There is something very special about a warm, fluffy cinnamon roll drizzled in a sweet glaze. Whether you start from the outer ring and carefully work your way towards the gooey center or just dive right in with a big bite, a good cinnamon roll is both delicious and comforting.
Cinnamon rolls come in a few different shapes and textures, but today, we are making a batch of super soft, extra fluffy cinnamon rolls with loads of cinnamony filling and a sweet vanilla glaze that is just perfect. You are going to love these cinnamon rolls.
Let’s get started…
Begin by gathering the ingredients for the dough. To make 6 cinnamon rolls, you will need 1/2 cup of whole milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 large egg, 3 tablespoons of melted butter, 2 cups of bread flour and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
This recipe is easily doubled to make a dozen cinnamon rolls, if you need a bigger batch.
The first step is to wake up your yeast. If you have never worked with yeast before, there is nothing to be worried about! Active dry yeast tells you when it is ready to go, so there is no guessing! Simply combine 1/2 cup of warm whole milk (around 110 degrees) with 1 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast and 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar and set it aside for 5 minutes. The yeast is ready when the top surface is foamy and bubbly like in the photo above. All of that froth tells us that the yeast has bloomed and is ready to do good things to our cinnamon roll dough…
If your yeast does not turn frothy like this, it is not good and you will need to start over. There are several reasons that this could happen. If the water is too hot, it can kill your yeast. If the water is too cold, the yeast will not wake up. If you forget the sugar, the yeast has nothing to snack on. Your yeast could also be expired, but regardless of why it does not bloom, you will know that you need to restart right away, instead of finding out too late.
While the yeast is blooming, combine 1 cup of the bread flour along with 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 large egg and 3 tablespoons of melted butter. Mix until everything is fully incorporated.
Once the yeast has bloomed, add it into the bowl and mix to incorporate.
You should have 1 cup of bread flour left. You may not need all of it right now, so just add a little at a time until a soft dough comes together.
This is the texture that you are looking for. Super soft and flexible. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for just a few minutes with flour coated hands. You want to bring the dough together with as little additional flour as necessary. I occasionally need the entire 2 cups of bread flour, but today, I only needed about 1 3/4 cups. That extra 1/4 cup may not sound like it will make too much difference, but it will. The more flour you add, the more dense and dry the dough will be and these cinnamon rolls can be really soft and fluffy with the correct amount of flour incorporated.
Form the dough into a ball and transfer it into a lightly greased bowl. Turn the dough over a few times to lightly coat the entire surface and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
Once the dough has doubled in size, transfer it back onto a floured surface and roll it out into a rectangle roughly 8 inches wide and 12 inches long.
Spread 3 tablespoons of softened butter over the entire surface of the dough and make the filling by combining 1/2 cup of brown sugar with 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon in a small bowl.
Sprinkle the filling over the butter surface of the dough and we are ready to roll…
Roll the dough tightly, starting on the shorter end. I like to pull the roll towards me ever so slightly so that I get plenty of spiral in my rolls, but this is just how I do it. When you get to the end of the roll, pinch the end of the dough into the roll to close everything up nice and securely.
When it comes to dividing up the cinnamon rolls, you’ll want to do this is evenly as possible. Evenly sized rolls will bake the same and you definitely want that. The easiest way to do this is with a ruler. My dough cutter has a little ruler on it, so I used that to make small knife marks every 2 inches down the roll.
Now you can use a sharp knife to cut the rolls, but I highly recommend using dental floss. It creates such clean, smooth slices and is super easy to work with.
Simply slide the floss under the roll, make a single loop over the knife mark and pull both ends until it slices through the roll. The floss creates even pressure throughout the roll and no downward pressure is necessary, so it creates beautifully clean slices.
Transfer the 6 cinnamon rolls into a greased baking dish lined with parchment paper. I am using a 7″x11″ baking dish, but any dish that allows for enough space between the rolls will work fine. A 9 inch square dish or even a large round dish will work good. Just place them evenly spread out, cover the dish with plastic wrap and let the rolls rest for 45 minutes in a warm place.
Once the rolls have puffed up a bit, uncover them and transfer them into a 350 degree oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until they are golden brown and wonderfully puffy.
Transfer the baking dish onto a cooling rack to allow the cinnamon rolls to cool for a few minutes before glazing them.
These cinnamon rolls are super flavorful, so they don’t need a heavy, overly sweet frosting… just a simple vanilla glaze works perfectly.
Make your glaze by whisking 1 1/3 cups of sifted confectioners sugar with 3 tablespoons of heavy cream, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. If you prefer a slightly thicker glaze, add a little bit more confectioners sugar. If you want your glaze to be thinner, add another splash of heavy cream.
Drizzle the glaze over the cinnamon rolls while they are still nice and warm and prepare to be transported into cinnamon roll heaven…
These cinnamon rolls are so soft and fluffy. Every bit has just the right amount of cinnamon filling and that center is gooey, sweet fabulousness that I cannot get enough of.
The next time you have a hankering for soft, pillowy cinnamon rolls, make these rolls, because I know that you will absolutely love them!
Buon Appetito!
Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 1/2 cup of whole milk, warm (about 110 degrees)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons of butter, melted
- 2 cups of bread flour
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
Cinnamon Roll Filling
- 3 tablespoons of butter, softened
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
Vanilla Glaze
- 1 1/3 cups of confectioners sugar, sifted
- 3 tablespoons of heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- a pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a small dish, whisk 1 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast and about 1/2 teaspoon of granulated sugar into 1/2 cup of warm whole milk. Set aside for about 5 minutes or until frothy
- In a large bowl, add 1 cup of the bread flour along with 1 large egg, 3 tablespoons of melted butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and the yeast mixture and mix until smooth
- Add part of the remaining cup of bread flour and mix until a soft dough forms
- Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and knead until soft, smooth and elastic
- Transfer the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and roll it over a few times to ensure that the outer surface is lightly coated
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rest in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size
- Transfer the doubled dough onto a floured surface and roll out to a rectangle about 8”x12”
- Spread the softened butter over the surface and sprinkle a combination of 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon over the surface
- Roll the dough tightly, starting on the shorter side and pinch the end seam closed
- Use a very sharp knife or dental floss to divide the roll into 6 equal portions about 2 inches wide
- Transfer the rolls into a greased and parchment lined 7”x11” baking dish
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rest in a warm place for 45 minutes
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- Uncover and bake the cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes
- Once the rolls are golden brown, transfer them onto a cooling rack to cool for 10 minutes before glazing
- Make the glaze by whisking 1 1/3 cups of sifted confectioners sugar, 3 tablespoons of heavy cream, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Add additional confectioners sugar to thicken the glaze or additional heavy cream to thin it out, if desired
- Drizzle the vanilla glaze over the cinnamon rolls and serve warm
- Tightly cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and store leftovers at room temperature
