Soft and Chewy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Recipe (2024)

Learn the secrets to a soft, chewy cinnamon roll. These rolls are another one of my Grandma's most remembered and desired recipes.

These delicious homemade cinnamon rolls are smothered with a cream cheese frosting! What could be better?!

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Every Sunday our family holds Family Home Evening. During this time we have a prayer, a lesson, a scripture and a game. But the highlight for the kids {and I'll be honest, for me too} is the treat.

Everyone takes turns being responsible for a different part of the evening. Whoever is in charge of the treat gets to choose what to have and help make it. One of the most requested items for my son is cinnamon rolls.

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We use two different recipes, depending on how much time we have. When we're short on time, we make Jiffy Cinnamon Rolls. The dough is more of a biscuit made with baking powder - therefore no yeast and no rising time.

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My favorite recipe though, is this perfect cinnamon roll from my Grandma's recipe box, smothered in a cream cheese icing.

These rolls are made with a yeast dough. If you haven't made much with yeast, don't worry, I'll walk you through the whole process.

Grandma always added raisins to the filling, which I absolutely love. My kids, however, don't so I usually make half with raisins and half without.

This really is the best cinnamon roll recipe. I hope you like it too!

INGREDIENTS FOR HOMEMADE CINNAMON ROLLS

  • active dry yeast
  • warm water
  • sugar
  • eggs
  • shortening, I like butter flavored, but regular is fine too.
  • milk
  • salt
  • flour
  • butter
  • brown sugar
  • cinnamon
  • raisins, optional
  • pecans, optional

INGREDIENTS FOR CREAM CHEESE ICING

  • cream cheese
  • butter
  • milk
  • vanilla extract
  • powdered sugar

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HELPFUL KITCHEN TOOLS

HOW TO MAKE CINNAMON ROLLS FROM SCRATCH

Set out the cream cheese and butter for the frosting. Allow it to come to room temperature while you are making the cinnamon rolls.

Add the yeast and 1 Tbsp of sugar to the warm water. Stir briefly and let sit for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the shortening and milk in a microwave safe container. (I just use my Pyrex measuring cup.) Cover with plastic wrap and microwave 1-2 minutes until shortening has melted.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the yeast mixture, the warm milk mixture, eggs, sugar, salt and 2 cups of the flour.

Using the dough hook attachment, mix together all ingredients.

Add the remaining flour 1 cup at a time. You are looking for a soft dough consistency.

Knead the dough for 5 minutes.

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Roll out the dough. I love my silicone pastry mat. The dough doesn't stick to it AND it's much easier to clean.

If you don't have a pastry mat, simply roll out the dough on your counter. I prefer using a cooking spray to prevent sticking instead of flour.

Once rolled out, the dough should be in somewhat of a rectangular shape.

Spread melted butter over the dough. Then sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. If desired, add raisins and/or nuts.

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Roll up the dough. Using a sharp knife, slice the dough into slices using a sawing motion.

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Place the cinnamon buns on a greased baking sheet to let raise. Set in a warm place for about an hour.

Once the rolls have doubled in size, bake them at 400 degrees for 12 minutes or until edges begin to turn golden brown.

While the rolls are baking, make the cream cheese frosting.

Mix together the softened butter and cream cheese. Add the vanilla and milk. Mix in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. I use an electric mixer to make the frosting.

Spread the frosting on warm rolls.

Store leftover cinnamon rolls in an airtight container. I LOVE my lid to my baking pan. It snaps right on and is the perfect way to store leftover desserts.

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TIPS FOR SOFT AND CHEWY CINNAMON ROLLS

I've figured out a few tricks to create soft, chewy roll. To me, there's nothing worse than spending all that time and ending up with a dry cinnamon roll.

  1. Don't use too much flour. You want a slightly sticky dough.
  2. Don't cook them too long. This goes for all breads - when overcooked they become dry.
  3. Use a vegetable spray, instead of flour, when rolling out the dough. This will keep dough from sticking to the counter without adding extra flour which dries out the dough.
  4. Use some bread flour. I use 2 cups bread flour and the rest is all purpose flour. This gives me the consistency I like in the rolls.
  5. Practice! It's taken me several years to perfect these cinnamon rolls. Hopefully with these tips it won't take you that long. But experiment a little here and there to create the perfect roll for you!

MORE DESSERT RECIPES

  • Homemade donuts
  • Cinnamon bread
  • Orange knots

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I'd encourage you to start a Family Home Evening in your own family. Besides having yummy treats, it's a great time to share important things you'd like your kids to know as well as enjoy each others company.

MORE BREAD RECIPES

  • Garlic Parmesan Breadstick Twists

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Soft and Chewy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you soften homemade cinnamon rolls? ›

Reheat In Oven

Add a little dribble of water (1 teaspoon per roll) over each to rehydrate them as they are reheated. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. This will trap steam and rehydrate the rolls as they warm up. This will make sure they are soft and delicious.

What is the best flour for cinnamon rolls? ›

Bread flour is hands down the best option when making cinnamon rolls. Any good cinnamon rolls recipe is going to usually call for bread flour instead of other kinds of flour. This is because bread flour is high in protein, usually containing 11% to 13% more protein than other kinds of flour.

How do you make cinnamon rolls less hard? ›

Knead until smooth and elastic (about 2 minutes kneading). Your cinnamon roll dough should be tacky to the touch, but not too sticky so that it's messy. If you add too little flour, the dough will be gluey and eventually result in dense rolls. If you add too much flour, the dough will be tough, resulting in dry rolls.

Why aren't my cinnamon rolls soft? ›

There are a lot of variables that go into the consistency of dough, even down to the weather and humidity. But the most common reason cinnamon rolls don't turn out fluffy is because the dough didn't have enough time to rise.

Why are my homemade cinnamon rolls hard? ›

Don't Overmix the Dough

When making cinnamon rolls, mix the dough just until the ingredients are incorporated and the dough is smooth and soft. Overmixed dough leads to tough cinnamon rolls. The dough is ready when it pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl and feels tacky but doesn't stick to your fingers.

Is melted butter or softened butter better for cinnamon rolls? ›

It can definitely be tempting to just stick that butter in the microwave if you've been storing it in the fridge, which can easily lead to accidentally melting it, but ensuring that your butter is softened will make all the difference: It will make it easier to evenly spread the filling on top of the dough.

Should cinnamon rolls touch when baking? ›

Place the cinnamon rolls into your prepared pan, with little room between each roll and ½ inch from the edge of the pan. Lightly press down on each roll so that the edges of each roll barely touch each other, and improve their round form if needed.

Why do my cinnamon rolls dry out so fast? ›

Most cinnamon rolls use a yeast rasied dough. You may have simply not given them enough time for a second rise after rolling and shaping them. Because you're using a sweet dough, and then rolling it with cinnamon and sugar and butter, the yeast needs to work hard to raise the dough.

What happens if you let cinnamon rolls rise for too long? ›

Can cinnamon rolls rise for too long? Yes definitely! If you let your cinnamon rolls rise for too long you can over-proof them. This can lead to dense rolls or rolls that collapse after baking.

How do you know when homemade cinnamon rolls are done? ›

Once proofed, bake the cinnamon rolls for 20-30 minutes. When the cinnamon rolls are lightly golden brown, spot-check their internal temperature with a Thermapen to test their doneness. Their internal temperature should be 190–200°F (88–93°C).

How do you know when cinnamon roll dough is kneaded enough? ›

Step 2: Knead the Dough

Turn, fold dough over, and push down again. Repeat this process over and over. You know the dough is ready when it is smooth and elastic.

Why are my cinnamon rolls hard the next day? ›

You are describing the normal quality of the item as it cools. It it remains soft and doughy, it means that it has not been fully baked. That said, if the rolls are becoming too hard and chewy, you may not be permitting the dough to rise enough, or you may be working the dough too much before shaping.

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