Evelyn’s Homemade Cinnamon Rolls — truly some of the best cinnamon rolls you can make at home. They’re surprisingly simple, ready in about two hours, and use basic pantry ingredients: butter, sugar, salt, yeast, powdered milk, water, eggs, and flour. Finish with a quick powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla glaze. This recipe yields a large batch, freezes well, and makes wonderful gifts.
Remember this recipe.
Pin this recipe to your favorite board now to remember it later!
Pin Recipe
The BEST Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
These cinnamon rolls are irresistible. The recipe comes from Evelyn Watts, who owned a bakery in Munford, AL. Her family collected her recipes into a cookbook, and this cinnamon roll recipe is a standout. The dough is soft and tender, the filling is buttery and sweet, and the glaze brings everything together. This makes a generous quantity, so it’s perfect for feeding a crowd or sharing as gifts.
How To Make Cinnamon Rolls With Yeast
Working with yeast can feel intimidating, but this recipe is straightforward. The dough uses a larger amount of yeast to speed the rise and deliver consistently fluffy rolls. Start by mixing yeast with warm water, melted butter, and sugar, and let it foam for a few minutes. Then add salt, powdered milk, eggs, and flour, and knead until combined. Let the dough rise until doubled.
After the first rise, punch the dough down and divide it in half. Roll each portion into a 24×14-inch rectangle, spread with melted butter, and sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar filling. Roll the dough up tightly from the long side, slice into one-inch pieces, and place them in greased pans. Let the rolls rise again until puffy, then bake. Finish with a simple glaze made from powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.
Can Cinnamon Rolls Be Frozen?
Yes. This recipe yields about 3-1/2 dozen rolls. You can freeze unbaked rolls by placing them in the pan and freezing before the second rise. When you’re ready to bake, thaw, allow them to rise until doubled, then bake as directed. Baked rolls freeze well too — wrap them tightly in plastic and foil for best results.
If you plan to gift or store them, freezing unbaked rolls in disposable foil pans makes baking later quick and easy.
How to Reheat Cinnamon Rolls With Icing
To reheat leftovers, microwave individual rolls for 30 to 60 seconds until warm. For frozen rolls, thaw completely, then microwave or reheat in a 350ºF oven for about 20 minutes if they are already baked. For unbaked frozen rolls, thaw and let them rise until doubled before baking.
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Make Great Gifts!
These rolls are a fantastic homemade gift. They’re simple to prepare in large batches and always welcome by neighbors, teachers, coworkers, or friends. I like to bake them in round foil pans, ice them when cooled slightly, then wrap or package with a ribbon for gifting.
Because the recipe yields many rolls, you can bake several pans and package extras for family, friends, or the freezer.
Evelyn’s Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
-
9-inch Round Cake Pan
-
Stand Mixer with Dough Hook
Ingredients
Dough
- ¼ cup yeast
- 2 cups warm water
- 6 Tbsp sugar
- 6 Tbsp butter, melted
- 1 Tbsp salt
- ½ cup powdered milk
- 2 eggs
- 6 cups all-purpose flour
Filling
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 1½ cup sugar
- 1¼ tsp cinnamon
Glaze
- 1 (32-oz) bag powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk (adjust for consistency)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer, combine yeast, warm water, sugar, and 6 Tbsp melted butter. Let sit until foamy, about 3 minutes.
- Add salt, powdered milk, eggs, and flour. Mix with the dough hook until thoroughly combined. Cover loosely and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
- Remove half the dough. On a floured surface roll into a 24×14-inch rectangle.
- Combine 1½ cups sugar and cinnamon. Spread ¼ cup melted butter over the dough and sprinkle with half the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Starting on the long end, roll the dough up tightly jelly-roll style.
- Cut into one-inch pieces and place in greased baking pans. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Let rolls rise until double in size, about 45–60 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake rolls for 20–25 minutes, until golden.
- To make the glaze: in a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Drizzle over warm rolls.
Notes
Adjust milk in the glaze to reach your preferred consistency.
Add chopped pecans to the cinnamon-sugar mixture for pecan cinnamon rolls.
You can freeze baked or unbaked rolls. For unbaked, freeze after arranging in the pan before the second rise; thaw, let rise, then bake as directed.
The nutritional information on this site is obtained from third-party sources and may not be verified for accuracy.
Remember this recipe.
Pin this recipe to your favorite board now to remember it later!
Pin Recipe
