| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 6 hr 15 min |
| Active: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 12 rolls |
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup warm water
- One 1 1/4-ounce package instant yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
- 1 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1/2 cup or more as needed
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk or orange juice
Instructions
- For the cinnamon rolls: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the warm water with the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar. Set aside for about 5 minutes, until the mixture starts to thicken and bubble slightly. (If the mixture does not start to thicken and bubble slightly, the yeast is not working. Check the expiration date on the yeast and start over.)
- In a large bowl, stir together 1/2 cup sugar, the egg, oil and salt. Mix in the cold water and then the boiling water. Add this to the yeast mixture and stir until well blended. With the machine on low speed, slowly add in 4 cups of flour until incorporated.
- Knead in the mixer on low speed for about 5 minutes until smooth, adding in the extra 1/2 cup flour or more as needed so the dough isn’t too sticky. Put the dough into a clean large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until doubled in size, about 3 hours.
- Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar with the cinnamon in a small bowl. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with about 1 tablespoon of the melted butter using a pastry brush.
- Punch down the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll it into a rectangle about 20 by 10 inches, with the long edge facing you. Using the pastry brush, spread 1/4 cup of the melted butter over the top of the dough. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the dough. Roll up the dough, starting with the long edge facing you, into a tight cylinder. Gently squeeze the cylinder to seal it. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 12 even rounds. Place the rounds, cut-side down, into the prepared baking dish. There will be some space in between the rounds. Brush the tops of the rolls with the remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter. Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the rolls until golden, 40 to 45 minutes.
- For the icing: Meanwhile, mix the confectioners’ sugar with the milk in a small bowl. When the rolls come out of the oven, drizzle the icing over the hot rolls. Serve while warm.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 379 |
| Total Fat | 11 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 64 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 27 g |
| Protein | 6 g |
| Cholesterol | 31 mg |
| Sodium | 277 mg |
Reviews
Fantastic recipe. Made it a few times and always a hit. Many have said these cinnamon rolls were as good as their grandma’s , so thanks Katie for an easy and excellent recipe.
I’ve been trying various recipes to try to find one that was perfect. This was nearly it. The only difference is that I made a poolish that I proofed for about an hour. This really allows the flour to absorb the yeast for an amazing flavor. These were soft, fluffy and just the right amount of sweetness. Heed other comments to bake only 25 minutes. You don’t want dry rolls. I bake convection at 325 degrees in two round pans for 25 minutes. Then I kept one, and gave one away.
Thank you Katie Lee for sharing this recipe! I had doubts about making anything that compared to what my Mom used to make. No more Pillsbury for my family!
Video shows ACTIVE DRY YEAST (which needs proofing) but ingredients list shows ALOT of INSTANT YEAST (which doesn’t need proofing). Which is it??
These were so easy and honestly the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever made!
Delicious and super easy!
These were great! I couldn’t believe we were able to make them. We only bake from scratch occasionally and didn’t expect to pull this off. They were so good! Followed the recipe as it was listed, except for the icing. We made a thicker icing from a King Arthur recipe that was nice. Next time I will reduce the baking time a little bit and try a creamy icing. Thanks for sharing!
Amazing! I proofed my dough in my microwave for 60 minutes then rolled the dough out and cut them. I put them in the prepared pan and covered them in plastic wrap and put in the fridge overnight. In the morning I put them back in the microwave to warm up and finish proofing. In my oven 40-45 minutes I would’ve had some very burnt cinnamon rolls! I would suggest to everyone to set your timer for 25 minutes and start checking on them then. Mine were perfectly done at 25 minutes. I’m not a big fan of a “glaze” type of frosting so I did a copycat Cinnabon frosting recipe that I double to go with it….sooooo good!!
Amazing!!! The best cinnamon rolls ever. I doubled the icing.
Delicious and very easy instructions to follow