Big fluffy cinnamon rolls drizzled with a simple icing are utterly delicious. Perfect for a special breakfast or a treat with a cuppa. Always been one of my favourite things to bake.
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I love Cinnamon Rolls. They take a while to prepare, but they are so worth it.
If they weren’t so terribly unhealthy, I’d eat them all of the time!
But, as it is, these are my go-to for special occasions. I bake them for wedding anniversary breakfasts, for birthdays, or other occasions that deserve a sweet breakfast. Husband absolutely loves them, so they are like my treat to him.
These Easy Peasy Cinnamon Rolls rise well so that they are soft, big, and fluffy. The sweet bread is so light and the sticky filling just works perfectly. Honestly, one of my absolute favourites, so much so that I also make a festive Christmas version.
Where are Cinnamon Rolls From?
Cinnamon Rolls are a Scandinavian treat. I believe originally from Sweden, where they celebrate Cinnamon Roll day on October 4th.
I’ve been to Sweden, and don’t recall having a Cinnamon Roll. But, they are pretty big in Ikea, which is the closest to Sweden we get at the moment!
What is the Difference Between Cinnamon Rolls and Cinnamon Buns?
So the different names for things can be really confusing. We call a basic bread roll about 954 names, depending on which region we were born in (cob for me, breadcake for Jim I think). Cinnamon Rolls are a bit like that.
I believe that Cinnamon Rolls and Cinnamon Buns are the same things.
If they’ve got fruit in, they are Chelsea Buns, and if they are flat and crispy I’d call it a Cinnamon Swirl. I don’t really say bun, for anything (husband calls cupcakes buns!) but if I did, this might be a recipe for Cinnamon Buns.
Maybe.
What Flour Do You Use to Make Cinnamon Rolls?
I always use bread flour when I make this recipe for cinnamon rolls. It’s a yeasted dough, and bread flour is much stronger. I find it gives me a better rise and a much fluffier Cinnamon Roll.
The filling in these easy cinnamon rolls is a very basic sugar and cinnamon mix. It’s really all you need.
The same goes for the Icing for Cinnamon Rolls. I know some people prefer a thick, cream cheese icing, and others like a mild coffee glaze, but I just like a really basic icing drizzle.
Why Are My Rolls Tough?
There might be a few reasons why your cinnamon rolls are tough, and so a few things to try next time.
They might need kneading for a little longer. I give mine the full ten minutes. You might also need to prove the dough for longer, making sure you leave it somewhere warm and leaving it until it doubles in size.
The other possibility is that you’ve just baked them for a tiny bit too long.
Equipment Needed
I bake my cinnamon rolls recipe in a fairly large baking tray, this one usually, lined with reusable baking paper. They need plenty of room to grow, and they can get quite sticky. (Affiliate Links)
Can You Freeze Homemade Cinnamon Rolls?
Your Best Ever Cinnamon Rolls, unfortunately, don’t stay fresh for very long and will start to dry out quickly. If possible, bake early in the morning, or late the night before you want to eat them. Then, keep them in a sealed tub, or well wrapped, for 1-2 days.
If they are a little stale, warming them in the oven for a few minutes can refresh them a little.
Because 12 cinnamon rolls are a lot to try and eat in 2 days (totally possible though!) you might also want to freeze some of them.
There are two options here. You could freeze half (or more) of the rolls once baked, but before drizzling with icing. Leave them to cool, don’t ice, and make sure they are well wrapped, and placed in an airtight container before freezing.
Then, thaw fully when you are ready for them and drizzle with icing if required.
Another option, which is ideal if you want fresh baked Cinnamon rolls for breakfast without getting up at 4 am to prepare the dough, is freezing them par-baked.
Prepare your rolls to this recipe, but instead of baking for 25 minutes, bake for 10-15. Ideally, you want them to have risen well, and joined up, but not yet have started to brown, so that they are clearly very underdone.
Remove these from the oven, cool fully in the tray before double wrapping in clingfilm, so that there are no gaps and the wrap is airtight. You could separate them into 2 smaller portions here and freeze them in two batches if you wanted to. They’ll be ok in the freezer for up to a month.
Get the tray out of the freezer the night before you want cinnamon rolls for breakfast and thaw slowly in the fridge.
Next morning, preheat the oven to 170 degrees (fan assisted) and pop them back in for a further 10-15 minutes until the tops are golden brown. Then drizzle with icing and enjoy warm.
If you like trying to get away with sweets for breakfast you might also enjoy:
The Best Ever Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 240 ml Milk
- 135 g Caster sugar
- 14 g yeast (2 packets instant)
- 115 g Butter or Margarine (At room temperature + extra for greasing)
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 600 g Strong white bread flour
For the filling
- 3 tablespoons Butter or Margarine (At room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons Caster Sugar
For the drizzle
- 120 g Icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons Milk
Instructions
- Gently warm the milk in a saucepan over a low heat. It should be warm to touch but not bubbling.
- Pour this into a bowl and stir in the sugar and yeast.
- Cover with a clean tea towel and leave for 10 minutes until the mixture has a layer of foam on top and it smells yeasty.
- Beat in the butter.
- Add the eggs, beating in one at a time.
- Add the salt.
- Add the flour in four lots, folding each in thoroughly before adding the next.
- Stir until the mixture comes together into a dough.
- Tip out on to a well-floured surface and knead for 10 minutes.
- Place in a greased bowl, cover, and leave in a warm place for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.
- Grease and line a large tray with greaseproof paper.
- Dust your surface with flour.
- Tip the dough out, punch out the air and knead for 2 minutes.
- Roll the dough out to 12”x18”.
- Spread it with butter and sprinkle over the sugar and cinnamon.
- Roll up tightly and cut into 12 equal slices (1.5inches) with a sharp knife.
- Place these cut side up in your baking tray. Leaving a little room between them.
- Cover and leave for a further 1-2 hours, until they’ve risen so that they fill the tray.
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees or 190 if not fan assisted.
- Bake for 25 minutes until light golden brown.
- Remove from the oven but leave in the tray.
- For the topping, mix together the icing sugar and vanilla, add the milk bit at a time and mix well until it’s a thick but pourable mixture.
- Use a spoon to drizzle this over your cinnamon rolls.
- Leave in the tray to cool completely.
Notes
- This is a sticky dough, so when kneading you may need to keep adding more flour to your surface and hands. It will come together as you knead but don’t worry if it’s still a little sticky.
- My baking tray is around 14inches by 10inches.
- If your dough doesn’t appear to be rising and your bowl is ovenproof, preheat your oven, turn it off and place your bowl inside for some extra warmth. Near a radiator or on top of the boiler works well too.
- You can use a ruler to measure your dough, I tend to just roll it and chop off the uneven ends.
Nutrition
Any nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate. The information is provided using an online calculator and is specific to my ingredients. Please make your own calculations if you want precise information.
They look perfect. Roll on the weekend x
Thanks love, they are the perfect weekend breakfast!
Big claim but i have to say these certainly look the part. Very delicious in deed.
Thanks Jacqui. I mean, some people will disagree, but they’re certainly the best I’ve ever had!
I absolutely love cinnamon rolls, especially when they’re warm. My mouth is actually watering! Yours look so tasty x
Wow! They look and sound AWESOME. I so wish I could reach into my screen and grab one to eat now… Hahaha who am I kidding? I’ll take 3 please ???? Thanks for linking up to #Cookblogshare. Eb x
Thanks Eb, I ate about 30. Must make more!!
Hi Donna, these do look good and remind me very much of Chelsea buns, which I love. The recipe’s nice and simple too.
xx
Thanks Deb!