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Breakfast

Our Family Cinnamon Rolls

These start with my mom's handwritten roll dough recipe — the same card we still pull out of the recipe box. We let the bread machine do the mixing and the first rise, then roll the dough out, spread it with butter and cinnamon sugar, cut it into rolls, and let them rise in one pan before baking and frosting them.

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A glass baking dish of warm cinnamon rolls spread thick with cream cheese frosting

Mom's dough recipe

The dough is my mom's roll recipe, written out in her handwriting years ago. It's a soft, slightly sweet dough that handles well, and it's the reason these taste like the rolls we grew up with rather than something new.

Mom's handwritten roll dough recipe card on the kitchen counter
The recipe card we still pull out of the box.

Letting the bread machine do the work

We put the dough ingredients in the bread machine on the dough setting and walk away. It mixes, kneads, and handles the first rise while we do something else, which is the main reason cinnamon rolls happen at our house on a regular morning instead of only on holidays.

Soft roll dough risen to the top of the pan inside an open bread machine on the kitchen counter
The dough after the machine finishes mixing and the first rise.

Rolling and filling

The dough gets rolled out into a rectangle, spread with softened butter, then covered heavily with cinnamon and sugar all the way to the edges. We roll it up snug and cut it into rounds with a knife.

A rolled log of cinnamon roll dough sliced into rounds on a floured counter, with the cinnamon spiral showing on the cut ends
Cut into rounds right on the floured counter, rolling pin and cinnamon jar still out.

Rise, bake, and frost

We arrange the cut rolls in one pan, cover them, and let them rise until puffy. Then they bake until lightly golden and cooked through, and we drizzle them with a simple glaze while they're still warm.

Cinnamon rolls risen and puffy in a glass baking dish on the stovetop, partly covered by a white kitchen towel
Covered with a towel on the stovetop until they are puffy and ready to bake.
A single frosted cinnamon roll served on a white plate on the kitchen counter
A warm cinnamon roll with cream cheese frosting.

Printable Recipe Card

Our Family Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

  • DOUGH
  • 1 1/2 cups warm milk
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 package yeast
  • CINNAMON FILLING
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • SIMPLE GLAZE
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3–4 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. 1Add the dough ingredients to the bread machine in the order recommended by the machine manufacturer. Select the dough cycle and allow the machine to mix, knead, and complete the first rise.
  2. 2Turn the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a large rectangle.
  3. 3Spread 1/2 cup softened butter evenly over the dough, going nearly to the edges.
  4. 4Mix 3/4 cup granulated sugar with 2 tablespoons cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the buttered dough.
  5. 5Starting with a long side, roll the dough up snugly into a log. Cut into individual rolls.
  6. 6Arrange the rolls in one greased pan, cover, and let them rise until puffy.
  7. 7Bake the rolls until lightly golden and cooked through.
  8. 8For the glaze, whisk together 2 cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add a little more milk if needed to reach the desired consistency. Drizzle over the warm cinnamon rolls.

Helpful Tips

Cover the filling all the way to the edges so no roll comes out plain.

Glaze while warm so it sinks in a little.

Products Used

  • Bread machine
  • Rolling pin
  • One 9x13 pan

See everything we actually use

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