The Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

 This recipe for the best homemade cinnamon rolls is delicious and simple! The filling is nice and flavorful without being too gooey, they are the perfect balance of roll and filling!

Cinnamon rolls are one of my favorite treats. Probably because I love bread, that is no secret! These rolls are soft and fluffy with the perfect ratio of gooey filling to dough. I’m not a fan of rolls that are incredibly gooey, it’s a little too much for me.

This recipe is super simple, and there are just a few resting times that are less than 20 minutes so you can make these rolls in about an hour! First, mix the dry ingredients.

Then the wet ingredients! I mix everything up with a wooden spoon in a large glass bowl. After it’s all mixed together, let it rest for a few minutes. It should look wet and shaggy!

Once it’s done resting, just knead away for a few minutes! Kneading by hand is super easy, here is how you do it.

How to knead bread dough by hand:

• Flour your surface well.
• Flour the top of your dough.
• Form your dough into a ball.
• Press your palm into the top of the dough.
• Fold the dough back on itself.
• Press your palm into the dough.
• Repeat, checking the flour level of your surface as you go.

See, it’s easy! You can also use a stand mixer if you have one to expedite the process. 🙂 Once the dough is kneaded, you can roll it out! Once it’s all rolled out, you’ll spread the butter over the dough. YUMMY.

After the butter, sprinkle that cinnamon sugar over the top!

I like to press the cinnamon sugar mixture into the dough a little bit to make sure it sticks.

Then roll away!! You’ll be rolling the long side of the dough, so you’ll end up with a long log at the end. I DON’T pinch the ends of the dough, I find that makes cinnamon rolls with centers that pop up way to high.

Once the dough is rolled, cut it into the rolls. I usually make marks in my dough so that I can cut even sized cinnamon rolls, this is important for making sure they bake evenly. Here is how you can cut evenly sized cinnamon rolls every time.

How to Cut Cinnamon Rolls:

• Cut the dough in half.
• Cut each half in half so you are left with 4 pieces of rolled dough.
• Cut each of the 4 pieces into 3 pieces.
• This leaves you with 12 evenly sized cinnamon rolls!

I’m all about those soft edges on any type of roll too {like these delicious Easy Dinner Rolls or Classic Orange Rolls}, so I bake my homemade cinnamon rolls in a cast iron skillet so the edges touch. You can use a sheet tray or even pie plates! If you don’t want the edges to be soft and touching, space them out a bit more.

Then it’s into the oven to bake! Could these look any better???? OH MY GOODNESS. I just love these homemade cinnamon rolls.

I ice these as soon as they come out of the oven. That way the icing melts down into the rolls and they become even more glorious. Are you drooling yet????

That’s it!! Tell me if you are TEAM SOFT EDGES or TEAM SPACED OUT for baking homemade cinnamon rolls, I want to know!!

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The Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe for the best homemade cinnamon rolls is delicious and simple! The filling is nice and flavorful without being too gooey, they are the perfect balance of roll and filling! 

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword homemade cinnamon rolls

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 12 rolls

Calories 450 kcal

Author Longbourn Farm • Alli Kelley

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 4 cups flour all purpose
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons butter melted
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup water see note

For the Filling

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 cup butter half of a stick, softened

For the Icing

• 2 ounces cream cheese softened
• 3 tablespoons butter softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup milk

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the Dough

1. Mix 3 cups of the flour with the rest of the dry ingredients together in large bowl and create a well in the center. 

2. Add the egg, butter, milk, and water to the dry ingredients. Mix until combined. 

3. Add the remaining cup of flour and mix until combined. 

4. Cover and let dough rest for 10 minutes. 

5. On a floured surface, turn out the dough and knead until it comes together and is smooth, about 6-8 minutes by hand or 4 minutes in a stand mixer. 

To Assemble the Cinnamon Rolls

1. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. 

2. Roll out dough into a rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. 

3. Spread softened butter evenly over the top of the dough. 

4. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the dough and spread it out evenly. Press lightly to adhere the cinnamon sugar mixture to the butter. 

5. Roll the rectangle up tightly (you will be rolling the long side) so that you have a long rolled log.

6. Cut the log into 12-15 even rolls. This is most easily done by dividing the dough into 4 pieces and then each of the 4 pieces into three pieces (for 12 cinnamon rolls) or dividing the dough into 3 pieces and then each of the 3 pieces into 5 pieces (for 15 cinnamon rolls). 

7. For rolls with soft sides, place them 1/2 inch apart on a sheet tray, in a pie plate, or in a cast iron skillet. For rolls that do not touch, place 1 1/2 inches apart. Be sure to grease whatever you use to bake them in. 

8. Cover rolls and let rest for 15 minutes. 

9. Uncover and bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes, the tops will just barely start to turn golden and the center cinnamon roll will be cooked through.

For the Icing

1. Combine cream cheese and butter until smooth. 

2. Add vanilla extract and mix well. 

3. Add in half of the powdered sugar and the milk, mix until smooth. 

4. Add in the rest of the powdered sugar until your desired consistency is reached, I like the icing to be thick but pourable. 

5. Pour icing over rolls as soon as they are removed from the oven.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

The exact amount of water you will need for this recipe (or any baking recipe) can vary quite a bit. This is due to altitude, humidity, and weather. I live in an arid high-desert mountain climate, so often my readers need to less water if they live at a lower elevation with more humidity. If too much water is added, simply add more flour gradually until the proper consistency is reached. 

Nutrition Facts

The Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Amount Per Serving

Calories 450 Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 15g 23%

Saturated Fat 9g 45%

Cholesterol 53mg 18%

Sodium 343mg 14%

Potassium 116mg 3%

Total Carbohydrates 72g 24%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Sugars 39g

Protein 6g 12%

Vitamin A 10%

Calcium 6.8%

Iron 12.5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.