The Fluffiest Cinnamon Rolls

Vanja Ilic
Sep 4
4 min read

Updated: 7 days ago

Total Time: 2 hour 45 min

Yield: 6 large or 8 smaller rolls

Before I got into serious baking, cinnamon rolls were always my go-to treat. There's just something about those sweet swirls that can brighten up any gloomy day. I used to love discovering spots that sold them, even if they weren't always the

greatest. So, I figured I'd try making my own, aiming for that perfect gooey, soft, and fluffy texture. After years of trying out different recipes, I've finally nailed it, and now I'm sharing it with you.

Tips you'll find helpful for making your favorite Cinnamon Rolls

Make sure your yeast is fresh
Fresh yeast is key to getting your dough to rise properly. Old yeast just won't cut it.
Make sure your liquids are warm to get the yeast going, but not too hot, or it'll kill it.
Use high-protein flour (at least 11g)
This is important for giving your dough the right structure. All-purpose flour can work, but it won't be as effective.
Go easy on the sugar in the dough
Too much sugar will make it bake faster and dry out.
For the liquids, use 2/3 milk and 1/3 water
I've tried using only water or only milk, and I got the best result mixing those.
Keep kneading that dough until it's just right! Seriously, don't slack off here—it's super important. If you've got a stand mixer, awesome! Just attach the hook and let it do its thing on medium speed for 15 minutes. If not, no worries, you can do it by hand, but be ready to put in some elbow grease!

You'll need (ingredients) for 6-8 rolls

Dough

400 g flour
60 g melted butter (warm not too hot)
1 large egg (room temp)
150 ml milk
100 ml water
7 g active dry yeast
pinch of salt
2 tbsp of granulated sugar

Filling

80 g butter softened to room temperature
100 g light brown sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting

60 g butter room temp
150 g Philadelphia cream cheese (or your favorite one)
120 g icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Dough

Grab a big mixing bowl and pour in warmed milk and water. Add sugar and sprinkle yeast on the top, then let it chill for around 10 minutes, or until you see bubbles popping up on top.
Go ahead and mix in the egg and melted butter. It's totally fine if there are still a few bits of butter that aren't fully melted. It can be warm, not too hot.
Start adding the flour gradually. Add about a third of it first and mix it well with a wooden spoon until everything's combined and you have a smooth, lump-free liquid dough. Add the second third and give it a good stir; you'll notice it starting to thicken up. With a wooden spoon to beat the dough—it's much easier to handle at this stage. Once you add more flour, it'll get tougher, so if you don't plan on using a stand mixer later, now's the perfect time to really work the dough.
Finally, toss in the rest of the flour and keep stirring with a spoon until it all comes together into a thick dough. At this point, you can switch to a stand mixer or set the spoon aside and use your hands to knead the dough for another 10 minutes.
Flour your hands to avoid the dough sticking too much, if it is too sticky add a spoon of flour, but don't overgo with flour you want you dough soft!
Shape the dough into a ball and cover it with plastic wrap and let it hang out in a warm spot for about an hour until it doubles in size.
When the time's up, sprinkle some flour on your work surface and put the dough on it. Make sure to punch the dough down first to get rid of any extra air.
Roll out the dough into a rectangle shape and spread a layer of softened butter on top. Make sure your butter is well softened otherwise you'll break the dough. Then, mix the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle it all over.
Use your hands to tap the sugar into the butter.
Roll up the dough from the longer side, pluck the ends together, and tuck them under your loaf to keep everything in place before you slice the rolls.
Grab some dental floss to slice the rolls—just slide it under the loaf and pull the string over to make a cut. I think this way is the easiest, though you can use a knife too. Just be careful not to squish the rolls while you're cutting.
Place the rolls in a greased pan and cover them up until they're nearly double in size, which should take about 20-30 minutes, depending on how warm your place is. Don't let them sit too long this time because they'll puff up more in the oven, and you want to make sure there's enough space for that.
Meanwhile, set your oven to 180°C. Once it's heated up, pop your rolls in there for around 20-25 minutes until they're golden on top. Feel free to bake them a little longer or shorter depending on your preference. If you want them gooey and soft, don't let them get too brown.
To make the Cream Cheese Icing, just grab a medium bowl and whisk together some softened butter and cream cheese. Then toss in some icing sugar and a splash of vanilla. Whisk everything quickly for about a minute until it's all smooth and silky.
Put the frosting on the rolls while still warm so it will get inside those layers and make everything even more soft and moist and delicious.
Best eaten warm, but these stay soft even the day after. You can even slightly warm them up before serving.
Enjoy!