Our grandma’s holiday cinnamon roll recipe is one of our favorite recipes to this day. Layers of soft, fluffy milk dough are rolled with butter, sugar, and cinnamon to make the perfect cinnamon roll. In case you need any more reason to love these, we top them with a vanilla bean cream cheese frosting. When served right out of the oven, they are warm, soft, and so delicious.

Although this recipe takes a few steps and a little bit of time – don’t let it intimidate you. It’s a classic process of making a milk yeast dough and letting it go through a series of rises before baking. This series of rises is what gives the cinnamon roll the classic fluffy texture. To keep it as simple as possible, we have broken it down into 6 steps with pictures. We promise, you will be so glad you made them.

Before we get into the steps, a few tips!

Use a thermometer: if you have one, we strongly encourage a thermometer during the yeast activation step. What this ensures is that the water (and milk in step 2) are warm enough to activate the yeast but not too hot to kill it. Just under 120 degrees fahrenheit is the sweet spot of active yeast without being too warm to kill the yeast.
Let them rise in a warm space: To ensure the yeast remains active, we let the rolls rise in a warm (but not hot) place. Ideally a few feet away from a fireplace or in a warm window sill. The heat shouldn’t be direct but it should be warm and not drafty.
Cover with a towel: When the rolls rise, cover them with a kitchen towel to ensure they do not dry out.

To make the cinnamon rolls:

Step 1: Activating the yeast – To make the dough begin by combining the yeast and warm water (just under 120 degrees fahrenheit). The water must be under 120 degrees, but close to it as anything higher will kill the yeast but anything lower will not allow the yeast to bubble and grow. Add the yeast into the warm water and stir gently. After it has been gently stirred, let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. The yeast should be fragrant and bubbly.

Step 2: Combining the dough – In a saucepan on low, warm milk on the stove – do not scald or let steam (just under 120 degrees). The milk, like the water should be hot but not too hot as it will kill the yeast. Once it is warmed, remove and set aside. In a large bowl, mix eggs, butter, sugar, and salt. Combine with a whisk until incorporated. The mixture will look slightly curdled.

Once the mixture is combined, add in the yeast and stir together very gently to ensure not to kill the yeast. After stirring, pour in the warm milk and combine. Then, using your hands, mix in the flour cup by cup until the mixture is well incorporated. After all the flour is added, the dough will not yet be smooth. Continue to knead the dough scooping dough up from the bottom to the top until the mixture is smooth (this will take about 3-5 minutes of kneading).

Step 3: Raising the dough – Once the mixture is smooth, scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula so no dough remains on the sides. Coat the exposed sides of the bowl with butter to prevent sticking. Top the bowl with a cloth and let rise for 2 hours.

Step 4: Punching down the dough – After 2 hours (or until it has almost doubled in size), punch down the dough and then turn over the dough by pulling the bottom of the dough to the top. Repeat this movement several times. Cover with a cloth again and let rise for 2 more hours (or until it has nearly doubled in size).

Step 5: Rolling out the dough into rolls – Punch down the dough and place it on a floured surface to roll out a rectangle that is around 12” x 24”. Melt 1 stick of butter and spread over the dough. Sprinkle on the cinnamon and sugar. Roll it into a log and cut 1″ inch rolls. There should be ~12 rolls.

Step 6: The final rise – Take the filled pans and cover with a towel and let rise for 1-1 ½ hours or until puffy but not overflowing. Then bake at 350 for ~25 minutes until golden brown and serve (oh and don’t forget to top with cream cheese icing!)

Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 30

Rising Time 4

Total Time 5 10

Servings 12

Equipment

1 9×13 inch Pan

Ingredients

Dough

2 packages dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 3/4 cups whole milk
2 eggs
1 stick butter ½ cup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
5 cups all-purpose flour
Butter for lining the pan

Cinnamon center

4 tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick butter

Cream Cheese Icing

4 ounces cream cheese
¼ cup butter ½ a stick
½ cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons – ¼ cup whole milk or half and half

Instructions

Dough:

In a measuring cup, add the yeast. Pour in the warm water (under 120 degrees) and stir gently with a spoon. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. The yeast should be fragrant and bubbly
In a saucepan on low heat, warm milk on the stove – do not scald or let steam (under 120 degrees). Remove and set aside
In a large bowl, mix eggs, butter, sugar, and salt. Combine with a whisk until incorporated. The mixture will look slightly curdled
Add in the yeast to the egg mixture and whisk together very gently to ensure not to kill the yeast
Add in the warm milk and stir until combined
Using your hands, mix in the flour cup by cup until the mixture is well incorporated. After all the flour is added, the dough will not be smooth yet. Continue to knead the dough scooping dough up from the bottom to the top until the mixture is smooth (this will take about 3-5 minutes of kneading)
Once the mixture is smooth, scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula so no dough remains on the side. Coat the exposed sides of the bowl with butter to prevent sticking
Top the bowl with a cloth and let rise for 90 minutes – 2 hours. After 2 hours (or until it has doubled in size), punch down the dough and then turn over the dough by pulling the bottom of the dough to the top. Cover with a cloth again and let rise for 90 minutes – 2 more hours (or has risen to double in size again)
Flour a large surface to roll out the dough on. Punch down the dough and lay it onto the floured surface. With a rolling pin, roll out into a rectangle ~12” x 24”
Melt 1 stick of butter and spread over the dough. Sprinkle dough with ½ cup sugar and 3 tablespoons cinnamon
Roll the dough into a long log. The log should be 12″ long. With a sharp knife, cut into 1” rolls and place into a buttered 9×13” pan
Cover the pan with a towel and let rise for 1-1 ½ hours until puffy but not overflowing
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until golden on top and cooked through
Let cool slightly while making the cream cheese icing

To make the cream cheese icing:

In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat together butter and cream cheese on medium speed for 1 minute
After 1 minute, turn off the mixer. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla, almond extract, and salt. Beat together on low until combined
With the mixer still running on low, pour in the milk until it reaches desired consistency (2 tablespoons for a thicker topping, ¼ cup for a thinner version). On medium speed, whisk for 1 more minute until light and creamy
Top the slightly cooled cinnamon rolls with the icing. They are best served while the centers are still warm

If these are being made for the holidays or another occasion, they can be frozen and made in advance. Simply bake and let them cool after baking. After they are cooled, wrap them tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for up to a month. When ready to serve, defrost and warm them in the oven.