Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls Copycat
Make these better than Cinnabon cinnamon rolls for a Christmas morning breakfast the whole family will love. Learn how to make the yeast dough and the gooey frosting from scratch with all of my tips. These light and fluffy rolls will disappear in minutes!
Servings: 12 rolls
Calories: 423kcal
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 4 ⅛ cups bread flour
- 3 teaspoons fast-action yeast
- 2 teaspoons fine salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 3 tablespoons lard
- 5 tablespoons clover honey
- 1 cup whole milk warmed
- 2 large eggs
For the Filling
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar packed
- 4 teaspoons Saigon cinnamon
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 ounces brick-style cream cheese softened
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
- 2-3 teaspoon heavy whipping cream
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Making the Dough
- Sift the bread flour into a large mixing bowl. This step helps the bread have a thin crust and light, fluffy interior.
- Heat the milk in the microwave or in a saucepan until it's 115°F. Make sure it isn't hotter than this, or the heat may kill the yeast.
- Add the salt and fast-action yeast on opposite sides of the bowl of flour, then stir them both into the flour. Make sure to keep the salt and yeast separate, since salt will kill the yeast if it touches the yeast directly.
- Dump the honey, softened butter, lard, and eggs into the flour mixture. Stir and crush the mixture with your hand until it looks dry and clumpy.
- Gradually pour in the warm milk, stirring and crushing the flour mixture with your hand as you do so. You need enough milk to create a slightly sticky dough with no flour sitting at the bottom of the bowl. Depending upon the humidity and the brand of flour you're using, you may not need all of the milk.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes, until it is smooth and no longer sticky. To knead, use the heel of your hand to push the dough away from you. Give it a quarter turn and repeat the process. You can also slap the dough against the counter. Add only a little flour occasionally throughout the kneading process.
- Use the windowpane test to see if it is kneaded enough. Tear off a lump and use your fingers or even your knuckles to carefully stretch it as thin as you can. If you can read large print through it, it's kneaded enough. If you don't knead the dough long enough, the rolls will not rise as well or be as light and fluffy.
- Shape into a ball, place in a buttered bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a warm place until the dough has at least doubled in size, about 1 ½ to 2 hours. Alternatively, refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
Shaping the Rolls
- Mix together the cinnamon and sugar until well mixed.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and punch it down all over to knock out gas pockets.
- Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to a 19x19-inch square. If it is too stiff, let it rest for a couple minutes. Make sure that the edges are the same thickness as the center.
- Use an angled spatula to evenly spread the butter over the dough, leaving a 1 inch border on all sides except the one near you. This will help the dough seal better when it's rolled up.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture all over the butter, then spread it out with your fingers. Make sure that all of the butter is covered.
- Start rolling the dough from the side closest to you. Fold the edge over about ½ an inch, then tightly roll it up.
- Turn the log over so you can see the seam, and pinch it tightly so the log doesn't unroll.
- Cut off the ends of the log with a knife or bench scraper. (Prove and bake these ends in a large ramekin or small cake pan.)
- Mark the log in 1 ½ inch intervals with a knife or bench scraper so you have 12 equally sized rolls. Cut a piece of thread or unflavored dental floss about 8 inches long and place it under the log. Wrap the thread around the log and pull it tighter and tighter until it cuts through the dough. Repeat until the log is cut into 12 rolls.
- Space the rolls apart in an 11x15-inch pan. (It's important to use a large pan to give the rolls room to rise out instead of up and getting overcrowded.) Cover the pan with plastic wrap and put in a warm place. Let the rolls prove until they are springy to the touch, about 30-40 minutes.
Making the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Dump the softened cream cheese and softened butter into a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy, then sift the icing sugar into the cream cheese mixture and beat until combined.
- Beat in the vanilla and a teaspoon of heavy cream to give the frosting a spreadable consistency. Taste and add more powdered sugar if desired. If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar; if the frosting is too thick, add more heavy cream.
- Beat the frosting for 30 seconds to 1 minute on medium-high speed to make it fluffy and smooth. You should have about 1 cup of frosting.
Baking the Rolls
- About 30 minutes before the rolls are done proving, turn the oven to 400°F.
- Remove the plastic wrap and loosely lay a sheet of aluminum foil over the pan. Bake on the middle shelf at 400°F for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 5 minutes to brown the rolls. They are baked when the center ones have an internal temperature of 190°F on a meat thermometer.
- As soon as they come out of the oven, spread on the cream cheese icing. The heat will melt the icing, giving them a gooey texture.
- Allow the rolls to cool for 15 minutes before serving, as they are very hot. Enjoy warm.
- If you're not eating them within a couple hours, allow them to cool completely, then freeze in a freezer zip-top bag for up to 1 month. Do not refrigerate them, as it will make the bread part go stale. Also, the rolls cannot be stored at room temperature for more than 8 hours because of the cream cheese frosting.
Notes
- Always use bread flour. All-purpose flour will not make the lightest and fluffiest cinnamon rolls.
- Measure the ingredients by weight. This is much faster and more accurate than using measuring cups.
- Knead thoroughly. Use the windowpane test to make sure you've kneaded enough, otherwise the rolls will not be as soft and fluffy.
- Don't under-prove. Follow the directions in the recipe to see if your dough is proved enough, otherwise the rolls will be dense and heavy.
- The cinnamon rolls are done when the center ones have an internal temperature of 190°F. Do not simply go on baking time, because each oven cooks differently.
Nutrition
Calories: 423kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 438mg | Potassium: 155mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 670IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 1mg