Easy Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe
These big, fluffy, soft easy homemade cinnamon rolls with a sweet vanilla icing are the cinnamon rolls you dream of when you’re craving cinnamon rolls. This easy homemade cinnamon roll recipe makes two dozen cinnamon rolls, so there’s plenty to feed a crowd or freeze some for another day.
This Easy Homemade Cinnamon Roll recipe is adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod’s new cookbook, Two Peas & Their Pod Cookbook: Favorite Everyday Recipes from Our Family Kitchen. It’s a beautiful hardbound cookbook filled with delicious family-friendly recipes you’re going to want to try.
Maria from Two Peas and Their Pod and I have been friends since I first started blogging in 2008. Her blog is super popular, and when she said she was writing a cookbook I knew it would be a great cookbook.
It was hard to pick which recipe to make first from the cookbook. However, when I saw that the cookbook included her dad’s famous cinnamon roll recipe. that I’ve been meaning to try them for years, that’s the recipe I chose to feature.
The one change I made to the recipe is to use Red Star Platinum Yeast. It’s an instant yeast that doesn’t need to be proofed before using. You mix the yeast with the flour, so you can use warmer water and the dough rises more quickly and saves time, and it’s easier to use.
Making the dough is super easy in a stand mixer. I like to use my NutriMill Artiste Kitchen Stand Mixer when making bread doughs, especially when making a large batch of dough like this cinnamon roll dough that makes 24 cinnamon rolls.
Of course, you don’t need to use a stand mixer to knead dough. Here’s tips on kneading dough by hand if you don’t have a mixer.
Next, you’ll let the dough rise until it’s doubled in size. My oven has a proof setting that I like to use, but there are lots of great options to rise dough if your house is cold.
After the dough has risen, you’ll punch it down and divide it in half. Set one half aside and roll one half into a rectangle. You can roll the dough out on a floured surface, but I love roll out the dough on a Silicone Pastry Mat.
Once the dough is rolled out into a rectangle, you’ll top it with the brown sugar and cinnamon and raisins. If you’re a raisin hater, feel free to omit them.
I think the best, easiest way to cut the dough into cinnamon rolls is using unflavored dental floss. You can also use a bench scraper or a sharp knife.
Then you’ll bake the cinnamon rolls until they’re golden brown and gorgeous. Does anything smell better than cinnamon rolls baking?
Finally, you’ll ice the cinnamon rolls with an easy to make, thick, creamy homemade vanilla icing.
These Easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls are the perfect cinnamon rolls. A soft, sweet dough with just the right amount of sweet, cinnamony filling topped with a thick, rich creamy icing.
It makes two pans of cinnamon rolls so you can feed a crowd, or freeze one pan for later. I froze one pan with the frosting on and thawed them overnight on the counter. We warmed the rolls for about 30 seconds and they were as tasty as the day we made them.
Definitely give this recipe a try and pick up Two Peas and Their Pod’s new cookbook, Two Peas & Their Pod Cookbook: Favorite Everyday Recipes from Our Family Kitchen, so you can try more of her delicious recipes!
Cinnamon Roll Recipe
These big, fluffy, soft easy homemade cinnamon rolls with a sweet vanilla icing are the cinnamon rolls you dream of when you're craving cinnamon rolls.
Ingredients
- 9 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 packages (4 1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 cups water
- 6 tablespoons shortening Crisco or butter
- 2 eggs beaten
Filling
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 cup raisins
Icing
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, combine 5 cups flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.
- In saucepan or microwave-safe dish, heat water and shortening until warm (120° – 130°).
- Add liquids to flour mixture. Add eggs. Blend at low speed until moistened. Beat 4 minutes at medium speed.
- Switch to the dough hook and mix in the remaining flour a little at a time, to make a soft dough, add more or less flour as needed. Knead the dough for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and turn to grease top. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double about 30 minutes.
- Grease tw 9x13-inch pans with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Divide dough in half. With a rolling pin, roll one half of the dough into a rectangular shape, about 22 X 13 inches. Spread dough evenly with half of the softened butter. Sprinkle dough with half of the brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins.
- Starting from one of the long sides of the rectangle, roll the dough into a log. Using a piece of unflavored dental floss, cut the log into 12 rolls about 1 1/2 inches thick. Place rolls in greased 9X13 baking pans. Repeat with the other half of the dough and filling. Allow the rolls to rise, covered, until they've doubled in size 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake for 28-32 minutes or until cinnamon rolls are golden brown on top and cooked in the middle. The internal temperature of the rolls should be 190–200°F. Remove from the oven and let the rolls cool to room temperature.
- While the rolls are cooling, make the frosting. In a medium bowl, whisk together butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Frost the cooled cinnamon rolls generously!
Notes
Overnight: You can refrigerate the rolls overnight and bake in the morning. Put the rolls in the pans and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight. In the morning, pull the rolls out and let them come to room temperature and rise a little before baking
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Hi Barbara! Your cinnamon rolls sound amazing! Would love to make them this weekend. Under the ingredients it lists the amount of flour to be used is 9 cups, although in the first step of instructions it says to combine 5 cups. I did not see the addition of any more flour throughout the recipe. Wondering what amount we are to use?
Looking forward to trying them:)
Hi Barb – you add 5 cups in step one and the remaining flour in step 4. I know you’re going to love them. Enjoy!
Oh Lordy those are a thing of beauty! I can’t wait to try this recipe-we do love cinnamon rolls, especially big fat soft ones like those. I can almost smell them baking, Barbara!