Buttery Cinnamon Rolls

Updated:  April, 2023

This month the Daring Bakers kept our creativity rolling with cinnamon bun inspired treats. We were dared us to create our own dough and fill it with any filling we wanted to; craft tasty rolled treats, cinnamon not required.  

I went with the classic buttery cinnamon roll that has lots of pockets for the delicious gooey butter-cream cheese icing to drip down into!

I had to dust off the bread maker to start with - the last time I used it was at least five years ago, mainly because I've learned to make dough with my Kitchen Aid mixer.

Tip:  If you don't have a bread maker, go ahead and mix up the dough in your stand mixer (with hook attachment) and mix on low, kneading, for about 8 minutes until the dough is soft and silky.  Cover and let rise for about an hour before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.

This made a beautiful, soft and silky dough and I actually got a couple of more slices than the recipe called for.

After covering with a dish towel and rising for almost an hour, the rolls were enormous and were fairly mushed into my pan. Next time - two slightly smaller pans!

I remember now why I don't make these very often - they're so incredibly irresistible and my arteries harden just looking at them. With coffee in the morning? Nothing better.

They're definitely Texas-sized and have the big ole taste to go with it. Dense, soft and tender with that wonderful icing.

Homemade cinnamon rolls are always good and this recipe is one of the best - and surprisingly easiest - recipes I've come across in awhile.  They use an unusual ingredient - instant vanilla pudding - that I think gives them a nice flavor.

Just a tip - don't try to warm the egg to room temperature by warming it between your stomach and shirt. No matter how carefully you hold it, it will bust and decorate your shirt in egg. That may have happened to me.

If you like these Buttery Cinnamon Rolls, you may want to try a couple of other great cinnamon roll recipes on my site - soft, gooey, excellent Cappuccino Cinnamon Rolls and tasty, tangy Cranberry Cinnamon Sweet Rolls

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Buttery Cinnamon Rolls

Yield: 16

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes

Soft, buttery, perfect cinnamon rolls!

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Ingredients

• ¼ cup warm water
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• ½ package instant vanilla pudding mix (about 1.75 oz)
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 cups bread flour
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¾ cup chopped pecans (optional)
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• 1 ½ cup confectioners' sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-3 teaspoon teaspoons milk

Instructions

Place the following ingredients into the pan of your bread machine: water, melted butter, vanilla pudding, warm milk, egg, 1 tablespoon sugar, salt, bread flour and yeast. Set machine to Dough cycle and choose Start.

When Dough cycle has finished, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into about a 17×10 inch rectangle. Spread rectangle of dough with softened butter.

In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the dough.

Beginning with the long edge, roll up dough as tightly as possible without the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture coming out the sides. (Be sure to use it all.)

Slice into 16 one inch slices and place in 9×13 buttered pan. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Bake in preheated oven for 17 to 20 minutes. While rolls bake, stir together cream cheese, softened butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and milk. Remove rolls from oven and let cool for about 15 minutes. Spread the topping evenly over the warm rolls.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

I’ve seen similar recipes that use the entire packet of pudding, but it seems to turn out perfect just using half.

I warmed the water and milk in the microwave until it was very warm (not hot) to the touch. Too warm will kill the yeast.

I didn’t use the pecans.

I roll mine a little looser – that way there are those wonderful crevices for the icing to soak into.  Frost while the buns are warm.

I refrigerate leftovers because of the butter-cream cheese icing.  If serving from the refrigerator, microwave them for 25 to 30 seconds (depending on the strength of your microwave).

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 367Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 247mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 2gSugar: 28gProtein: 6g

Nutrition Values are Approximate