There’s something about homemade cinnamon rolls that makes them perfect for a cosy day at home. Soft, sweet dough filled with buttery cinnamon sugar and finished with a simple vanilla icing — what’s not to love?
I made these cinnamon rolls for the first time during one of my productive days at home. The weather was starting to change, autumn was approaching, and I was really in the mood to bake something warm and comforting.
I’ve made my quick puff pastry cinnamon rolls before, but this time I wanted to make proper cinnamon rolls from scratch using yeast.
They took a little more time, of course, but they were definitely worth the effort!
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
This recipe makes approximately 12 cinnamon rolls.
Ingredients
For the dough
- 370g plain flour
- 50g sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 200ml milk
- 50g butter
- 7g sachet easy bake yeast
- 1 egg
For the cinnamon filling
- 50g butter, softened
- 70g light brown soft sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
For the vanilla icing
- 1½ cups icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Milk, as needed
How to Make Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
1. Make the dough
Add the flour, sugar, salt and yeast to a large mixing bowl.
Add the milk, butter and egg and mix everything together until you have a soft dough.
The dough can be a little sticky, so don’t worry if it isn’t completely dry. You can use a little extra flour on your work surface when you roll it out.
2. Roll out the dough
Lightly flour your work surface and roll the dough out into a large rectangle.
It doesn’t need to be absolutely perfect — mine certainly wasn’t!
3. Add the cinnamon filling
Spread the 50g softened butter all over the surface of the dough.
In a small bowl, mix together the light brown soft sugar and ground cinnamon.
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the butter.
Try to spread it right towards the edges so you get plenty of that lovely cinnamon filling in every roll.
4. Roll and slice
Starting from one side, carefully roll the dough up into a log.
Then slice the log into approximately 12 pieces.
This might just be the most satisfying part!
Arrange the cinnamon rolls in a baking tin lined with greaseproof paper, leaving a little room between them so they have space to expand.
5. Leave them to rise
Cover the baking tin and leave the cinnamon rolls to rise for approximately one hour.
They should become noticeably larger and puffier during this time.
6. Bake
Bake at 190°C (170°C fan) for approximately 25 minutes, or until the cinnamon rolls are beautifully risen and golden brown.
Make the Vanilla Icing
While the cinnamon rolls are cooling slightly, make the simple icing.
Add 1½ cups icing sugar to a bowl with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Gradually add a little milk at a time, stirring until you have a smooth icing that’s thin enough to drizzle but not so runny that it disappears into the rolls.
Pour that lovely icing all over the warm cinnamon rolls.
And that’s it!
Perfect for a Cosy Afternoon
These are particularly lovely when they’re still slightly warm and the vanilla icing is melting into all those cinnamon-sugar layers.
I enjoyed mine at the end of a busy day with a cup of tea, and it was such a lovely treat.
They’d also be perfect for a weekend breakfast, an afternoon snack with tea or coffee, or when you simply fancy doing a little cosy baking at home.
A Few Tips
- Don’t worry about sticky dough. Use a little flour on your work surface to make it easier to handle.
- Use softened butter for the filling. It’s much easier to spread across the dough.
- Give them time to rise. I left mine for around an hour before baking.
- Don’t overbake them. Mine went a little further than I intended, so keep an eye on them towards the end.
- Ice them while they’re slightly warm. The icing melts beautifully over the top.
Easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
If you’ve never made proper cinnamon rolls from scratch before, give these a try. They do require a little more patience than the puff pastry shortcut version, but there’s something very satisfying about making the dough, watching it rise and ending up with a tray full of homemade cinnamon rolls.
Mine weren’t perfectly shaped and I slightly overbaked them — but they tasted delicious, and that’s what matters!
Enjoy! ❤️
