Hello friends!
I’m so excited to bake with you this Christmas Eve morning!
Here is the cinnamon roll recipe we’ll use. Print the recipe and have it on hand if you’re baking along with me. It’s also helpful to have all of your ingredients out before we get started.
We’re making a small batch of six cinnamon rolls in a 8×8 or 9×9-inch pan. You’re welcome to double the recipe and make a full batch of 12 cinnamon rolls in a 9×13-inch pan.
The filling recipe that follows is a straight forward cinnamon filling. If you’d like to add any of the following, have them on hand:
pumpkin pie spice, chopped chocolate, chopped pecans or walnuts, espresso powder, fig jam, any kind of jam, nutella, or anything else delicious you can think of.
PrintSmall Batch Cinnamon Rolls
- Prep Time: 45 minutes + overnight
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes + overnight
- Yield: 6 rolls 1x
- Category: holiday, breakfast
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 1/2 cup whole milk, warmed
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups (187–250 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg yolk
For the Filling:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and divided
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
- pinch of salt
For the Glaze: (it’s optional)
- 2 ounces softened cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon softened butter
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons whole milk, or enough to make a spreadable glaze
Instructions
- In a small saucepan warm the milk to just warmer than body temperature about 110 degrees F.
- Transfer milk to a large bowl and sprinkle yeast over the top. Add a pinch of brown sugar. Allow mixture to sit for 3-5 minutes to allow to yeast to activate, foam, and froth.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, brown sugar. Break the softened butter into a few large chunks and add to the flour mixture. Create a well in the center of the bowl and pour the warm yeast milk and egg yolk into the flour mixture. Use a wooden spoon or a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment and stir or beat until incorporated and a ball starts to form. Add up to 1/2 cup more flour, a few tablespoons at a time if the dough feels too wet. Bring the dough together into a smooth ball by kneading by hand for 5 minutes or so.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface. Roll into a roughly 9 x 12-inch rectangle.
- Spread with about 4 tablespoons of melted butter. In a small bowl stir together sugar, cinnamon, cocoa powder (if using), and salt. Generously sprinkle over the melted butter. Roll starting at the longer edge into a tight coil.
- Slice into 6 pieces using a sharp knife or a piece of plain floss.
- Use remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter to lightly grease the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch baking pan. Place rolls in the pan leaving about 1/2 inch of room between them. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in the refrigerator overnight (8-12 hours).
- When you’re ready to bake, place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Remove plastic wrap and allow rolls to come to a cool room temperature. I leave my rolls on the counter for 30-45 minutes. Bake the rolls for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown, puffed, and bubbling.
- Remove from the oven, allow to cool just slightly.
- In a small bowl use a rubber spatula to blend together cream cheese and butter. Add the powdered sugar and milk. Spread over warm rolls and enjoy!!
• Feel free to use any fat milk or any non dairy substitute you have on hand.
• If you’d like to double this recipe, use an entire egg rather than two egg yolks
• Bread flour also works well for this recipe.
• Granulated sugar works if you don’t have brown sugar.
• You can also use jam to fill the rolls instead of cinnamon sugar – cut the filling butter if half if you’d like to do this.
