Rolls
Right after taking the cinnamon rolls out of the oven, make the icing. This takes about 5-10 minutes to whip up so the rolls will be nice and warm by that time.When the icing is mixed and smooth, spread it onto the warm rolls. Frosting while the rolls are still warm allows the frosting to melt down into the rolls, giving you a gooey rolls.
- Cream Cheese Frosting: Whisk together 4 oz of cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar for a classic topping.
- Glaze: For a simpler option, mix 1 cup powdered sugar with 2-3 tablespoons milk and 1 tbsp vanilla extract and drizzle over warm rolls.
If you make this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @1898_mama with pictures of your delicious creation!
Print the Recipe Here
Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Is there anything better than waking up to the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls? The best homemade cinnamon rolls are soft, fluffy, and filled with a gooey cinnamon-sugar swirl and that's just what this recipe provides. With just a little planning ahead, you can make a batch of these delicious rolls that will quickly become a family favorite.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp active dry yeast
- 3 cups warm water or warm milk
- 1/2 cup oil
- 2 beaten eggs
- 1 tbsp salt
- 11 cups all purpose flour or bread flour - I like to do 7 cups with all purpose and 4 cups of bread flour
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1.5 cups brown sugar
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp clove
Instructions
Activate the Yeast
- In a large bowl, combine 1 tablespoon yeast with 3 cups of warm water and 1 cup of sugar. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes. This allows the yeast to activate and ensures your cinnamon rolls rise perfectly.
Make the Dough
- After the yeast has bloomed, mix in 1/2 cup oil, 2 beaten eggs, 1 tablespoon salt, and 7 cups of flour into the yeast mixture. Use the dough hook attachment on your stand mixer to mix for 5 minutes.
- Slowly add in the remaining 4 cups of flour, one cup of flour at a time, incorporating it into the dough. Continue mixing until the dough is smooth and elastic and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. This may get done before using all 4 cups of flour and that's okay.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface (not too much flour!) and knead by hand or with knead hook with stand mixer on low speed for 7-10 minutes. This step is essential for developing the dough’s texture and making it soft and stretchy. After kneading, the dough will still feel sticky until you clean the dough off. After rinsing fingers, dry them off and press a finger into the surface of the dough. If it sticks, keep kneading. If it bounces back, then it’s ready.
- Place dough in a large greased bowl, cover it with a clean kitchen towel, and let it rise for it's first rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
Making the Rolls
- Once the dough has risen, roll it out on a floured surface into a large rectangle, about 1/4" thick, with a rolling pin.
- In a small bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of white sugar, 2 tablespoons of cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon of ground clove.
- Brush the entire surface of the dough with 1/2 cup of softened butter. Then, evenly sprinkle the dough with cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Starting from one of the longer sides, roll the dough up tightly into a log. Using a sharp knife or unflavored dental floss, cut the dough into 2” pieces. Alternatively, you can use a pizza cutter to cut individual rolls and then roll each dough piece together. Place each roll in a buttered baking dish, leaving space between them to allow for rising.
- Brush the tops of the cinnamon roll dough with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a clean towel and let the rolls to have a second rise overnight (8-9 hours) in the refrigerator or on the counter, depending on the room temperature.
- The next morning, preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the plastic wrap or towel and bake the cinnamon rolls for 25 minutes, or until they are golden brown and cooked through.
Frosting the Best Cinnamon Rolls
- Right after taking the cinnamon rolls out of the oven, make the icing. This takes about 5-10 minutes to whip up so the rolls will be nice and warm by that time.When the icing is mixed and smooth, spread it onto the warm rolls. Frosting while the rolls are still warm allows the frosting to melt down into the rolls, giving you a gooey rolls.
- Cream Cheese Frosting: Whisk together 4 oz of cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar for a classic topping.
- Glaze: For a simpler option, mix 1 cup powdered sugar with 2-3 tablespoons milk and 1 tbsp vanilla extract and drizzle over warm rolls.
How to Store Gooey Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Store leftover cinnamon rolls in airtight container and store at room temperature for 2-3 days. Placing a couple slices of bread in the baking dish with the rolls which will keep them from drying out. To revive dry cinnamon rolls, place a roll on a plate and spread a bit of butter on the sides. Warm for 20-25 seconds in the microwave.
Tips for Making Cinnamon Rolls
- Plan ahead: Letting the dough rise overnight means you can easily bake fresh cinnamon rolls in the morning without the wait.
- Freeze for later: You can also freeze the unbaked rolls after cutting them and bake them straight from frozen—just add a few extra minutes to the baking time.
Save this Gooey Cinnamon Rolls Recipe for Later
There’s nothing quite like homemade cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven. These are perfect for special occasions, weekend breakfasts, or anytime you want to treat yourself and your family to something extra delicious. The soft dough, sweet cinnamon filling, and buttery topping make these rolls irresistible.
This post may contain affiliate links which I would receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Please read disclaimer and privacy policy for full disclosure.
