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How To Make The Best Single Serve Cinnamon Roll

January 24, 2023 by Joy the Baker 25 Comments

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warm cinnamon roll on plate

Micro batch baking – the invitation is to get all the way into it with me!  This is all very Kristin Wiig  making herself a single, sad cupcake in the movie Bridesmaids, save for the fact that there is absolutely zero sadness in me eating a single cinnamon roll over the kitchen sink in my pajamas.  This is, in fact, what I call luxury.  This single-serve cinnamon roll deserves a proper home and printable recipe here on the blog before I decide if this whole series is an ebook or a zine something – this really is something (and a proper cookbook would take too long).

This singular cinnamon roll (which can, of course be doubled for two people or just because) is gooey and best enjoyed warm with cream cheese glaze dripping down your hands. You can absolutely use a fork if you need to keep up appearances, but really what fun is that?

This is a yeasted, quick-rise cinnamon roll.  Just because we’re making one roll doesn’t mean we’re skimping on technique and texture.  Now, let’s make this perfect lil’ cinnamon bun.

ingredients for single serve cinnamon roll in small bowls

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this singe serve cinnamon roll recipe:

•  all-purpose flour

•  rapid rise yeast

•  baking powder

•  granulated sugar

•  kosher salt

•  vegetable oil

•  whole milk or any milk you prefer

•  butter, either softened or melted butter

•  brown sugar

•  ground cinnamon

•  cream cheese

•  powdered sugar

•  vanilla extract

* you could make this recipe vegan by substituting an alternative milk for the dough, vegan butter spread for the filling, and an easy powdered sugar glaze for the topping.

dry ingredients for small batch cinnamon rolls in small bowl
wet ingredients for cinnamon roll recipe in small bowl


In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients:  flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, instant yeast (like RapidRise), and salt.

In the microwave, warm milk and oil until just warm to the touch.  It’s ok if the two don’t mix well together, it’ll come together with the dough.

mixing single serve cinnamon roll ingredients together with spatula
kneading small batch cinnamon roll douugh


Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and use a small spatula to form a rough dough. The dough will be rather shaggy and moist but not sticky.  If you find that your dough is on the dry side (aka you’re not down here in steamy New Orleans) add more warm milk a teaspoon at a time.  If you find that your dough is on the wet side, just flour the counter generously to knead.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and knead for 25 turns or so.  You’ll feel the gluten start to form as the dough springs back from the pressure of kneading.  Drape a clean kitchen towel over the bouncy dough and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

small batch cinnamon roll dough rolled out and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon
rolling cinnamon roll dough


Roll the dough into a thin rectangle about 9×6-inches long.  I found it easiest to roll the dough on a very lightly floured surface so the dough can stick a bit to the surface.  A little bit of traction is helpful since the dough doesn’t have a ton of time to rest and relax.

Spread dough with softened butter and sprinkle with brown sugar and ground cinnamon.

To create an abundant roll, from the 6-inch side of the dough, cut three long strips.  Roll one strip into a coil.  Place that coil on the second strip and continue to roll the coil. Continue with the last strip of dough to create a generous roll.

single serve cinnamon roll in small ramekin to rise

Place the roll in an oven-safe ramekin or dish coated with cooking spray or greased with butter.

Pictured above is a 1-cup ramekin. I like for the roll to bake in something cozy so it maintains its coil shape.

Cover the ramekin loosely with a kitchen towel and allow to rest and rise for 30 minutes while the oven preheats.  I leave the covered ramekin in the warmest spot in my kitchen for this short rise – right near the back burner outside the warming oven.

baked single serve cinnamon roll
cream cheese glaze ingredients in small bowl.


Bake in the upper third of the oven until just golden around the edges and bubbling from the center.

While the roll bakes I make a quick cream cheese glaze, though you could always just make a simple milk and powdered sugar glaze if you don’t have cream cheese on hand.

inside of warm cinnamon roll on plate

Remove the roll from the ramekin and coat generously with cream cheese frosting. Now, there’s no time to wait – this is a sweet treat for right now.

If rolls are your jam, here’s more!

Small-Batch Overnight Mocha Cinnamon Rolls – small batch but larger than one.

Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls – we’re talking no yeast but still doughy delicious!

Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls – loaded and very impressive.

Print
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inside of warm cinnamon roll on plate

How To Make a Single Serve Cinnamon Roll

★★★★★ 4.9 from 10 reviews
  • Author: Joy the Baker
  • Prep Time: 40 minutes
  • Cook Time: 18 minutes
  • Total Time: about 1 hour
  • Yield: 1 perfect roll 1x
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Description

A recipe for one very delicious, doughy cinnamon roll for one.  You can absolutely double the recipe and make two fine rolls.


Ingredients

Scale

For the dough:

  • 1/2 cup 64 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon instant (RapidRise) yeast
  • A good pinch of salt
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil or any neutral oil you prefer
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons milk (cow’s milk or any kind of nut or oat milk)

For the filling:

  • 1–2 tablespoons softened butter (salted or unsalted, it’s up to you)
  • 3 tablespoons lightly packed brown sugar
  • 1/2–3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (just sprinkle it on generously until you’re pleased)
  • A pinch of salt if you used unsalted butter

For the glaze:

  • 1 ounce (about a 1/2-inch slice off a cream cheese block) softened cream cheese
  • A few big spoonfuls of powdered sugar
  • A splash of vanilla extract
  • A pinch of salt
  • A tiny splash of milk, if necessary

Instructions

  1. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 1-cup oven-safe ramekin with nonstick cooking spray (or smear with softened butter) and set aside. To figure out the side of your ramekin, fill a measuring cup with 1 cup of water and pour the water into the ramekin. A 1-cup ramekin will be filled to the absolute brim. Use an oven-safe vessel as close to 1-cup as you have.
  2. In a small bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, yeast, and a pinch of salt. In a small measuring cup whisk together oil and milk and heat in the microwave until just warm to the touch (somewhere between 105 and 110 degrees F).
  3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry and use a spatula to incorporate well until the ingredients gather into a cohesive ball. Lightly sprinkle the counter with flour and knead the small dough ball for 20-30 turns. Lightly cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
  4. Roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness into a 9-inch tall x 6-inch wide rectangle (though mine is always more like an oval). You won’t need too much flour on the counter because you want the dough to stick to the counter just a bit to hold its shape.
  5. Smear with butter. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Sprinkle with cinnamon and maybe a sprinkle of salt. Use a large knife to slice the dough into 3 strips (about 2-inches each). Roll the first strip into a relatively tight coil. Place that coil on the second strip and roll again. Place that coil on the third strip and roll into a generous cinnamon roll. Place in the prepared ramekin, cover loosely with a towel and place near the oven as it heats. Allow to rest for 20-30 minutes until puffed.
  6. Bake for 16-18 minutes until golden and bubbling. While the roll bakes, whisk together the glaze. (I zap the cream cheese in the microwave for a few seconds to super soften it.) Add cream cheese, vanilla, salt, and a tiny splash of milk to get the right consistency.
  7. Remove roll from the oven. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before using a butterknife or large spoon to scoop the hot hot roll from the ramekin. Smear with glaze and wow, enjoy immediately.
  8. Note: You can absolutely double this recipe successfully. Split the dough in two before rolling and coiling and do so separately.

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Reader Interactions

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Questions
  1. ab

    July 29, 2022 at 6:36 pm

    You should have a tag for these single-serve recipes to make them easier to find. They’re great when you just want one!

    Reply
  2. Danielle

    June 26, 2022 at 9:21 pm

    This recipe is amazing! Made this today and they were soooo delicious. Stunningly delicious. Love ?? them, thank you, Joy!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  3. Annie Dunne

    June 17, 2022 at 1:44 pm

    I think I have an idea why, but mine doesn’t seem to have puffed up at all. Hmm. Still looks tasty though.

    Reply
  4. Bo

    June 13, 2022 at 2:54 pm

    So simple and yummy. Just perfect.
    xo

    Reply
  5. ML

    June 12, 2022 at 12:45 pm

    I would HV taken a picture but they did not last long enuf. I made two out of the recipe. Perfect size. My hubby has bn bugging me for several weeks for sweet rolls. When bot at store there are too many and my hubby will eat them all over a week. Saw this and had to try. Love the texture. These not just a bunch of air. Will make again. Thx for recipe

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  6. Erika

    June 9, 2022 at 10:09 am

    Thank you for doing the math on this one! I live alone, and sometimes I just get a craving for something sweet like this, but I don’t want to fool with the work of a big batch. I think I’ll try it this weekend.

    Reply
  7. Karen Masagatani

    June 8, 2022 at 11:04 pm

    I would like to make this recipe but I have Active Yeast, can I use this instead of the rapidrise yeast?

    Reply
    • Joy the Baker

      June 9, 2022 at 10:06 am

      If you have active dry yeast, first activate it with two teaspoons of warm water and a tiny pinch of sugar. It’ll foam and bubble after a few minutes. And reduce the amount of milk a bit to compensate for the yeast water.

      Reply
  8. Christy

    June 7, 2022 at 9:36 am

    Has anyone tried to make this recipe with gluten-free flour?

    Reply
    • Something

      August 13, 2022 at 6:02 pm

      I used gluten free flour and it the dough was too flaky to work with so i had to add a bit more milk. And then it broke apart some while baking it and also the dough didn’t rise much. It came out a bit doughy tasting also even though it was fully cooked.

      ★★★★

      Reply
  9. Sarah Vlasak

    June 5, 2022 at 7:42 am

    I made two so I didn’t have to share with my husband. They are almost done rising. Can’t wait to try. Please keep the small batch baking coming. I love not having too many sweets left over for just the two of us, and it reminds me of baking as a little girl with my Easy Bake Oven! ?. Thank you for your wonderful blog, recipes, and passion for baking.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  10. MaryBeth

    June 4, 2022 at 9:17 am

    Wow! That was so easy and delicious! It came out perfect! Yummy yummy! Thank you for sharing!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  11. sharon

    June 4, 2022 at 5:35 am

    Made these yesterday turned out great!!!

    Reply
  12. Sabrina

    June 3, 2022 at 7:49 pm

    great when I don’t want a dozen of these calorie-rich lovelies around! Not sad, happy in this case for micro serving sized cinnamon rolls, or a roll, thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  13. Lynne

    June 3, 2022 at 1:24 pm

    Really appreciate your micro batch baking! I’ve been living alone for the past three years and your two-doughnut post ages ago really opened my mind to the possibilities.

    Reply
  14. Ramona

    June 3, 2022 at 6:33 am

    Oh, thank you! This is so perfect Saturday morning breakfast!

    Reply
  15. Reannon

    June 3, 2022 at 12:57 am

    I have wanted to make cinnamon rolls FOREVER but I know they aren’t my family’s jam so haven’t. That’s all about to change thanks to this recipe!!! Can’t wait to make this x

    Reply
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