American
Classic Cinnamon Rolls
Soft yeast rolls with a brown-sugar cinnamon swirl and a cream cheese icing. Plan on about 90 minutes of rising before the bake.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Servings
- 12
- Difficulty
- Medium
Why you’ll love it
- Yeast has to foam before you add the flour.
- A tight roll keeps the sugar inside instead of leaking into the pan.
- The center should be baked through, not wet and doughy.
- Ice them while they are warm so the icing melts into the swirl.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Stir the warm milk, yeast, and granulated sugar. Wait 5 minutes until foamy. If nothing happens, start over. Milk hotter than about 120°F kills yeast.
- 2
Mix in the egg, melted butter, and salt. Stir in the flour until a soft dough forms. Knead about 6 minutes, until smooth. Cover and rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- 3
Roll the dough into a 12-by-16-inch rectangle. Spread on the softened 1/3 cup butter. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it evenly. Roll from the long side into a tight log and cut 12 slices.
- 4
Set the slices in a greased 9-by-13-inch pan. Cover and rise until puffy, about 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 350°F.
- 5
Bake 22 to 26 minutes, until the tops are deep golden and the centers are cooked through, not wet.
- 6
Beat the cream cheese, 2 tbsp butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Spread it over the warm rolls.
Pro tips
- Dental floss cuts cleaner slices than a knife if the dough is soft.
- If filling leaks out, the roll was loose or the butter was melted instead of soft.
- Underbaked centers look shiny and raw. Give them a few more minutes.
Easy substitutions
- cream cheese icing
- a glaze of powdered sugar and milk
- brown sugar
- white sugar in the filling
Storage and reheating
Storage
Cover and keep at room temperature up to 2 days. Freeze unfrosted rolls up to 1 month.
Reheating
Warm a roll covered at 300°F for about 8 minutes. Add icing after if you froze them plain.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 340
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
Budget friendly · Oven
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A heavy 12-inch skillet
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An air fryer with a real basket
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A half-sheet pan
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An instant-read thermometer
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