The Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
This recipe is hands down the Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Ever. The perfect soft, fluffy, gooey cinnamon rolls are right at your fingertips. Just like my great-grandmother used to make them! They are sure to be your new family tradition in no time!
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- 9 x 13 glass or ceramic pan
- Tooth floss
- Rolling Pin
- candy thermometer
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup sugar, divided
- ⅜ cup shortening
- 4.5 cups flour, divided
- ½ Tablespoon Rapid Rise yeast
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- t teaspoon baking powder
- ½ Tablespoon salt, heaping
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
Sugar Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp. milk, or more until good consistency for drizzling
- ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- First, combine the milk, half of the sugar and shortening in a saucepan over low to medium heat.
- Heat on low to medium heat it until the shortening melts, but do not let it boil.
- Once heated thoroughly and the shortening has melted, remove from heat.
- Position a candy thermometer (like this one) on the side of the pan with the end in the liquid, and let it cool to 115 degrees. I set a timer to come back and check every 5 minutes or so.
- In a very large bowl combine 3.5 cups of flour and yeast. Stir and add liquid mixture. It should be the consistency of thick cake batter.
- Cover the bowl of dough with a tea towel and put in a warm place to let it rise until double in size.
- This may 30 minutes, to 2 hours, depending on which yeast used.
- In a small mixing bowl combine 1 cup flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add this second mixture to the dough after it’s risen, stirring well. Knead the dough until it is all combined.
- Turn this dough out onto a well-floured surface and work in extra flour until dough is easy to handle.
- At this point dough can be refrigerated up to 5 days, perfect for making ahead of time.
- When ready to make the cinnamon rolls, preheat the oven to 110 degrees.
- Roll out the dough into a rectangular shape about ½ inch high.
- Combine softened butter, half a cup of sugar and ground cinnamon. Spread evenly over the the dough.
- Or spread a thin layer of butter on the roll dough and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on it.
- Roll the dough up starting at one of the long sides until there is a long log of rolled dough.
- Use a piece of thread or floss to cut the slices of cinnamon rolls by sliding the center of the thread under the the roll of dough and bringing the ends up, criss-crossing the thread until it cuts off a uniform piece of the roll. Keep them about 2 inches thick.
- Place rolls touching one another in a large 9 x 13 glass or ceramic baking dish.
- Set the pan of rolls in an oven on 110 degrees for about 45 minutes, until they have doubled in size.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until the tops of the rolls are golden brown. Remove rolls from the oven.
- While the rolls cook, mix confectioner’s sugar, milk and vanilla extract in a small bowl to make the glaze. Drizzle glaze over the rolls while hot and serve warm, preferably with milk.