Soft cinnamon rolls with delicious vanilla glaze…mmm. These are perfectly moist cinnamon rolls, a delicious treat ideal for the chilly fall and winter months or anytime!
Looking for a tasty baked treat to add to your holiday breakfast menu or to go with your morning coffee? Soft cinnamon rolls with a delicious vanilla glaze are good any time of the year, and they’re a definite favorite around here.
Not only are these delicious, but they are fun to make! I used to be intimidated to try baking with yeast such as cinnamon rolls but after a little practice I found out they are actually surprisingly easy. So, if you’re a beginner, I’m here to say these are simple although with rising time they take awhile to finish! But they’re worth it.
These soft cinnamon rolls with vanilla glaze are always a hit when we take them to work for a first break treat. So there you go – treat your co-workers or your family today!
Tips for making Soft Cinnamon Rolls
Make sure your water is close to 100 to 115 degrees to activate the yeast.
Bread flour (or a high gluten flour such as Winona, Occident or All Trumps flour available at the local bulk food store if you have one nearby) makes the cinnamon rolls more fluffy and soft.
Allow plenty of time for the dough to rise; rushing the process can result in less than desirable cinnamon rolls.
Fresh from the oven, take a spatula or spoon and gently press the middles down even with the rest of the cinnamon roll. (If the middles rose up higher like ours tend to do!)
Soft Homemade Cinnamon Rolls are the very best on the day they were baked. We like to either eat them the same day or freeze them the same day we made them.
★ Pro tip: Straight from the freezer, pop the frozen cinnamon rolls into a preheated 350 degree oven for about five minutes to defrost and warm them and they will taste like freshly baked cinnamon rolls! If you are planning to freeze them, we would recommend waiting to glaze the cinnamon rolls until just before serving.
Supplies You May Need
Ingredients for Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Glaze
- Dry, active yeast
- Warm water
- White granulated sugar
- Instant vanilla pudding
- Whole milk
- Melted butter
- Beaten eggs
- All-purpose or bread flour
- Salt
- More melted butter
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon
For the glaze:
- Melted butter
- Milk
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla
Find the full recipe on the recipe card below!
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How to make Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Glaze
Mix up the dough…
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Set aside for 5 minutes or until foamy and bubbly.
Meanwhile, in the stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, mix the milk and instant vanilla pudding together until no lumps remain. Add the melted butter, eggs and salt, and mix well.
Switch to the paddle attachment, and add in the now-foamy yeast mixture, followed by the flour. Mix slowly until all the flour is incorporated, then knead on medium-high speed for 1 to 2 minutes. The dough should be somewhat sticky.
Transfer dough to a greased bowl and flip the dough over once, to grease the top. Cover and let rise for one hour or until doubled.
Roll out the dough…
With non-stick baking spray or your favorite greasing method, grease the surface you intend to use to roll out the dough on; also grease the pans you intend to use and the rolling pin. For pans, you can use 2 round pans like we did or square or rectangle pans, depending on how you want your finished cinnamon rolls to look.
Roll out the dough evenly into a large rectangle – approximately 12 inches by 24 inches.
On with the good stuff…
Spread on the melted butter, coming within about an inch of the edges. Follow with a sprinkled layer of brown sugar and last but not least, cinnamon. Take a spatula, (or, to be honest, we use our hands!) and spread everything out evenly.
Roll up the giant cinnamon roll…
Proceed to roll carefully, beginning on one of the long sides. Roll as tight as possible to get neat cinnamon rolls! The final seam should end up under the entire roll, and somewhat self seal, though you may need to pinch it with your fingers to fully seal each individual cinnamon roll.
Unless your roll turned out perfectly even (ours never does!), you’ll want to take your hands and even out the whole cinnamon roll “log” by carefully working the dough to make the whole thing even in diameter. Stretch out some areas a little or squeeze some areas together. This is simply to ensure that your cinnamon rolls will be more even.
Cut into individual cinnamon rolls…
Now you’re ready to cut into individual cinnamon rolls! Trim and discard both ends. You can use a pastry chopper/cutter, or to make a neat chop we like to use a long piece of floss: slide it beneath the roll and wrap both ends around tighter and tighter until chopping through! Cut each one about an inch to an inch and a half wide. Seal the open edge of each one if it isn’t already sealed, and gently transfer to your greased pan.
Bake the cinnamon rolls…
Once all the cinnamon rolls are cut and placed in pans, set on the stove top and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. The cinnamon rolls should rise for approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Keep in mind they will rise more while baking!
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tops are turning golden brown or a thermometer inserted in the middle reads 190 degrees. Cool completely on a wire rack, or serve warm, drizzled with glaze (our personal favorite!).
Make the Vanilla Glaze
While the cinnamon rolls are baking, is the perfect time to start on the glaze! Melt the butter. Dump in the rest of the ingredients and use an electric mixer (or whisk by hand) to mix everything together until smooth.
Drizzle the glaze on the cinnamon rolls (cooled or still warm!) and enjoy!
And…indulge.💛
To store, freeze or store in an airtight container for 1 – 2 days at room temperature.
Soft Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Glaze
Soft cinnamon rolls with delicious vanilla glaze...mmm. These are perfectly moist cinnamon rolls, a delicious treat ideal for the chilly fall and winter months or anytime!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 (.25 oz.) packages active dry yeast
- 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1 (3.4 oz.) package instant vanilla pudding
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 6 cups flour
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. cinnamon
- 2 tsp. butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 4 tbsp. milk
Instructions
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine warm water with yeast and sugar. Set aside for 5 minutes or until foamy and bubbly.
- Meanwhile, in the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the milk and instant vanilla pudding until no lumps remain. Add the melted butter and eggs and salt and stir well.
- Switch to the dough hook. Add the yeast mixture and flour and mix slowly until all incorporated then knead for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Transfer to a large, greased bowl, then flip the dough upside down to grease the top. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and place in a warm location; let rise for one hour or until doubled in size.
- After the dough has risen, use a greased rolling pin to roll out on a greased surface into a 12" by 24" rectangle. Spread on the melted butter evenly, followed by the brown sugar, and the cinnamon, spreading evenly with a spatula.
- Starting on one of the long sides, roll carefully into a long log, ending with seam side down.
- Cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch slices with a pastry cutter/chopper or a long piece of floss. Gently transfer to a greased baking pan
- After you have all the cinnamon rolls cut and placed in baking pans, set on the stovetop and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Let the cinnamon rolls rise for 15 to 20 minutes; they will rise more while baking!
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until tops are turning golden brown and thermometer inserted reads 190 degrees.
- While the cinnamon rolls are baking, mix up the vanilla glaze! In a mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the melted butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.
- Once the cinnamon rolls are finished baking and have cooled for approximately 10 minutes, drizzle with vanilla glaze and serve warm. Enjoy or freeze the same day you make these for best results!
Notes
Warm water should be 100 to 115 degrees to activate yeast most effectively.
A high gluten flour such as All Trumps, Winona, or Occident is ideal for this recipe, though a good All - Purpose will work fine.
Right after baking, take a spoon or spatula and gently press down the center of each cinnamon roll if the middles rose up while baking.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 416Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 114mgCarbohydrates: 72gFiber: 2gSugar: 35gProtein: 7g
Have you tried Soft Homemade Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Glaze?
Leave a comment below!
Inspire your friends to make Homemade Cinnamon Rolls!
Thanks for visiting our small town!
We hope you’ll stay awhile and explore more fun and simple recipes we’re loving:
Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cupcakes
’til next time,
Julie
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