Fauzia's Kitchen Fun

Cinnamon Rolls

223

Cinnamon Rolls

Soft and delicious cinnamon buns that are perfect for breakfast or with a cup of tea or coffee.
Servings 6 Cinnamon

Ingredients
  

Ingredients for Dough

  • 4 cups all-purpose/plain flour
  • 2 1/2 tsp instant yeast
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar if you have a very sweet tooth then double this
  • 1/3 cup margarine or butter I use butter
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup warm milk

Ingredients for Filling

  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp. cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup margarine/butter softened (I use butter)
  • 2 tbsp. flour

Ingredients for Icing

  • 2 tbsp. butter
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar/icing sugar
  • 1/8 cup cream cheese
  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla
  • pinch of salt

Instructions
 

  • Knead the dough with all its ingredients until nice and soft. If it's a bit sticky, don't worry about it. It will come together later on. Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
    Preheat oven to 180 C.
    Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approx. 21 inches long by 16 inches wide. It should be approx. ¼ thick.
    To make filling, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. (DO NOT DO THIS EARLIER AS IT WILL START MELTING ON its OWN) Spread the butter over the surface of the dough, then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the surface. Press down gently with your hand so the sugar sticks to the dough. Then sprinkle 2 tbsp. of flour using a sieve so it's a light dusting. This will help absorb any extra moisture from the sugar as the cinnabons are baking.
    Working carefully, from the longer side of the rectangle, roll the dough down to the bottom edge, like a swiss roll.
    Cut the dough into 1 ¾ inch slices, and place in a lightly greased baking pan.
    Bake for 10-15 minutes or until light golden brown. If you want the buns super crisp on the outside without having them burn or get too dark, cover them with a foil in the last 5 mins of baking so they will keep baking but won’t turn color.
    While the rolls are baking combine the icing ingredients. Beat well with an electric mixer until fluffy. When the rolls are done, spread generously with icing and serve warm! Leftovers warm up beautifully in a mini oven toaster or in the micro.
    ENJOY!

Notes

Don't slice the cinnabons with a knife, it will smoooosh the roll so you won't get that perfect spirally top. Slide a thread…even dental floss will do…under the roll then bring the two ends of the thread to opposite sides like you're going to tie a knot, and pull….the thread will slice the roll for you PERFECTLY! 😉

Join the Conversation

  1. Salam Alaikum,
    I tried the CInnamon Rolls. Everybody liked it alot. Jazakumullah Khair.
    However I have a query,
    The Cinnamon Rolls were a little dry, I mean that the mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon almost dried up whereas I would like it to be a little moist. How can I get that kind?
    Jazakumullah Khair for the recipe 🙂

  2. W/Salaam, thanks for the lovely feedback! Try and reduce the baking time if you can, and once the rolls are out of the oven, keep them covered so they stay nice and moist.

    1. Hi, yes you can! The process is the same, although since there is no top heating, the buns may not colour as much as those baked in an oven but the result will still be awesome.

  3. Asalaamalkikum, I wud prefer to replace the butter in the recipe with oil… wondering if u know the butter to oil conversion? How many tabs of butter to how many tabs of oil? Jazakallah khair.

    1. W/Salaam, I would not recommend substituting the butter in this recipe for oil.

  4. Salaams Fauzia
    For the dough you say 4 cups flour! Which flour is it we use? Plain,self raising or bread flour? Jazakallah for the receipe try it out soon x

    1. W/Salaam, when it says flour, it is always plain flour unless otherwise specified in the recipe.

  5. Asc fauzia i would like to try the recipe could you please add the step by step way to role them am not so good at understanfing reciped jazakalah kheir.

  6. assalam alaikum….would like to make the rolls bt dont have brown sugar and cream cheese……anything else i can substitite instead of ???

    1. W/Salaam, use regular sugar and instead of cream cheese for the topping you can make any other topping that you like. Chocolate sauce or butter-cream etc.

  7. Salaams. How far in advance can you make the dough as I’d like to make this for Eid morning. Jzk

  8. salams sis thanks for the recepi kindly advice 4 cups are how many grams? Becouse i have diffrent types of cups can not gudge which can be suitable.plz help me thx.

  9. salam fauzia, idid with my baking part can u please suggest me which cream cheese can i use ??? i have almarai triangle cheese can i use that?plz reply as soon as possible

    1. W/Salaam, you need the block type of cream cheese like philadelphia, or at least a softer cream cheese than the triangles so it can be spread on the cinnabons.

  10. Salam Fauzia. I have some leftover dough from my last rose rolls attempt, can I use that dough and make these?

    1. W/Salaam, no I would not recommend it, the result will not be as good as the actual cinnabon recipe.

  11. Hey fauzia, i was wondering what if cream cheeses isnt available what can i use as a substitute?

    1. Hi! You can use buttercream frosting, or a simple sugar glaze or melted chocolate. Any topping that you prefer!

  12. Salam Fauzia, thank you so much for this recipe! I cannot tell you how great it turned out and close to the real thing. I have friends here who have been pining for it for years since they left UAE and when they tried it they were shocked. Allah reward you for your efforts and your passion in teaching people to cook your amazing food.

    Quick question, i know you answered this previously. But if i make the dough the night before (have guests and want them ready hot and early), do i need to knead it or keep it out of the fridge for a short while before rolling out the next morning?

    I was going to make the cream cheese frosting ahead of time too and keep in a small pot in fridge. IS that ok or will it not taste the same? Am worried about the dough being made night before.

    Jazakillah hu khayrah

    xx

  13. W/Salaam, thanks. Yes you should remove the dough from the fridge to allow it to come to room temperature before rolling. And yes you can make the frosting ahead of time, perfectly ok. Just get it out of the fridge early too so it is soft and at room temperature.

  14. Salams,

    Thanks for your amazing site.
    I hav tried few of your recepies n they hav turn out amazing. Only problem that i face is that i am not getting the desired color on my bread.
    I hav a big cooking range with gas oven. I bake on middle rack. Then shift to top rack for color for sum extra time. Pls advice.

    1. W/Salaam, thank you. If your oven has a top grill, turn it on to colour the buns for a few minutes before taking them out of the oven.

  15. Jazzakaallahu khair, turned out great, my hubby enjoyed them alot. He kept praising me that I am a great cook. Thanks for your recipes.

  16. Salaam Fauzia, I made these yesterday and they were delicious. Thanks for tip about cutting them using string. I’d like to say that once I cut them, i put them in an oven tray and left them to rise again until they doubled in size, then I put them in the oven. It made all the difference, they weren’t dry and cooked perfectly.

  17. Salaam Fauzia,

    Do we let the dough to rest again for sometime after cutting the cinnabons before baking them?

    1. W/Salaam, yes you can allow them to rest for a while to double in size although it is not a must.

  18. Assalaamualaikum dearest fauzia.
    I have made the dough. Just had few questions.. I’d like to take them over to a gathering later on.. So was wondering should i bake them now , frost them and leave them for later?
    The gathering is apprx 6-7 hours from now inshaAllaah ..
    Or should i bake them after 3-4 hours? Or should I bake them and frost later on?
    Plz help ! If anyone else can share any experiences, would really appreciate.
    Jazaakumullaah khair

    1. W/Salaam, bake and keep them covered, then just before the gathering, warm them slightly and frost so they stay fresh.

  19. They were amazing the first time when my sister tried it.Now I’m taking a shot at it. The recipe and recipe guidelines are very helpful. Thanx for such a good recipe!!! 🙂

  20. Aoa….i havr tried ur several receoies n thay came out amazing….u r amazing…ur recepies are simple to follow ….luv u alot
    I hav a question…what is packed brown sugar? I have dark brown sugar…is it ok to use that?

  21. What else can i use for icing? I dont have cream cheez. Please suggest me something else.
    Thanks alot

  22. You can use any icing that you like. Either mix powdered sugar with milk, or melted chocolate etc. Anything works.

  23. Yes dark brown sugar is fine. Packed means fill and press it down in the cup when measuring.

  24. how do i make it on stove top? i mean do i put it in some separate dish n place it on the wire rack while keeping the utensil empty as in marble cake making?? or do i need to fill the pot with water then prepare them through steam?? Please reply asap, am planning to make it today???

    1. No do not add any water, use the same method as with the cake. Let me know how they turn out.

  25. Assalamualaikum
    How can we freeze the rolls?after baking before frosting them??
    Jazakallah khair

  26. salam……..how bout changing the icing option…..like caramel????? and how is it supposed to be done?? thanx

  27. I made them and just added walnuts in the filling, they were so soft and delicious , every1 loved it, thank you !

  28. Dear fauzia, thanks for the recipe. They turned out good but were a little hard. Can u give a few tips? I baked on 180 for 15-20 min…

  29. Asalaam u alaiqum, which
    Asalaam u alaiqum, which cream cheese should i use for icing and also if if i want to do chocolate icing then what should i do.

    1. W/Salaam, you can use
      W/Salaam, you can use philadelphia cream cheese. Add a 2-3 tbsp. of cocoa powder and mix it into the frosting to make it chocolatey. Adjust the cocoa to the colour and taste of your preference. 🙂

  30. cant we cut it with knife or
    cant we cut it with knife or we shud use thread only for it m waitng

    1. You can use a knife but it
      You can use a knife but it will squish the bread, a thread cuts through cleanly.

  31. for the cup measurements in
    for the cup measurements in all your recipes, do use the small saucepan shaped standard cup measurements – which are available to buy? please reply asap if u can as id like to try out this recipe

  32. ya til une image pour faire
    ya til une image pour faire ces rolls par etape merci
    fauzia pourras tu maider en priver en me donnant des recettes sur ma boite je viens juste de me marrier et je n”ai pas d experiance mais je voudrais faire plaisir a mon mari qui aime la cuisine

  33. Salaam Fauzia,
    Salaam Fauzia,
    Im a newbie on ur website., must say ur recipes are great, simple easy and very clear 🙂
    My question is, if i want to make chocolate cinnabons, what do i add into the recipe chocolate spread or cocoa powder and how?

    1. W/Salaam, thanks! You can add
      W/Salaam, thanks! You can add grated chocolate in the roll in place of the sugar and cinnamon. Or chocolate chips. Or spread some melted chocolate or nutella.

  34. salams. i made these but
    salams. i made these but there are too many, can they be kept in the freezer?
    jazakillah

    1. W/Salaam, yes absolutely.
      W/Salaam, yes absolutely. Wrap them in cling film and freeze, then simply warm them up in the micro and enjoy! 🙂

  35. salams fauzia. I made the
    salams fauzia. I made the cinnabons but they opened during the baking process and all the filling got stuck to the tray. I tried to place them closer together but most of the sugar still stuck to the bottom and was difficult to pull out the buns. Pls tell me where i went wrong. Jazakallah.

    1. W/Salaam, did you mix the
      W/Salaam, did you mix the sugar with the cinnamon before spreading it on the dough?

  36. Salaam, I tried these this
    Salaam, I tried these this weekend. I was a bit worried as I was mixing on the dough and then it took forever to rise but by the time I rolled it out the dough was fine. When it went into the oven aroma filling the house was amazing and it came out perfectly. Shukran!

  37. Slms again. Yes i did mix the
    Slms again. Yes i did mix the cinnamon and sugar and applied butter on the dough and even pressed with my fingertips. When i saw the first batch opened i transferred to electric oven from gas thinking heat is the problem and also placed them closer but same problem. The sugar filling melted and leaked and it was difficult even to scrape the buns off the tray

    1. W/Salaam, did you mix the
      W/Salaam, did you mix the cinnamon/sugar very long before you pressed it onto the dough? The reason I ask this is that this is the most common reason why the mixture leaks out. The two should be mixed together right before you need to add them on to the dough. Not a minute before the dough is ready and rolled out.

  38. Brown sugar is not available
    Brown sugar is not available here. Can the filling of cinnabons be made with the regular sugar? (Same quantity or different?)

  39. Thanx so much for such a
    Thanx so much for such a wonderful recipe and it came out just perfect:) may ALLAH bless u and ur family, thanx a million.

  40. AA ,dear ,i make these
    AA ,dear ,i make these cinnamon rolls it was so good but one thing i want to know if i wanna make them soft and fluffy what should i have to do it
    once again thanks

    1. W/Salaam, actually with this
      W/Salaam, actually with this recipe they turn out very soft and fluffy. If yours didn’t it could be some mistake in the method. Did you knead the dough well? Did you preheat the oven? How long did you bake them for?

  41. hi fauzia,
    hi fauzia,
    these rolls turned out just superb. thanx.
    a quick question. i prepared the dough a day ahead and kept it in the fridge. but when i took it out the next day its a bit smelly like a strong spirit smell. although the dough seems fine at room temperature. what could be the reason. i don’t know if i should use it.

    1. Hi, sounds like it turned
      Hi, sounds like it turned yeasty in smell. Could be the type of yeast used, some are pretty strong smelling or the dough stayed too long in the fridge.

  42. Salam!! The recipe seems
    Salam!! The recipe seems awesome can’t wait to make it but I want to ask should I add yeast directly into the flour or mix it with water first to start its reaction?

    1. W/Salaam, if you are using
      W/Salaam, if you are using instant yeast as indicated in the recipe, then no need to activate it in water first. But if you are using active dry yeast then yes you would need to do that. I recommend that you use instant yeast for this recipe.

  43. I had a bit of a Disaster
    I had a bit of a Disaster with these 🙁 . Firstly the dough didn’t rise as much as it should have, it increased but didn’t double in size. First lot of dough Ieft for ages ( about 3 hours) the second lot I left for just an hour, it didn’t double in size and as such I didn’t manage to roll to the specified size, I was a couple of inches short. The second problem was when I baked them they were uncooked in the middle. Because the rolls were small I put them all In a small pan, but after it was suggested i spaced them out in a bigger pan. The texture was also rather crumbly, not fluffy and doughy. Pls advise as I really want to get these right !

    1. Sounds like you did not knead
      Sounds like you did not knead your dough enough. If it was crumbly it means there was not enough gluten formed so the kneading was too little. As for the lack of rising, have you checked to make sure your yeast is working? And is your yeast the instant kind?

  44. Jazakillah for your response.
    Jazakillah for your response. Yes it was the instant yeast, I checked and it was all in date. How long would u recommend kneading the dough for ?

  45. Wow! Devine. Just made them
    Wow! Devine. Just made them and everyone’s smiling. They taste just like the ones I used to buy back home. And up was soooo easy. Shukran so much!

  46. I made the dough and put it
    I made the dough and put it in the fridge for tommorow. Thing is, the eggs didn’t mix well so my dough is lumpy with bits of egg. 🙁
    Should I still bake it or will it turn out bad?

    JazakAllah

    1. That is strange, the egg
      That is strange, the egg should have blended completely into the dough. Am not sure why yours didn’t! Bake them and let me know how they turn out, but next time make sure the egg is at room temperature and well mixed into the flour/dough. You can even beat the egg and then add it in if you want. And do not pour warm milk/liquid directly on the egg as that will cook it and you will end up with scrambled eggs in your dough.

  47. They actually turned out
    They actually turned out great, alhamdullilah! The lumps were gone after I baked.
    I think it happened because I mixed in the egg with the dry ingredients a lot earlier than I added the other liquid ingredients

    1. W/Salaam, you could use white
      W/Salaam, you could use white sugar, although brown gives better results for this recipe.

  48. Hi dear,can u exchange
    Hi dear,can u exchange cardamom instead of cinnamon .
    N what is brown sugar we use normal sugar it’s light brown
    N with small granules same as white sugar but light brown …
    N guide me simple sugar frosting which I hv mentioned above on some of the comments
    I dnt hv dental floss wil normal thread b used to cut into shape

    1. Hi, you can use cardamom if
      Hi, you can use cardamom if you want. And yes you can use the light brown sugar. I have given the frosting recipe in the recipe above. And yes you can use thread to cut.

  49. You mentioned to use an
    You mentioned to use an electric beater for the frosting. It seems like the ingredients are not enough in quantity to use an electric beater?

    1. You can use a small whisk, it
      You can use a small whisk, it works just as well for this. 🙂

  50. Thanks, I will try that next
    Thanks, I will try that next time! I made these before without the frosting and they were great. Spot on!

  51. can u ive step by step like
    can u ive step by step like how u gave for bread chicken and rose roll
    plz give step by step for cinnabon cinnamon rolls
    plzzzzzzzzzz

  52. Asalamualaikam fauzia. I hope
    Asalamualaikam fauzia. I hope that you are well. Is it cinnamon powder for this recipe? Do you mix it with the sugar with for example a wooden spoon? Jazakillah x

    1. W/Salaam, yes cinnamon powder
      W/Salaam, yes cinnamon powder. And yes just stir it into the sugar with a spoon.

  53. Dear Fauzia, thankyou very
    Dear Fauzia, thankyou very much for the recipe, i am trying these rolls second time but my dough never rises, though added instant yeast and all the ingredients with same quantity. Can you please help what could be the issue.

  54. Aoa,,,your recipe is great
    Aoa,,,your recipe is great Mashallah,,,I have tried…
    I want to ask about the storage of these rolls….You replied about this earlier but I want to ask specifically…..please reply as sooon as possible
    1:can I make the rolls at night and bake them 2/3 of the time of baking as you said…and I want to serve them in morning….should I freeze them or just wrap them nicely and put in the fridge and bake again in the morning…???
    2:If I want to make them some days after…should I do the same baking process…or I should freeze the dough??
    please reply as soon as possible,,,im waiting…I want to do now

    1. Please partially bake them
      Please partially bake them before freezing for best results. I would never recommend that you freeze the dough, it may change in flavour or taste too yeasty if kept too long.

  55. Assalamualikum
    Assalamualikum

    Fauzia I m
    Going to try them today but just one thing to ask if I have enough large egg than can one egg is enough in dough making n are we suppose to do icing on hot buns or wait them to cool?
    jazak’Allah

    1. W/Salaam, it may not be
      W/Salaam, it may not be enough…if you can get 2 medium eggs then please use those. For the icing, I like to put a light layer while they are warm so some of the icing seeps into the roll and then once they cool slightly I add on the rest.

  56. Fauzia sis i cooked mine just
    Fauzia sis i cooked mine just the way yu adviced us in the instructions above
    but somehow in the inside it didn’t cook that well… it was kinda haijaiva
    why?
    🙁

    nd i wud like to make the sugar nd milk glaze for this
    wat wud be the measurements?

    1. Not sure why yours remained
      Not sure why yours remained uncooked. Did you allow the rolls to rise before baking? Did you preheat the oven? Was the yeast good/working? For a simple glaze just mix a bit of milk in icing sugar to the consistency that you like.

  57. No i didn’t allow the rolls
    No i didn’t allow the rolls to rise before baking
    cud that have been the problem?

    but i allowed them to rise befre i shaped them

    nd yes i did preheat the oven

    1. Sometimes a second rise does
      Sometimes a second rise does tend to help, try that next time and see if it makes a difference in the results. 🙂

  58. Hi. I tried this recipe. Even
    Hi. I tried this recipe. Even after letting it set for an hour the dough is very sticky. Im unable to roll it. What did i do wrong? And what should i do now?

    1. Hi! Did you measure the
      Hi! Did you measure the ingredients accurately? Sounds like you may have added a bit too much liquid or too little flour. Try dusting a bit of flour over the dough and see if that helps.

  59. Can i half the dough
    Can i half the dough ingredients if i want to make for two people only?

  60. Salam fauziya… Tried the
    Salam fauziya… Tried the cinnabons recipe… They tasted amazing but didnt rise like yourz or look as puffy and fluffy… Though i did double the sugar measurement. Pls help tell me what i did wrong. Thank you for all your delicious recipes

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating