When my husband and I first got married, I was absolutely clueless in the kitchen. Cooking was hard, but baking was even harder. I had taken a cooking class in junior high, but that was about the extent of my home economic background.

But one of the very first things that I learned how to make were cinnamon rolls. They were my husband’s favorite and I was determined to make them and make them well. While you can mix and knead these by hand, I learned how to make my dough in a bread machine. I love that it’s less time consuming on my end and I feel like the dough always turns out more consistently. So if you don’t have a bread machine, you don’t have to have one, but I certainly prefer it for making doughs and bread. Instead of using a bread machine, you can knead this by hand or in a mix master.

These rolls are super easy, but the do take time between the kneading and rising, so I typically make these the night before I need them and make the icing the morning of.

We just love these cinnamon rolls so much in our house and I can’t wait to share them with you, too!

The Best (and Easiest) Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients for dough:

• 4 cups flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup soft butter
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 cup warm milk
• Scant TBSP quick rise yeast

Ingredients for toppings:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) of melted butter
• 2 cups brown sugar
• cinnamon

Ingredients for icing:

• 2 1/2 – 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 TBSP melted butter
• Splash of coffee or syrup
• dash of salt

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in bread maker, adding the warm water and warm milk last, followed by yeast. Let yeast sit in the warm liquid for a few minutes before starting bread machine.
2. Each bread machine is different, but most will have a dough setting. Press the dough setting and allow it to begin.

3. The dough will knead for about 45 minutes. If dough appears sticky, add an extra TBPS or two of flour while the bin is agitating.

4. Allow the dough to rise for one hour, punching down at the 30 minute mark as needed.

5. Flour a dry surface and rolling pin. I typically use a rubber pastry mat for this step, but doing it right on your countertop is just fine, too.

6. Roll out dough until evenly distributed. It’s going to be thin, but thick enough to be able to keep in all the good stuff you’re about to put on top of it and roll it up.

7. Melt 1/2 cup of butter and pour over the dough.

Spread it out with your hands. There is nothing like the feeling of warm butter in your hands.

8. Spinkle brown sugar over butter and spread out with your hands until the dough is evenly coated.

The next best thing besides warm butter in your hands is warm butter with brown sugar in your hands.

It’s going to feel like there’s a lot on the dough, maybe even too much. Too much is not a thing in this case. The butter and brown sugar should be rolling off of the dough. I’m telling you this is ok.

9. Sprinkle cinnamon all over the brown sugar.

10. Starting at the top of the dough, roll dough towards you evenly.

 

And just keep rolling.

Yep, that’s it… keep rolling.

11. Once near the end, pull the bottom of the dough up and over the roll, pinching and smoothing the dough out to keep it together.

Pinch. Pinch. Pinch.

12. At this point, your roll of dough is done. Take a sharp knife and cut dough into 1.5 inch sections (about the length o your thumb). Transfer sections to a greased 9×13 pan.

By the time your 9×13 pan is filled, you will still have some of your roll left. I like to take a bread loaf pan a fill that with the last few roll sections. That way once they are done baking we can sample them and save the rest for the next morning 🙂

13. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Rolls will be slightly brown and bubbling.

This is what your rolls will look like when you take them out of the oven.

Seriously, I wish you could smell them. And taste them.

14. Whisk together your ingredients for the icing – powdered sugar, milk, melted butter, coffee or syrup, and salt. Drizzle icing over rolls.

15. Serve warm with a glass of cold milk.

And devour.

There really is nothing quite like warm cinnamon rolls right out of the oven is there, friends? I hope you love these rolls as much as we do. They are the perfect recipe to make on this chilly January day while you sit by the fire and stay warm.

From my farmhouse to yours, eat, lick your fingers when you’re done, and be merry 🙂