Easier Cinnamon Rolls
By Katie LeairdPublished on January 13, 2023
Time
1½ hours, plus 1½ hours rising time, plus cooling time
Yield
Makes 8 rolls
What Kids Are Saying
“We had to wait so long, but they were worth the wait. They tasted delicious. I even licked the extra frosting.” —Sonia, recipe tester, age 9
Ingredients
DOUGH
2¼ cups (11¼ ounces/319 grams) all-purpose flour, plus extra for counter3 tablespoons sugar 1½ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast ¾ teaspoon table salt ½ cup (4 ounces/113 grams) room-temperature water 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and softened 1 large egg Vegetable oil sprayFILLING
¾ cup packed (5¼ ounces/149 grams) light brown sugar 1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon ⅛ teaspoon table salt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter Glaze (optional; see “Glaze It Up,” below)Instructions
- For the dough: In bowl of stand mixer, whisk together flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Lock bowl in place and attach dough hook to stand mixer.
- Add water, 4 tablespoons softened butter, and egg to flour mixture. Start mixer on low speed and mix until no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium and knead dough for 8 minutes. Stop mixer.
- Sprinkle extra flour on clean counter and coat your hands with extra flour. Use rubber spatula to scrape dough onto floured counter and use your floured hands to knead dough for 30 seconds (see “Step-by-Step: How to Knead Dough,” below). Move dough to clean portion of counter and use your hands to form dough into smooth ball.
- Spray inside of large bowl with vegetable oil spray. Place dough in greased bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise until doubled in size, 1 to 1½ hours.
- While dough rises, spray inside bottom and sides of 9-inch round metal cake pan with vegetable oil spray. Line bottom of cake pan with 9-inch parchment paper round.
- For the filling: In medium bowl, use clean rubber spatula to stir together brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- When dough is ready, add 2 tablespoons butter to small microwave-safe bowl. Place bowl in microwave and cover with small microwave-safe plate. Heat butter at 50 percent power until melted, 30 to 60 seconds. Use oven mitts to remove bowl from microwave.
- Transfer dough to clean counter and shape, fill, and roll up rolls following photos, “Step-by-Step: How to Shape Cinnamon Rolls,” below.
- Use bench scraper (or your hands) to scoop up any filling left on counter and sprinkle it evenly over rolls. Spray sheet of plastic wrap with vegetable oil spray. Cover cake pan loosely with greased plastic and let rolls rise at room temperature until puffy, 30 to 45 minutes.
- While rolls rise, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.
- When rolls are ready, discard plastic from cake pan. Place cake pan in oven. Bake until rolls are golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.
- Use oven mitts to remove cake pan from oven and place on cooling rack (ask an adult for help). Let rolls cool in pan for 15 minutes. Run butter knife around edge of cake pan to release rolls from pan. Drizzle with glaze, if using. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Time
1½ hours, plus 1½ hours rising time, plus cooling timeYield
Makes 8 rollsWhat Kids Are Saying
“We had to wait so long, but they were worth the wait. They tasted delicious. I even licked the extra frosting.” —Sonia, recipe tester, age 9Ingredients
DOUGH
2¼ cups (11¼ ounces/319 grams) all-purpose flour, plus extra for counter
3 tablespoons sugar
1½ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
¾ teaspoon table salt
½ cup (4 ounces/113 grams) room-temperature water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and softened
1 large egg
Vegetable oil spray
FILLING
¾ cup packed (5¼ ounces/149 grams) light brown sugar
1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Glaze (optional; see “Glaze It Up,” below)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
DOUGH
2¼ cups (11¼ ounces/319 grams) all-purpose flour, plus extra for counter
3 tablespoons sugar
1½ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
¾ teaspoon table salt
½ cup (4 ounces/113 grams) room-temperature water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and softened
1 large egg
Vegetable oil spray
FILLING
¾ cup packed (5¼ ounces/149 grams) light brown sugar
1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Glaze (optional; see “Glaze It Up,” below)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
DOUGH
2¼ cups (11¼ ounces/319 grams) all-purpose flour, plus extra for counter
3 tablespoons sugar
1½ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
¾ teaspoon table salt
½ cup (4 ounces/113 grams) room-temperature water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and softened
1 large egg
Vegetable oil spray
FILLING
¾ cup packed (5¼ ounces/149 grams) light brown sugar
1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Glaze (optional; see “Glaze It Up,” below)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Who can resist warm cinnamon rolls for breakfast on a cozy weekend morning? This recipe makes it easy to shape perfectly spiraled rolls you’ll be proud to serve! Traditionally, making cinnamon rolls involves slathering softened butter over a big rectangle of yeasted dough and sprinkling it with cinnamon sugar; rolling it up into a long, tight log; and cutting the log into individual rolls. Instead, we cut individual strips of buttered and cinnamon-sugared dough and rolled them up one at a time.
Instructions
- For the dough: In bowl of stand mixer, whisk together flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Lock bowl in place and attach dough hook to stand mixer.
- Add water, 4 tablespoons softened butter, and egg to flour mixture. Start mixer on low speed and mix until no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium and knead dough for 8 minutes. Stop mixer.
- Sprinkle extra flour on clean counter and coat your hands with extra flour. Use rubber spatula to scrape dough onto floured counter and use your floured hands to knead dough for 30 seconds (see “Step-by-Step: How to Knead Dough,” below). Move dough to clean portion of counter and use your hands to form dough into smooth ball.
- Spray inside of large bowl with vegetable oil spray. Place dough in greased bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise until doubled in size, 1 to 1½ hours.
- While dough rises, spray inside bottom and sides of 9-inch round metal cake pan with vegetable oil spray. Line bottom of cake pan with 9-inch parchment paper round.
- For the filling: In medium bowl, use clean rubber spatula to stir together brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- When dough is ready, add 2 tablespoons butter to small microwave-safe bowl. Place bowl in microwave and cover with small microwave-safe plate. Heat butter at 50 percent power until melted, 30 to 60 seconds. Use oven mitts to remove bowl from microwave.
- Transfer dough to clean counter and shape, fill, and roll up rolls following photos, “Step-by-Step: How to Shape Cinnamon Rolls,” below.
- Use bench scraper (or your hands) to scoop up any filling left on counter and sprinkle it evenly over rolls. Spray sheet of plastic wrap with vegetable oil spray. Cover cake pan loosely with greased plastic and let rolls rise at room temperature until puffy, 30 to 45 minutes.
- While rolls rise, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.
- When rolls are ready, discard plastic from cake pan. Place cake pan in oven. Bake until rolls are golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.
- Use oven mitts to remove cake pan from oven and place on cooling rack (ask an adult for help). Let rolls cool in pan for 15 minutes. Run butter knife around edge of cake pan to release rolls from pan. Drizzle with glaze, if using. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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