World’s Best Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe!
Holy CINNAMON ROLLS, Batman!! The most delicious cinnamon roll recipe that you can make in a bread machine!! That’s right… the bread machine will do most of the work for you.
The world’s best homemade cinnamon roll recipe… from a bread machine?! You bet your buckets, pal! We love homemade cinnamon rolls in our house, and we have the easiest, most delicious cinnamon roll recipe… made mostly in the bread machine!
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Yes, the $4 bread machine from a thrift store. That one. But don’t worry, you can still make these suckers without a machine — it just makes your life easier if you have one. If you don’t have a bread machine, you can still easily knead this dough by hand and make these fabulous cinnamon rolls by yourself!
So now, we introduce you to…
HOW TO MAKE OUR DELICIOUS CINNAMON ROLL RECIPE
As with anything you bake, there are a few notes that will take your treat from so-so to absolutely divine! So, let’s chat about cinnamon rolls!
LET CINNAMON ROLLS RISE
Cinnamon rolls are all about the rising time. Most cinnamon roll recipes require you to allow the dough to rise TWICE. The first rise is before rolling the cinnamon rolls out — you might be tempted to roll it out sooner rather than later, but be sure to give it enough time to double!
MAKING CINNAMON ROLL FILLING
When making the filling, you’ve got two options. Combine all the ingredients and mix well until it forms a paste of sorts. Spread onto the dough with your hands or a greased spatula… OR soften the butter and smoosh it onto the dough, then just sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar over the top evenly. BAM! Super easy!
It’s totally up to you. Second option is definitely easier, but some may tell you the first option makes your rolls taste better because the cinnamon roll filling doesn’t leak as much!
ROLLING & CUTTING CINNAMON ROLLS
After your rolls have risen, you’ll want to roll them out into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick—the more rectangular, the better, as this gives you more evenly-sized rolls. Add a little flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the countertop.
Once you’ve accomplished that, you can roll the dough up! Make sure you roll it up long ways. You’ll want to get a pretty tight roll, then pinch it tight when you finish rolling. Don’t let any filling escape!
Now it’s time to cut evenly-sized rolls. You can totally eyeball this! But if you put a little dash mark in the dough for each roll, it makes it easier to keep the rolls evenly sized. About 2 inches is what you’re going for here.
Pro Tip: Use unscented dental floss or fishing string to make your job cutting the rolls a little easier! This prevents squishy rolls.
SECOND CINNAMON ROLL RISE
Your rolls will need to rise again after you’ve rolled ’em out and filled ’em up! Add them to a 9×13 baking pan or multiple pans, if needed. Cover with a towel and let rise.
Pro Tip: Turn your oven on for one minute, turn it off, then cover and let rise in the warm oven — this decreases rising time. Once risen, pull them out. If not, you’ll have some funky, potentially burnt rolls on your hands. Now that would just be sad!
Cream Cheese Frosting
The secret to next-level cinnamon rolls? That dreamy, creamy cream cheese frosting.It’s rich, tangy, and the perfect topping to melt into all those warm, gooey swirls. Honestly, it might be our favorite part.
The best part? It comes together in just a few minutes with a handful of simple ingredients.
Pro Tip: Set out your cream cheese and butter ahead of time so they’re soft and easy to mix. Nobody wants lumpy frosting!
WORLD’S BEST BREAD MACHINE CINNAMON ROLL RECIPE
Mmmmmm. You ready for this recipe!?
Bread Machine Cinnamon Roll Recipe
Holy CINNAMON ROLLS, Batman!! And from a BREAD MACHINE! You won't believe how easy they are, and so stinking good!
- 1 cup warm milk
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup margarine, melted
- 4 ½ cups bread flour
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup white sugar
- 2 ½ tsp bread machine yeast
Sugar Mixture
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 ½ Tbsp cinnamon
- ⅓ cup butter, softened
Frosting
- 3 oz package cream cheese
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla
- ⅛ tsp salt
For Bread Machine
Place dough ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer (for me, it’s wet ingredients first). Select dough cycle; press Start.
No Bread Machine
No bread machine? No problem… Add warm milk to a standard mixer using the dough hook and sprinkle yeast in. Add eggs, butter, salt and sugar. Add the flour slowly and allow to soak up the liquid. Beat the dough on medium speed for 5-7 minutes or until the dough is elastic and smooth. Sticky is okay!! If your mixer doesn't have a dough hook, combine the ingredients and then knead by hand.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
After the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll dough into a 24×12 rectangle.
Spread dough with ⅓ cup softened butter (I just smush it around with my fingers). Sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Make sure to get it to the very edges!! I like to save a little mixture to sprinkle on top of the rolls once they are rolled up. Roll up dough from the LONG side of the rectangle – you'll get more rolls that way! Cut into 12-16 rolls.
Place rolls in a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking pan (or a bigger pan if you have it). Be sure to space the rolls out in your pan so they don't touch. You may have to bake them in 2 or even 3 separate pans, depending on how thick you cut them. I like to let them rise for at least 30 minutes (longer = bigger). Sprinkle them with the extra cinnamon sugar mixture if you have any. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.
Bake at 375°F until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Don’t over-bake!
While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, ¼ cup butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.
To freeze, get to the point where you add them to your pan, then cover with foil and freeze before the second rise. Thaw in the refrigerator the night before and place in a warm spot to rise the morning you’re baking them. Then bake as normal and enjoy how delicious they are!
That’s it!
Are you drooling yet? Hope you enjoy this cinnamon roll recipe as much as we do! If you try it and love it, please leave a comment and let us know below!
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Looking for more great breakfast ideas?!
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- Looking for some great make-ahead breakfast ideas? We’ve got you covered!
- We’ve got 5 breakfast ideas that you can make in 12 minutes or less!
Now, let’s roll!
