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Chewy Soft Cinnamon Rolls
5 from 54 votes

Chewy Soft Cinnamon Rolls

Chewy Soft Cinnamon Rolls feature a yeast-leavened dough enriched with butter and sugar, rolled with a cinnamon brown sugar filling, and topped with a brown butter icing. The dough is tender yet pliable, creating a soft texture with a chewy finish after baking.

Prep Time
4 hrs
Cook Time
25 mins
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 535 kcal
Course: Breakfast, Bread
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

For the Dough
  • 2 cup water warm
  • 4 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast 2 packets
  • 6 tablespoons granulated sugar divided
  • 6 cups all-purpose flour give or take 1 cup, see NOTES below
  • 5 tablespoons butter melted and cooled
  • 2 teaspoons salt
Cinnamon Roll Filling
  • 1/2 cup butter very soft but not melted, salted
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar packed
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Brown Butter Icing
  • 1/2 cup butter salted
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

For the dough
    Cup of Yum
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir warm water together with yeast an 3 tablespoon sugar until mostly dissolved. After 10 minutes, mixture should be foamy. (If nothing has happened, throw it out and try again OR buy fresher yeast.)
  2. Add in remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar and 2 cups of flour and start to mix with the machine on low to medium speed with the dough hook attachment. Stir in melted butter and salt. Add in another 1-2 cups and let the machine work to knead it into the dough, about 2 minutes or kneading on low to medium speed. Add in remaining 2 cups of flour (if needed) bit by bit, letting the machine knead in the flour for several seconds before adding in more flour. Only add in enough flour to get a dough that is mostly smooth, has cleaned the sides of the bowl, the bottom is still sticking and when you touch it with your hands, it is tacky but not sticky enough to stick to your hands. This whole process should take about 10 minutes.
  3. Scrape the dough out of the bowl and into a well greased large bowl. Roll it around to coat in oil, over and refrigerate 2-3 hours or overnight.
Making the Cinnamon Rolls
  1. Flour a clean surface and dump risen dough onto the board. Sprinkle the dough and rolling pin in more flour and start to roll a 24"x18 rectangle (approximately). As you roll, be sure to move the dough around to ensure no sticking. Add more flour as needed.
  2. Using your fingers, spread the soft butter over the entire piece of dough, leaving a 1 inch border along the top of a longer 24" side. Spread the brown sugar over the butter evenly and then sprinkle with cinnamon.
  3. Roll dough neatly into a tight swirl, towards the border of dough without cinnamon or sugar. Bring entire log of dough towards you, moving the seam side down to hold in place. Using a serrated bread knife, cut into 1 1/2" rolls (approximate is fine) and place onto buttered parchment paper on a lightly colored half sheet pan. (You should end up with 16 nice cinnamon rolls and 2 small end pieces that you can squeeze onto the sheet pan too or just toss.)
  4. Cover rolls with plastic wrap and rise 1 hour or until puffed and pretty. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until tops are golden brown.
For the brown butter icing
  1. In a large skillet with high sides, melt butter over medium heat. After butter has melted, it should start to foam. Swirl butter for 2-3 minutes as it foams until the milk solids start to brown, butter smells nutty and you see medium brown flecks in the butter.
  2. Remove from the heat immediately and pour in milk and vanilla. Whisk in powdered sugar cup by cup until smooth and thick.
  3. Pour over warm cinnamon rolls and spread with a knife to coat.
  4. Serve rolls warm or at room temperature.

Notes

  • Flour amounts are approximate; add just enough until the dough cleans the bowl, is mostly smooth, and tacky to touch.
  • It's better to keep the dough slightly sticky and refrigerate before rolling out, which improves handling and final texture.

Nutrition Information

Calories 535kcal (27%) Carbohydrates 93g (31%) Protein 7g (14%) Fat 16g (25%) Saturated Fat 10g (50%) Cholesterol 41mg (14%) Sodium 437mg (18%) Potassium 124mg (3%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 54g (108%) Vitamin A 476IU (10%) Calcium 49mg (5%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 16 servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 535

% Daily Value*

Calories 535kcal 27%
Carbohydrates 93g 31%
Protein 7g 14%
Fat 16g 25%
Saturated Fat 10g 50%
Cholesterol 41mg 14%
Sodium 437mg 18%
Potassium 124mg 3%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 54g 108%
Vitamin A 476IU 10%
Calcium 49mg 5%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.