• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Joy the Baker
Joy the Baker
  • Cookies
  • Bread
  • Cakes
  • Pies
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Cookies
    • Birthday Cake Recipes
    • Biscuits
    • Muffins
    • Cupcakes
    • Drinks
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Fruit
    • Nuts
    • Buttermilk
    • Chocolate
    • Vanilla
    • Holiday
    • Healthy
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegan
  • Blog
    • Baking 101
    • Tips
    • Beyond the Kitchen
    • Let It Be Sunday!
    • New Orleans
  • Camp Joy
Watch VideoRead CommentsLeave a Review

Cinnamon Rolls- Sugar and Spice

March 6, 2008 by Joy the Baker 51 Comments

I have a confession to make.  It’s about cinnamon rolls.  I love these gooey little treats to pieces, but I only eat the center. That’s it, just the center coil.  Why?  That’s where all the goodness is!  I see the rest of the cinnamon roll as protection for the precious, beyond delicious center.  I always feel wasteful, but someone always comes along and gladly eat the shamelessly discarded scraps.

Recently McDonalds came out with a dessert that tries to simulate the center cinnamon roll euphoria.  Without openly admitting that I’ve actually enjoyed something from McDonalds, I will say that this dessert (which I think only costs a dollar) is served warm, and full of cinnamon and tenderness… and lots of sweet white frosting type stuff.  I won’t say it’s delicious, but I will say this: warm, cinnamon, sweet, 2:30am, 24 hour drive through, plastic fork, disposable container, no dishes, no evidence.

But if you have the time and inclination, these cinnamon rolls are a dream.

 

 These cinnamon rolls were adapted from a recipe for a Norwegian Coffee Cake.  The yeasted bread has cinnamon, cardamom and freshly grated nutmeg.  The bread, in its original form is a beautiful braided creation, that even rivals the picturesque yumminess of these cinnamon rolls.

Cinnamon Rolls- Sugar and Spice

Sponge:

2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

1/2 cup bread flour

2/3 cup whole milk, cold

4 teaspoons honey

Final dough:

1 cup bread flour

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

6 Tablespoons butter, cold

1/3 teaspoon cardamom

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs, room temperature

Cinnamon Sugar Filling:

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 Tablespoons butter, softened

Icing:

2/3 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons milk

1/8 teaspoon orange zest

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Method:

1.  Mix the sponge: In a medium bowl combine all of the dry ingredients followed lastly by the milk.  Stir together for 2 minutes, then cover with the flours, then the salt from the final dough.  The flours are used on top of the sponge like a covering of plastic wrap.  Allow to ferment at room temperature for 20 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile combine all of the ingredients for the cinnamon sugar filling and set aside.  Grease and flour a cupcake baking pan and set aside.

3.  Begin the final dough:  While the sponge is fermenting, in a 4-qt mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter of medium speed until smooth and pale.  Add the sugar, lemon zest and spices and continue creaming at the same speed for 5 minutes.  It should be light, fluffy and fragrant.  Add the eggs in 4 additions, mix until combine.  The mixture will look very wet, and curdled.  This is a lot of eggs, for the amount of butter, it won’t be completely incorporated.  Don’t worry!

4.  Add the flour covered sponge to the butter mixture.  Mix on low speed until evenly combined.  On medium speed, continue to mix with the paddle attachment for 2 minutes.  Switch to the dough hook and mix on low speed until smooth and satiny.  If the dough is sticking a lot to the sides of the bowl, add all purpose flour 1 Tablespoon at a time.  Stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the dough off the bottom of the bowl.  Mixing with the dough hook takes about 5 minutes.  You can finish with a minute or two of hand kneading if you like.

5.  Place the dough in a lightly greased and floured bowl.  Next, tuck greased plastic wrap around the dough so that no air can enter. Place a clean dish towel over the bowl.  Bulk ferment at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours.

 

 6.  Flip the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface to fold the dough and redistribute the yeast.  With a floured hand, pat the dough roughly into a rectangle.  Lift the left side of the dough and fold it over almost to the right side of the dough, leaving about 2 inches of room.  Lift the right side and fold it all the way over to the left.  Lift the bottom of the dough, the side closest to you, and fold it almost to the top of the dough, leaving about an inch.  Lastly, fold the top of the dough all the way down towards you.  Return the dough to the bowl and cover as before, leaving it for 30 minutes.

7. On a lightly floured work surface, using a rolling pin, degas and roll the dough out to a rectangle 15 inches high and 12 inches long.

8. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar filling.  Beginning with the long edge, roll up the dough and cinnamon sugar filling.  Brush the edge of the seam with water and pinch closed.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

 

9. Using a bench knife, or sharp kitchen knife, slice the dough into 1 inch cinnamon rolls.  Place cinnamon rolls into the cupcake pan for baking.  At the point, sliced cinnamon rolls can also be placed on a cookie sheet to freeze for later baking.  Either way, cover the sliced cinnamon rolls with plastic wrap and allow to rest and almost double in size, about 50 minutes.  If the room is very warm from the oven, they will proof in as little as 35 minutes.

10.  Bake for 10-15 minutes, keeping an eye on them after 10 minutes, until they are a lovely golden brown.  If you’re freezing some, place the entire cookie sheet in the freezer, after the final rise, until rolls are frozen.  One frozen you can stack them for storage.  I let them mostly thaw before I bake them.

11.  Remove from the oven and cool in pan on rack for about 20 minutes.  Carefully remove form pan, and when completely cool, drizzle with glaze.  These are  best eaten the day that are made!

Previous PostNext Post

Categories: Bread, Breakfast, Recipes

Previous Post: « Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake with wild blueberries
Next Post: Honey Pistachio Biscotti »

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Cinnamon Rolls | Pretty Polymath says:
    May 7, 2015 at 10:56 am

    […] week with my girlfriends. As usual, when I feel nostalgic, I started baking. I found this recipe on Joy the Baker, made a few tweaks and started baking. The rolls are super soft and airy and the lemon and walnuts […]

    Reply
  2. Autumn is Officially here! | Laurent Law Blog says:
    March 10, 2015 at 6:07 pm

    […] 1. Cinnamon Buns These beautiful yeasty buns from Joy are fantastic for chilly Autumn mornings. Serve hot with a glass of milk or cold with a steaming hot cup of coffee. […]

    Reply
  3. Top 5 Autumn Recipes - nzgirl says:
    March 1, 2015 at 5:54 pm

    […] 1. Cinnamon Buns These beautiful yeasty buns from Joy are fantastic for chilly Autumn mornings. Serve hot with a glass of milk or cold with a steaming hot cup of coffee. […]

    Reply
  4. eating our way through the holidays [recipes] | the feminist librarian says:
    August 29, 2014 at 5:17 pm

    […] College, Cambridge. The buns are inspired by our favorite recipe of Joy the Baker’s, her sugar and spice yeast rolls. But this time I did make a few changes that Hanna and I agreed […]

    Reply
  5. Cinnamon Rolls | says:
    June 25, 2014 at 9:26 am

    […] week with my girlfriends. As usual, when I feel nostalgic, I started baking. I found this recipe on Joy the Baker, made a few tweaks and started baking. The rolls are super soft and airy and the lemon and walnuts […]

    Reply
  6. Cinnamon Rolls | says:
    June 24, 2014 at 6:33 pm

    […] with my girlfriends. As usually, when I feel nostalgic, I started baking. I found this recipe on Joy the Baker, made a few tweaks and started baking. The rolls are super soft and airy and the lemon and walnuts […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

RELATED POSTS IN Bread

Apple Butter and Cream Cheese Kolaches

I’ve entered my kolache era.  Here’s a classic kolache recipe using an enriched dough made with yogurt for  a super tender, extra fluffy bun.  Its filling is cream cheese and apple butter, but any fruit spread you love will be delicious! I’ve been in Texas well over a year and… I can’t believe it took…

Read More

close up of strawberry shortcake recipe with soft whipped cream
Dad’s Biscuits Make The Best Shortcake

The best strawberry shortcake recipe must start with the perfect biscuit.  Tall and golden brown, flaky but cakey and more sweet than salty.  My dad’s *chef’s kiss* biscuit recipe is the perfect base for this classic summer dessert! Can I be the first to admit that this summer hasn’t been my absolute favorite thus far?…

Read More

jambalaya buttermilk biscuits in a row
Smoked Sausage Jambalaya Buttermilk Biscuits

These mile-high jambalaya buttermilk biscuits are stacked with all the savory flavors of New Orleans’ most comforting rice dish.  These tender biscuits are absolutely stacked with Zatarain’s Cajun-Style Smoked Sausage, onions, peppers, and roasted tomatoes. We’re taking big bites of Mardi Gras this year – here’s how! Friends, we have a bonafide tradition in the…

Read More

Primary Sidebar

Fresh baked emails, delivered to your inbox

Jump to Recipe

Receive recipes from Joy the Baker and updates on events at The Bakehouse.

HI! I’M JOY!

Jump to Recipe

Welcome! This has been my little corner of the internet since 2008!

I’m a baker, photographer, cookbook author and teacher.  I live laugh love in New Orleans. 

MORE ABOUT JOY AND THE TEAM

BOOKS + Magazines

Jump to Recipe

2023 CAMP JOY SUMMER ZINE – get it here!

JOY THE BAKER 2022 SUMMER MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2021 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2020 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

HOMEMADE DECADENCE

OVER EASY: SWEET AND SAVORY RECIPES FOR LEISURELY DAYS COOKBOOK

JOY THE BAKER COOKBOOK

MY FAVORITE CAMPING GEAR

Jump to Recipe

SHOP MY FAVORITE GEAR HERE! 

Jump to Recipe
joy the baker on facebook joy the baker on twitter pinterest-social instagram-socialbloglovin-social

DRAKE ON CAKE

Jump to Recipe

Passionate from miles away since 2015.

CHECK IT OUT ON INSTAGRAM

Drake on cake instagram.

 

BREADS YOU’LL LOVE

Apple Butter and Cream Cheese Kolaches

close up of strawberry shortcake recipe with soft whipped cream

Dad’s Biscuits Make The Best Shortcake

jambalaya buttermilk biscuits in a row

Smoked Sausage Jambalaya Buttermilk Biscuits

LET’S MAKE COOKIES!

Candy Corn and Salted Peanut Rice Krispie Treats

a stack of white chocolate macadamia nut cookies with a bite taken out of the top one with milk

Classic White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

wider shot of lemon bars stacked on a plate with a bite taken out of one lemon bar

My Favorite Classic Lemon Bars Recipe

Footer

Instagram

joythebaker

📚Baker, author of books, lover of butter
🎂Creator @drakeoncake
📝Inquiries megan@underscoretalent.com

joythebaker
I made @wyseguide’s Sausage Stuffed Dates and I’m never going back. ✨ This is your holiday appetizer - the full recipe is linked in my bio!
💖🎄Raspberry Lemon Linzer Cookies🎄💖✨⁣
⁣
On a steady diet of holiday cookies starting now. Full recipe for these gems linked in the bio! Xo
Making a case of 🧀🧀🧀 in pie crust because Making a case of 🧀🧀🧀 in pie crust because salty sweet is my favorite 🍎🍎🍎 pie! 
Apple Cheddar Pandowdy recipe linked in the profile.
T minus three days until we eat the most important T minus three days until we eat the most important pie of the year! Dad’s Sweet Potato Pie. There’s no more perfectly spiced pie! If you know you know and if you don’t? I’ll leave the recipe linked in the bio!
Friends! Here’s the easiest, most roasty toasty Friends! Here’s the easiest, most roasty toasty Friendsgiving appetizer: Toasted Marshmallow Sweet Potato Bites and, our secret ingredient:  @bluemoonbrewingco’s Pin Pint Seasoning.  This Thanksgiving seasoning brings a hint of sweetness, citrus, and hops to the roasted sweet potatoes layered between butter crackers and toasted marshmallows.  They’re a perfect salty-sweet bite! ⁣
⁣
#ad #21+ #BlueMoonSeasonings⁣
⁣
Here’s what you’ll need to make them: ⁣
-	Sweet potatoes, peeled, sliced ½-inch thick and cut into 1 ¾-inch rounds using a sharp cookie cutter⁣
-	Olive oil⁣
-	A generous sprinkle of Blue Moon Brewing Co’s Pie Pint Seasoning⁣
-	A sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice and ground coriander⁣
-	A generous sprinkle of flaky sea salt⁣
-	Round butter crackers (like Ritz)⁣
-	Large marshmallows, cut in half⁣
⁣
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Arrange sweet potato rounds on a parchment lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Toss to coat. ⁣
⁣
Sprinkle generously with Pie Pint Seasoning, pumpkin pie spice, coriander, and sea salt.  Roast until tender, flipping once through baking – about 20 minutes. ⁣
⁣
Remove from the oven and, once cool enough to handle, layer each sweet potato round on a butter cracker on an unlined baking sheet.  Top each with half a marshmallow. ⁣
⁣
Set the oven to broil and place the bites under the broiler.  Keep a very close eye on the marshmallows as they’ll burn in literal seconds.  Remove from the oven and enjoy warm or at room temperature with a Blue Moon Belgian White Wheat Ale, of course!
Pumpkin pie who? We don’t know her. Fluffy CRANB Pumpkin pie who? We don’t know her. Fluffy CRANBERRY CREAM PIE is an absolute dream dessert this holiday! It’s light as a cloud, sweet, tart, and topped with soft whipped cream and chocolate dipped pretzels because… why not? ☁️ Full recipe linked in the profile babes! Xo
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2023 · Joy the Baker
All rights reserved. Violators will be whupped and sent to bed with no dessert · Privacy Policy

Scroll Up