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Cinnamon Rolls

big oversized cinnamon roll with frosting on it cooling on a rock with a towel underneath it
Photo Credit
Brent Hofacker/shutterstock
Written By: The Old Farmer’s Almanac Editors The Almanac Editors and Staff
Yield
24 rolls
Category
Pies and Pastries
Course
Breakfast & Brunches
Desserts
Occasions
Christmas
Easter Sunday
New Year's Day
Sources
The OFA Recipes for Every Season

These are simply the BEST Cinnamon Rolls—just like the ones your grandmother used to make! Our Cinnamon Rolls should be your next baking project: soft, fluffy, and delicious. Their heavenly scent will fill the kitchen, while their warm, spicy taste fills your belly. 

We also include the special icing to finish off the perfect pastry! Make for brunch, special occasions, holidays, and any time you want to bake something a little indulgent.

You can always prepare the dough the night before. In the morning, bring the cinnamon rolls to room temperature and let them rise for 45 minutes to an hour before baking so they emerge warm and mouthwateringly delicious. (This is a great way to have Christmas breakfast or Easter breakfast prepared and ready to cook!).

Ingredients
2 cups milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 cup rolled oats
5 to 6 cups bread flour (or all-purpose flour)
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter, divided
Filling:
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1 cup sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 egg yolk, beaten

Instructions

  1. Heat the milk slightly (to lukewarm).
  2. In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, yeast, milk, rolled oats, and enough flour (1-1/2 to 2 cups) to make a sponge the consistency of bubbly pancake batter. Set it aside for a while (about 20 minutes) to allow the yeast to work.
  3. Then add the eggs, salt, and 1/2 cup of the softened butter. Stir well.
  4. Add the rest of the flour and knead it into a soft dough. (Add the last cup while kneading, if you wish.)
  5. Let the dough rise in a large buttered bowl covered with a damp towel, until it has doubled in size, at least 1 hour.
  6. Divide the dough into two pieces, and roll them out into two flat rectangles about 1/2 inch thick, 12 to 15 inches long, and 10 inches wide.
  7. Spread the remaining 1/2 cup softened butter onto the rectangles. Distribute walnuts and raisins (if using) evenly, and sprinkle with most of the cinnamon sugar.
  8. Roll up the dough the long way and pinch it shut.
  9. Slice each dough roll into 12 pinwheel pieces, brush with egg yolk, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar.
  10. Fit the rolls into one or two buttered round or rectangular pans (use whatever you have on hand; the rolls can be squeezed in or given lots of room), and let them rise again until they’re puffy and doubled, about 45 minutes to an hour.
  11. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for about 25 to 30 minutes or until they are cooked through and lightly browned.
  12. While they’re still warm, ice with frosting.

Cinnamon Roll Frosting

Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons cream
vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Combine all the ingredients and mix well with an electric mixer or whisk.

About The Author
The Old Farmer’s Almanac Editors

The Old Farmer’s Almanac Editors

The Almanac Editors and Staff

Under the guiding hand of its first editor, Robert B. Thomas, the premiere issue of The Old Farmer’s Almanac was published in 1792 during George Washington’s first term as president.Today, the Almanac...
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Comments

<span>Brenda Junkin</span> Wed, 01/12/2022 - 11:17
Can you freeze the rolls before you bake them? I'd like to take some to my grandkids.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Wed, 01/19/2022 - 15:13

Hi, Brenda. You have two options for the rolls. You can go ahead and bake the rolls and then freeze them or you can freeze them after you cut and form into rolls. Don't let them rise that second time. In this case you would need to thaw them in the refrigerator the night before you plan to bake them and let them rise in a warm area in the morning.

 <span>Geri Reski</span> Sun, 10/10/2021 - 09:42
Have never seen a cinnamon roll recipe that called for oats in the dough…hmmm.
<span>Debra Manning</span> Sun, 12/05/2021 - 14:19
I was thinking the same thing about the rolled oats :)
<span>Judith Burrell</span> Sat, 12/24/2022 - 10:58
why the rolled oats in the cinnamon roll recipe??????????????
<span>Lady D</span> Mon, 02/27/2023 - 08:09
Rolled oats provide fiber- much like whole wheat flour. The oats also provide a different flavor than the wheat.