Cinnamon Rolls (eggless)

I consider myself somewhat of an expert on cinnamon rolls, because you may not know this but my very first job was at a cinnamon roll shop. I learned how to make all the rolls by hand, shape them, cut them, prove them, bake them, frost them, and sell them. Oh and I ate a copious amount of cinnamon rolls too.

I’ve tweaked and tweaked my cinnamon roll recipe year after year trying to achieve the familiar taste of those delicious rolls from my old shop. After many iterations and trials, I’m finally truly happy with the results. So get ready for the best cinnamon rolls ever!

Why you’ll love this recipe

• The cinnamon roll dough is made with my easy milk bread dough to achieve that super soft texture and being eggless is a bonus!
• The cinnamon roll filling is made with brown sugar and loaded with ground cinnamon. At the shop I used to work at, we used brown sugar in the filling. Butter is spread on the dough and the cinnamon sugar pressed on top instead of melting all together.
• The sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting takes it to another level. At my old shop, we used cream cheese frosting instead of a glaze, making these rolls far superior.

Ingredients and substitutions

As always, you’ll find the complete list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post. Below are some notes and substitution tips:

1. Heavy whipping cream – the dough is made with half cream and half milk. Instead of using cream and milk separately, you can substitute with half and half. But leftover cream is always useful for making whipped cream.

2. Milk – you can use whole milk or 2% milk here. Again, Instead of using cream and milk separately, you can substitute with half and half. 

3. Granulated sugar – this is used in the dough. You can substitute another type of sugar here, and it should work just fine.

4. Brown sugar – this is used in the filling, but if you only have granulated sugar on hand, you can substitute it.

5. Powdered sugar – this is used in the frosting. Don’t substitute granulated sugar in the frosting as it will be too grainy. You could try making your own powdered sugar using a food processor but in my experience, you won’t be able to get it to a super fine powder like the store bought powdered sugar. 

6. Yeast – the recipe calls for active dry yeast but you can use instant yeast in the same quantity and you don’t have to change the method.

7. Salt – I use kosher salt in the dough, you can substitute table salt if that’s all you have but if you do make sure to reduce the quantity by half or ⅔ or the dough will be too salty.

8. Flour – all purpose flour is just fine for this recipe or you can also use bread flour. 

9. Cinnamon – use plenty of ground cinnamon for the filling.

10. Butter – unsalted butter is used in the filling and in the cream cheese frosting. I don’t recommend substituting salted butter.

11. Cream cheese – I use full fat cream cheese in the frosting. You can use light cream cheese but I recommend full fat for the best flavor and richness. 

12. Vanilla extract – just a splash of vanilla is used in the frosting to enhance the flavor. Make sure to use pure vanilla extract and avoid any sort of artificial flavoring. 

Tools you’ll need

• A stand mixer with the dough hook to make the cinnamon roll dough. It is possible to make the dough by hand but using a stand mixer makes it much easier as you may need to knead the dough for 10-20 minutes.
• A 9”x13” cake pan or baking dish to set the rolls in and bake.
• A kitchen scale is always useful to measure the ingredients.
• A thermometer is also useful to check the liquid temperature to ensure you don’t kill the yeast. 

How to make cinnamon rolls

The following instructions, step-by-step photos, and tips are here to help you visualize how to make the recipe. You can always skip straight to the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

Making the cinnamon roll dough

First, activate the yeast in a mixture of warm cream, milk and sugar. Make sure the liquid mixture temperature is below 110°F as the yeast could die at a higher temperature. 

Tip: if you are using instant yeast, you can follow this step to hydrate the yeast or you can simply mix it right in with the dry ingredients. I recommend hydrating it first to ensure it is alive and working.

Mix together flour and salt in a separate bowl to distribute evenly, then add it to the liquid mixture. Knead with the dough hook in a stand mixer or by hand until the dough comes together, about 10 minutes and up to 20 minutes.

Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a ball. Place the dough into an oiled bowl and allow to rise until at least double in size, about 2 hours.

Tip: at this point, the dough will be soft, tacky and may be a bit difficult to handle but refrain from adding too much extra flour when shaping as that will dry it out. It will be less sticky after the first rise.

Assemble the rolls

Once the dough completes its first rise, scrape it out of the bowl and roll it into a rectangle about 20”x13” on a floured surface. 

Brush melted butter over the surface of the dough and add the cinnamon sugar mixture on top. Use your hand to spread the sugar mixture evenly and lightly press it into the dough leaving about a 1” border on the top.

Roll the dough into a log, starting at the bottom, longer edge. Then divide into 12 equal portions using a sharp serrated knife or using thread.

Get ready to bake

Place the rolls into a 9”x13” buttered baking dish or cake pan and allow them to double in size again in a warm spot, about an hour. The second rise will be shorter than the first.

Tip: you don’t need to line the baking dish, the rolls don’t stick that much when you buttered it well. However, if you want even easier clean up, you can opt to line it with parchment paper.

Bake until golden brown. Separate the rolls with a serrated knife and spread cream cheese frosting on top of the hot rolls as soon as you remove them from the oven (but wait until they cool a bit before digging in!)

The cream cheese frosting

Make the cream cheese frosting while the rolls are baking in the oven. You’ll want to get it ready before the rolls come out so you can spread it on top of the hot rolls right away to allow it to melt into all the nooks and crannies.

Simply beat all ingredients together until combined and creamy. This recipe will make about 1 cup of frosting, just enough for 1 batch of cinnamon rolls.

Tip: if you happen to forget to let your cream cheese and butter come to room temperature, warm them up in the microwave, not until melted but just until soft enough to work with. It is not important to keep the frosting fluffy since you’re going to spread it on hot rolls anyways.

How to make overnight cinnamon rolls

While this recipe can be completed within 1 day – make the dough in the morning and by the afternoon you’ll have fresh rolls – you can prepare the dough ahead of time and let the rolls ferment in the refrigerator overnight.

In this case, you will make this recipe over the course of 2 days: 

• Day 1: make the dough and form the rolls. Once the rolls are shaped and placed into the baking dish, let the rolls rise and ferment overnight in the fridge.
• Day 2: in the morning, take the rolls out of the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature, 30 mins to an hour, and longer as needed to let them finish their second rise – you’ll want them to look supple before baking. Then bake and serve fresh rolls for breakfast.

For even more making ahead options, the bread dough can be made 2 – 3 days ahead and allowed to rise slowly under refrigeration for its first rise. When ready to use, let it come to room temperature before rolling.

More baker’s tips

• Avoid adding too much flour to the dough while rolling. The more flour you add to the bread dough, the dryer it will become. 
• When you first make the dough, it will be sticky, this will yield softer bread in the end. But it should become a lot less sticky and much easier to handle after the first rise.
• This recipe calls for heavy cream for the higher fat content which results in a softer dough. 
• Whole milk is preferred along with heavy cream in this recipe, but you can use 2% milk if you don’t have whole milk. However, I don’t recommend replacing heavy cream with milk because milk has less fat content and will change the texture of the dough.

Storage

These rolls can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days. They should fit in the glass baking dish with the lid on, or wrap them up tightly in plastic.

If you’re planning to keep them for longer, store them in the refrigerator for up to a week. 

These cinnamon rolls also freeze really well for up to 3 months. I recommend wrapping them in plastic individually and storing them in a freezer bag. You can thaw and reheat one at a time whenever you have a hankering for a cinnamon roll. 

How to reheat cinnamon rolls

Cold cinnamon rolls can be reheated in the microwave, just 20 – 30 seconds will make them soft and gooey like freshly baked again.

FAQs

More drool worthy bread

• Tropical Cinnamon Buns
• Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread
• Cinnamon Swirl Bread
• Asian Coconut Buns
• Coconut Swirl Brioche
• Oreo Cinnamon Rolls

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