“Soft, chewy and sweet cinnamon rolls with delicious cinnamon swirl topped with your choice of cream cheese or salted caramel sauce; you will enjoy every bite.”

Cinnamon rolls may seem complicated to do but are actually easy to make. You know that you have the perfect cinnamon roll recipe when you see and feel how soft they are on the inside. This sweet cinnamon rolls recipe is easy to make which requires 1 rise only yet taste better than any store bought roll! What’s more is that you can enjoy it with toppings such as this simple cream cheese icing and salted caramel sauce recipes to fully indulge yourself.

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What are the ingredients for making Cinnamon rolls?

These cinnamon rolls uses few and common ingredients that may already be in your kitchen pantry. There’s milk, sugar, yeast, butter, flour, eggs, salt and cinnamon powder. One thing to note is that all ingredients should be in room temperature, except for the warm milk.

Milk. Fresh milk is always available in our kitchen, so I opted to use this. Using full fat or skimmed milk works out just fine. You just need to make sure that the milk is warm. A simple tip is to dip your finger in the milk — it should feel warm similar to warm bath water but not HOT. If you warmed it up too much, simply wait a few minutes until it cools down enough to touch.

Sugar. You will use granulated sugar to sweeten the dough and activate the yeast. You will also need light or dark brown sugar for the filling, whichever you prefer to use.

Yeast. There are 2 types of yeast, active dry yeast and instant yeast. Active dry yeast must be dissolved in liquid, or also what’s known as being “proofed” before it’s added to the rest of the dough ingredients. The instant yeast, also known as quick rise yeast can be added to the dough without any ‘proofing’ required, so you don’t need to sit and watch the yeast to make sure it bubbles.

You can use any type. If you are using active dry yeast, start by proofing it until it is foamy. I usually use instant yeast so I don’t need to proof it and it takes less time to rise. You can also use active dry yeast, but you need more time to activate the yeast and for the dough to rise.

Butter. You can use salted and unsalted butter. I normally buy and use unsalted butter. You need butter for both the dough, filling and toppings, so better to buy more.

Salt. You need salt to add flavor to the dough and it helps control yeast in cinnamon rolls so don’t skip this. You can use any type of salt.

Flour. All-purpose flour works well in this recipe, although some may recommend bread flour. You will still have the soft, moist and chewy cinnamon rolls using all-purpose flour.

Egg. You should use a room temperature egg in the dough. If you use a cold egg, there’s a chance it could affect the yeast or mix with the melted butter and cause it to harden.

Cinnamon powder. An essential to this recipe, you can buy at any local store at an affordable prize. You can use this powder in some of the baking recipes such as the banana bread, bread pudding among others.

how to make the dough

First, combine milk and egg and whisk. Add the sugar, butter, yeast and salt and mix well.  Then stir in the flour. Mix until a soft dough forms (the dough will be sticky). Transfer to a lightly oiled work surface and begin to knead until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes kneading). Place it in slightly greased bowl and cover with kitchen towel or cling wrap for a few minutes while preparing the filling.

Your cinnamon roll dough should be tacky to touch, but not too sticky. If you add less flour, the dough will be thick and eventually result in dense rolls. If you add too much flour, the dough will be tough, resulting in dry rolls.

how to make the filling

There are two ways to do this. One is to combine all ingredients and then spread on the rolled dough. Another way is to combine the dry ingredients (sugar and cinnamon), spread the softened butter first into the rolled dough then sprinkle the sugar-cinnamon mixture.  It’s important to rub the brown sugar into the butter and dough so that it’s well combined.

I’ve tried to do both. The first method is easier but I would prefer the first method because all the ingredients will be well incorporated. You just need to evenly spread it in the rolled dough. Another thing is that the first technique is quite messy as all the sugar will spill all over the place when you sprinkle it while the second method is clean and nice.

I also tried making it with and without nuts, and both turns out just fine. Putting nuts adds more flavor while eating the rolls. You can experiment which best works on your palate, but just keep the basics.

how to roll the dough

Roll out your dough onto a lightly oiled surface, making 18-inch x 12–inch rectangle. Brush the filling into the rolled out dough. Starting from the bottom, roll up dough tightly and gently pinch the seam down to seal.

Most people usually flour the work surface and the rolling pin to prevent the cinnamon rolls from sticking the surface or to the rolling pin. In my case, I apply a small amount of oil in the work area before rolling the dough instead and I didn’t encounter any problem about sticky dough.

how to finish the roll

Trim the ends for even slices, and cut dough into 12 or 14 slices. You can use knife, floss or a thread to cut the rolls. For me, it is easier to cut the rolls using floss or a thread. Before cutting the dough, I recommend measuring your dough, placing a mark and dividing it equally.

After that, arrange the rolls in a lightly greased baking dish. Cover with kitchen towel and allow rising for 50-60 minutes or until doubled in size.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly before topping it cream cheese icing or salted caramel sauce.

How do you make the cinnamon roll rise faster?

It usually takes at least an hour or more to raise the dough. To speed up the rising process, you can pre-heat your oven and let the dough sit on top of it or place it on its side (if using a small oven). Another way is to heat you oven to 200 F (90 C) and turn it off. Cover the rolls and place them inside with the door closed. This will guarantee a warm environment for your dough and the dough will rise rapidly, assuming that your yeast was good.

That’s it! Enjoy making this easy and sweet cinnamon rolls for your family and friends. They will surely love the rolls as well as the toppings.  Happy tummy!

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