You won’t believe how light and fluffy these 1 Hour Cinnamon Rolls are! They’re quick, easy and incredibly delicious!
There’s nothing like a warm, gooey cinnamon roll covered in sweet icing. If you love sweet rolls, you’ll want to try Orange Sweet Rolls or Lemon Poppy Seed Sweet Rolls.
The Quick Rise Method
When I made these lemon poppy seed sweet rolls, I learned a quick-rise technique for sweet rolls. It’s one I’ve used before with dinner rolls, but never considered it for cinnamon rolls. Genius, I thought!
I played around with the recipe (since they turned out so well) and came up with these 1 hour cinnamon rolls. If you’re anything like me and LOVE cinnamon rolls but HATE waiting around for them, this recipe is for you!
These fluffy, sweet swirls of goodness will be in your mouth in no time. I like to take these babies layer by layer until I get to the tightest roll in the middle. It’s always bursting with cinnamon flavor and super soft and gooey! If you’re impatient just dive right in and enjoy.
You’ve got to give this easy, yummy recipe a try—you’ll thank me later.
How to Make Cinnamon Rolls
DRY INGREDIENTS. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, yeast and salt. Mix the ingredients until they are dispersed evenly.
WET INGREDIENTS. Then, in a small microwave safe bowl (or glass measuring cup), combine the sugar, butter, water and milk. Heat in the microwave until the mixture is hot and the butter is almost melted (it took about 1 minute 30 seconds on HIGH in my microwave). Heating the mixture will help activate the yeast and keep the dough warm enough to begin to rise while it rests.
COMBINE. Gradually add the milk mixture into the flour mixture. Add the egg and mix until a soft and sticky dough forms. You may need to add a teaspoon more of flour if your dough is too tacky or is not pulling away from the sides.
PREP. Now stop what you’re doing and turn on your oven to 200 degreesFahrenheit. We’re going to let the rolls rise in the warm oven.
DOUGH. If you’re using a stand mixer, switch to the dough hook and set on the lowest mixing setting for 4 minutes or until the dough becomes elastic or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 3-4 minutes. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rest on the counter for 5 minutes. The plastic wrap should get fogged, that’s exactly what you want.
SHAPE. Once the dough has rested, roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it measures a 16×9 inch rectangle. It doesn’t have to be perfect, mine was slightly rounded. Prepare the filling by combining all of the ingredients in a small mixing bowl except for the butter. Spread the butter over the top of the rolled dough, then cover with the filling. Tightly roll the dough and cut into 12 portions.
QUICK RISE. Place the cinnamon rolls into a lightly greased 9×13 baking dish and gently press a piece of aluminum foil over top. Turn OFF your oven (DO NOT FORGET THIS STEP!) and place the covered rolls inside to rise for 25 minutes. They should doubled in size. Remove the rolls from the oven and turn ON your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
BAKE+ SERVE. Once heated, bake the rolls for 15-18 minutes or until the centers are lightly golden brown in color.Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for a few minutes before frosting. Prepare the frosting while rolls are cooling, then spread over the tops.
Recipe Tips
- Hand or Mixer: You have two options when it comes to making these rolls. #1 by hand or #2 with a stand mixer. Since I own a KitchenAid, I used that… but either method works.
- Milk + Water? I like using a combination of milk and water, because I think the extra fat from the milk is what makes sweet rolls taste so good.
- Floss Trick: To cut dough, use dental floss. I also cut it in half, then fourths etc. That way my pieces are all uniform in size (you may have a few smaller pieces from the ends, just arrange them around the larger rolls).
- Pan Size: Bake your rolls in a 9×13 pan, or two 8×8 pans.
- Temperature: Make sure your sugar, butter, water, and milk mixture isn’t too hot when you add it into your flour mixture. If the butter is completely melted and the mixture is bubbling you may want to let it cool for just a bit so it doesn’t kill your yeast.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar is one of the star ingredients in this recipe and you can use either the light or dark brown variety. Dark brown sugar has more molasses and will have a stronger, sweeter flavor.
- Raisins: To mix it up a bit you could add some raisins into your filling before you roll everything up, you could also sprinkle some chopped pecans or walnuts on top of your rolls after you have frosted them.
- Frosting: To make these with a cream cheese frosting, you can find a great recipe here: Mini Cinnamon Rolls With Cream Cheese Frosting
Storing info
To make your mornings even easier you can prepare these the night before, put them in a pan tightly covered with plastic wrap and store them in the fridge. The next day, warm them in an oven that has been heated to 200 degrees then turned OFF for about 30 -60 minutes to rise, and then bake them as directed.
These 1 hour cinnamon rolls are best served warm. I heat mine for 30-40 seconds in the microwave the following day so that they’re tender and hot in the centers.
STORE any leftover cinnamon rolls in a tightly covered container at room temperature for 2 days. FREEZE them in freezer safe bags, and keep them for about a month. Let them thaw at room temperature and rewarm in the oven or microwave.
It is simple to FREEZE cinnamon roll dough before they’ve risen. At this point, wrap the container tightly in plastic wrap and foil. Keep them in the freezer for 3 months. When ready to enjoy them let them thaw and rise before baking like normal.
For more sweet rolls, check out:
- Orange Sweet Rolls
- Maple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
- Tropical Cinnamon Rolls
- Lemon Poppy Seed Rolls
1 Hour Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Get ready to be wowed by these 1 Hour Cinnamon Rolls! Fluffy, easy, and irresistibly delicious – they're the perfect treat for any time craving.
4.71 from 107 votes
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Course: Bread, Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Prep Time: 45 minutes mins
Cook Time: 15 minutes mins
Total Time: 1 hour hr
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 325kcal
Author: Andrea
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cup of flour - all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 egg
- 1 package instant yeast - 2 ¼ tsp (Red Star or Preferred Brand)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp salt
For the Filling
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup butter - room temperature
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
For the Vanilla Glaze
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup butter - melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 tbsp milk
Instructions
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, yeast, and salt.
In a small bowl or a microwave-safe bowl (or glass measuring cup), combine the sugar, butter, water, and milk. Heat in the microwave until the mixture is hot and the butter is almost melted (it took about 1 minute 30 seconds on HIGH in my microwave). Gradually add the milk mixture to the flour mixture. Add the egg and mix until a soft and sticky dough forms.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 degrees Celsius).
If using a stand mixer, switch to the dough hook and set on the lowest mixing setting for 4 minutes, or until the dough becomes elastic, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 3-4 minutes. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rest on the counter for 5 minutes.
Once the dough has rested, roll it out on a lightly floured work surface until it measures a 16×9 inch rectangle. Prepare the filling by combining all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl except for the butter. Spread the butter over the top of the rolled dough, then cover with the cinnamon sugar filling. Tightly roll the dough and cut into 12 portions. I like to use dental floss for this. I also cut it in half, then into fourths, etc. That way, my pieces are all uniform in size (you may have a few smaller pieces from the ends, just arrange them around the larger rolls).
Place the rolls into a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking dish and gently press a piece of aluminum foil or a kitchen towel over the top. Turn OFF your oven and place the covered rolls inside to rise for 25 minutes.
Remove the rolls from the oven and turn ON your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius). Once heated, remove the foil and bake the rolls for 15-18 minutes, or until the centers are lightly golden brown in color.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before frosting. While the rolls are cooling, prepare the frosting by combining all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and beating by hand or with a hand mixer until smooth. Spread over the tops of the rolls.
VIDEO
NOTES
-I always add a “hint” of almond extract to the filling… it’s just how my mom always made her filling. Feel free to use only vanilla extract or only almond extract.
-If you live in a dry place or have trouble with baked goods drying out quickly, you may want to fill a separate 9×13″ baking dish with boiling water and put it on the lowest rack in your oven right before you proof the rolls (place them in the warm oven to rise). This will ensure that the rolls stay moist and elastic. You will keep the water in the oven until they are baked.
STORE the cinnamon rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or place them in your refrigerator for up to 5 days. To FREEZE, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then in foil before storing them in your freezer. They can be frozen for up to 2 months.
To REHEAT, thaw overnight in the fridge if frozen, then warm in the oven at 300 degrees F (150 degrees Celsius) for about 10-15 minutes or in the microwave for a few seconds until heated through.
These 1-hour cinnamon rolls are best served warm. I heat mine for 30-40 seconds in the microwave the next morning so that they’re tender and hot in the centers.
Nutrition
Serving: 12serving | Calories: 325kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 283mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 329IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 2mg
