These are the fastest, easiest, AND tastiest cinnamon rolls I have made. I was skeptical because I felt that the fact that it was a single rise would make it a lesser cinnamon roll experience, but it was the opposite. We felt it was the lightest, fluffiest, most perfect cinnamon rolls we have made. Sally! You're magnificent.
I do prefer a cream cheese icing so this is what I did and want to document so I can do it again!
Ingredients
Rolls
- 2 and 3/4 cups (344g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons Red Star Platinum Yeast or any instant yeast (1 packet)
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk
- 1/4 cup (60ml) water
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large egg
Filling
- 3 Tablespoons (45g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar or packed light or dark brown sugar
Icing
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup softened butter
- 3 oz softened cream cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Make the dough: Whisk the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Combine the milk, water, and butter together in a heatproof bowl. Microwave or use the stove and heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is warm to touch (about 110°F). Pour into the dry ingredients, add the egg, and stir until it forms a soft dough or use your mixer.
- On a lightly floured surface using floured hands, knead the dough for 3 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl (I use non-stick spray), cover loosely, and let rest for about 10 minutes.
- Fill the rolls: After 10 minutes, roll the dough out in a 14×8 inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter on top. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle it all over the dough. Roll up the dough tightly to make a 14 inch log. Cut into 10-12 even rolls and arrange in a lightly greased 9-inch round cake pan or pie dish.
- Rise: Tightly cover the rolls with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free environment for 60-90 minutes. See blog post above for my trick to this step!
- Bake the rolls: After the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 25-28 minutes until lightly browned. If you notice the tops are getting too brown too quickly, loosely cover the rolls with aluminum foil and continue baking.
- Make the icing: Whisk the ingredients together. Drizzle or spread over warm rolls.
- Cover leftover frosted or unfrosted rolls tightly and store for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: This dough can be made the night before through step 4. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, remove from the refrigerator and allow to rise in a warm environment, about 1 hour. Continue with step 6.
- Freezing Instructions: Baked rolls can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm up before enjoying. You can also freeze the unbaked rolls and here’s how: bake the rolls in step 6 for only about 10 minutes at 375°F (191°C). Cool completely, then cover tightly and freeze. To serve, take the rolls out of the freezer and put into the refrigerator a few hours before serving. Then, finish baking them.
