This one hour cinnamon cinnamon roll recipe is an adaptation of my raspberry cinnamon buns I made a few years back. I wanted to make a more original version that everyone is sure to enjoy. This version also has a pretty short rise period, which is great because who wants to wait forever for their delicious breakfast treat.
If you are like me, your family grew up eating Pillsbury cinnamon rolls as a special treat like once a month for breakfast on the weekends...okay maybe more depending on the month. And everyone would fight for the best/biggest roll with the most amount of frosting. And on special occasions, when my mom took us to the mall or the airport, we would get Cinnabon. You, know, those super huge cinnamon buns with the best cream cheese frosting. Apparently, when my mom was pregnant with my oldest sibling, they only had a Cinnabon at the airport in Chicago...so my dad would drive all the way to the airport when she had a craving. That's true love!
I now know this love of cinnamon rolls with lots of frosting comes from my mother. As I got older I really loved going to bakeries to get some tea and to try their cinnamon buns. I've found some really delicious versions...and some that are just passing. A really important thing about cinnamon rolls are that they need to not be too tough, but soft enough to break apart/cut with your fork. You don't want to have to use a knife if possible. You also need a good amount of cinnamon. I really believe there isn't such a thing as too much cinnamon. And lastly I really believe in a delicious frosting...my favorite being cream cheese.
These plates are from the Kohl's LC Lauren Conrad collection.
Table of Contents
Tips on Ingredients for the best One Hour Cinnamon Rolls
Usually the better the ingredients, the better your food will taste. However, I do like to go over which ingredients that you should have the best quality for. And the others that I think don't need to be the highest quality. But again, if you don't have access to high quality, it will still be delicious! I also let you know if a certain type or style is best.
These are the items that I have notes for. Whether it's to buy the best quality or if there are specific notes about those ingredients for these one hour cinnamon rolls.
- Instant Yeast: yes, all of your ingredients should have a good date and not be past expiration. However, if your yeast isn't good your buns won't rise at all!
- Butter: butter is almost always an important ingredient to have a good quality for, but this one for me is helpful when it comes to the frosting. A delicious and good quality butter can make it or break it. And always go with unsalted butter in a recipe if it's not identified.
- Cream cheese: I think we can all agree that cream cheese can either be delicious or pretty gross. This is one of those things I recommend for the frosting being a good quality since it's eaten raw and not baked in. So, using something like Philadelphia cream cheese or a specialty one.
- Vanilla extract: in general, I just always suggest a good vanilla, preferably not a fake. But because this is the main flavor profile with the frosting, you want it to be a good quality.
Best Tips and Knowledge to make the Perfect Rolls
These are tips on how to do a specific step or why what I've listed something a certain way in the recipe as necessary for the best one hour cinnamon roll recipe.
- Fast rise: To make this a fast and easy process you will preheat your oven on a low heat and your buns will rise in there for like 20 minutes to make that 1-2 hour (something overnight) rising process even shorter.
- Dough hook: Now, this does call for using your stand mixer and your dough hook attachment. Now, not everyone has this, so always know that if a recipe calls for this and you don't have one, you can use a hand mixer if you have a large hook like attachment. Or the best alternative is actually mixing by hand (clean hands please). You will mix in a bowl then knead on a lightly floured surface. You'll just follow the directions of how long to mix via the recipe instructions below.
- Heating ingredients: The saucepan portion is important, but you can also heat up the water, milk, and butter in the microwave. You just want to make sure you don't over heat or create a film on top, so be sure to continue mixing.
- Shaping dough: When you roll out the dough, it's okay if it's not a perfect rectangle. However, to make that happen easier, you can shape the dough from a ball into a rectangle shape, then roll from there. Be sure to rotate the way you roll so it stretches well.
- Filling: I use a rubber spatula to spread my filling and it helps to not tear the dough and get everything smooth.
- Storing and reheating: If you don't eat all the buns on day 1, be sure to cover and store in the fridge up to 1 week at most. And then heat them up in the microwave for like 30-45 seconds to warm them up before eating!
FAQs
I use a 9" pie pan or cake pan. You can also use an 8x8" or 9x9" square baking pan with similar results. Or if you want to break them up into two loaf pans, that can also work. If you don't have any pans, you can place them into a 9" circle on a prepared baking sheet. You might get mixed results with the look afterwards, but they will cook evenly still.
If you don't like cream cheese, you can make this a butter frosting instead. You just need to remove the cream cheese from the recipe and use an additional 2 tablespoon of butter instead. You'll still get a thicker consistency, but you won't get the tangy flavor of the cream cheese.
Place the leftovers in an airtight container. Since we are using a cream cheese frosting I recommend storing them in the refrigerator. They are best if eaten within a few days, but are good for up to a week if kept sealed. You can store on the counter usually with a tight seal for a few hours if necessary.
Yes, you'll still have a delicious flavor. You could also add in a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg to the icing. Or if you'd like to, you could try another extract. Some alternative extracts would be butter, almond, lemon, maple.
Other Breakfast Recipes to Try
- Lemon Lavender Scones
- Blueberry Lemon Muffins
- Caramelized Onions and Goat Cheese Quiche
- Spring Brunch Recipes
Love this Recipe?
Did you make this recipe and just love it? Awesome! If you have a quick minute and could leave a star rating and comment below, I would appreciate the support and knowing your feedback! And if you’re over on Instagram, be sure to tag me in your photos!
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- ¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
Dough
- 2 ¾ cups flour
- 3 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 egg large
- 1 tablespoon milk for brushing
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 3 tablespoon butter room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- Make the filling by mixing softened butter with sugar and cinnamon. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Dough
- Preheat the oven to 225°F degrees. Prepare a 9" cake or pie pan with butter or oil.
- Start with your dough. In your standing mixer add flour, sugar, salt, and yeast together and mix with whisk (by hand or whisk attachment) until evenly dispersed.
- In a saucepan heat water, milk, and butter together until the butter is melted. Add into the dry mix. Add the egg and using the dough hook attachment mix for 3-4 minutes (dough should no longer be sticky). Or if doing by hand use a wooden spoon and mix for about 8-10 minutes.
- Lift the dough out of the bowl, lightly grease bowl, and place dough back into the bowl. Cover with a tea towel or flour sack. Let rest for 5 minutes.
- When the dough has finished resting, roll out on a floured surface to about a 16x9". Spread butter mixture over the dough (avoid about ½" around the edges).
- Then roll the dough tightly (horizontal/longest edge rolls upward). Then using a bench scraper, knife, or unflavored dental floss, slice into 10 buns.
- Place in a greased 9" cake or pie pan (leave room for spreading). And turn off the oven and put the buns in to rise and spread for 20 minutes. Remove from oven.
- Turn the oven up to 375°F.
- Brush tops of buns with milk. Bake buns for 18-22 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven to cool.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Make frosting while buns cook. With a whisk or large spoon, mix cream cheese and butter. Be sure to get rid of all bumps. Add in powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix until combined.
- Spoon or drizzle onto the buns and enjoy!
Julie says
Super easy recipe and tasty to boot! I made these before work and definitely can be made in an hour. Will make again.
Amanda Wilens says
I love hearing that! Glad to hear they worked out for you 🙂
Sarah says
These were so easy to make and delicious. But I did eat 3 of them in one sitting.