By popular demand, it had to be done – the magic Soft No Knead Dinner Rolls have now been transformed into these No Knead Cinnamon Rolls!!! Soft and fluffy with a cream cheese glaze, these will change your life. No kneading, no stand mixer, no overnight rise. You’re welcome / I’m sorry….
I’m apologising for sharing these for a number of reasons. I’m sorry to all those trying to be healthy. (Me, me!) I’m sorry to everyone trying to cut down of their carb intake. (Me, me!)
I’m sorry to everyone who makes these once and are harassed to make them again and again…..
I actually wasn’t sure if I would ever share this. I had quite an astonishing number of messages here and on Facebook asking if the No Knead Dinner Rolls could be used to make cinnamon rolls. The concept sounded quite easy – just use the same dough but add a bit more flour so it was rollable into a large rectangle that could be slathered with butter and cinnamon sugar, then rolled up and cut.
The problem I kept running into – the 2 rolls in the middle of the tray just wouldn’t cook through properly. They looked cooked, but as soon as I bit into it, it was undeniably doughy.
Batches later… the answer was so simple. I ran out of bread flour and used normal flour.
Boom. It worked. Duh! Head smack! No-knead dough is more fragile than kneaded dough and bread flour makes buns slightly lighter and more tender. When you add that heavy butter / sugar slather, it weighs down the dough and adds too much moisture for the dough to rise and cook through properly.
Switch to plain / all purpose flour = slightly sturdier dough = sturdier (but still soft!) buns = fully cooked through.
Phew!
This No Knead Cinnamon Rolls recipe is also surprisingly forgiving. I’ve been amazed – you’ll see in the video that the dough looks even looser than the photos above. I’ve added flour and water right at the end to adjust the dough when it looked too thin / thick, I forgot sugar once and added that in after the 1st rise. Same result every time – couldn’t tell the difference.
As for kneaded vs no knead dough – here’s the truth. Kneaded dough makes a better bread. If that weren’t a fact, millions of bakeries around the world would be ditching their mixers. The bread is slightly more tender and keeps slightly better.
But the operative word here is slightly. The sheer convenience of this no knead recipe outweighs the small difference, and opens up a new world of possibilities for people who don’t have a stand mixer nor are inclined to knead dough by hand.
And the clincher is that when these No Knead Cinnamon Rolls are warmed slightly – just 15 seconds in the microwave – it makes them so uber soft and fluffy, you’d swear they were from a posh bakery.
Well – your family and friends will think that. You can just sit back and lap up the compliments! – Nagi x
PS You know full well these are not my Baby Hands.↓↓↓ These are my mother’s hands. She came round to be the hand model for the video. And she made these No Knead Cinnamon Rolls for the first time and specifically said that she was surprised how easy it was, even with “all that log rolling and cutting business”. 😉
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No Knead Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Buns:
- 1 tbsp dry yeast (Note 1)
- 70 g / 1/3 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar), or sub with normal white sugar
- 1/2 cup / 125 ml warm water (Note 2)
- 600 g / 20 oz plain flour / all purpose flour (4 1/2 US Cups, 4 Cups everywhere else exc Japan) (Note 3)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup / 250 ml milk , lukewarm, whole or low fat, (Note 2)
- 50 g / 3.5 tbsp unsalted butter , melted and slightly cooled
- 2 large eggs , beaten with fork
EXTRA FLOUR:
- 1/4 cup / 35g plain flour (all purpose flour), plus more as required
For Rolls:
- 90 g / 6 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
- 1 cup / 220 g brown sugar , packed
- 2 tbsp cinnamon powder
Cream Cheese Glaze:
- 90 g / 3 oz cream cheese , softened
- 50 / 3 tbsp unsalted butter , softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (or essence)
- 1 1/4 cups / 150g soft icing sugar / powdered sugar
- 2 – 3 tbsp milk , any (or water)
Instructions
Buns:
- Place the yeast and 2 teaspoons of the sugar in a medium bowl, then pour in water. Leave for 5 minutes until it froths.
- Place 600g/20oz flour, remaining sugar and salt in a bowl. Mix to combine.
- Make a well in the centre. Add milk, butter, eggs and pour in the yeast liquid, including all froth.
- Mix until combined with wooden spoon – it will be like a sticky muffin batter, not kneadable.
- Rise # 1: Cover with cling wrap and place in a warm place (25C/77F+) to rise for around 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 hrs or until almost tripled in volume. (Note 4) Dough surface should be bubbly (see video or photos in post).
Making Rolls & Rise #2 (video is helpful):
- Line a 31.5 x 23.5 cm / 9 x 13″ tray with baking paper with overhang.
- Mix cinnamon and sugar in a bowl.
- Uncover dough, mix with spoon to deflate.
- Sprinkle half Extra Flour on work surface, pour dough on, sprinkle over remaining Extra Flour. Use hands to incorporate the flour into the dough – it may not absorb it all (or need more), the dough will stop absorbing flour when it’s no longer sticky, should be soft, pliable.
- If work surface is now flour free, sprinkle with more flour.
- Shape dough into log, then roll out into 28 x 48 cm / 11 x 19″ rectangle.
- Pour over butter, then brush all over, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
- Roll up firmly, then shape into an even log.
- Cut into 12 pieces (4cm / 1.6″), then place on tray (3 x 4).
- Cover with tea towel then place in warm place for 40 minutes or until almost doubled.
Baking / Frosting:
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F (standard) or 160C/320F (fan / convection). Place shelf in the middle of the oven.
- Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the tray at 16 minutes.
- Buns are ready when the middle rolls are golden and the outer ones are deep golden on the edges. Tap the middle ones – they should sound hollow.
- Optional: Brush with 1 tbsp / 15g melted butter to remove any residual flour spots.
- Use paper overhang to lift rolls onto cooling rack (key step – Note 5). Cool for 1 hour (will still be warm).
- Use a spoon to frost with glaze. Best served warm!
Glaze:
- Place butter, cream cheese and vanilla in a bowl. Beat until smooth (10 – 15 seconds).
- Add icing sugar, beat to incorporate. Add enough milk to make it a consistency that can be spooned over the buns and it drips slightly (see video).
Recipe Notes:
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
No Knead Cinnamon Rolls recipe video! Starring my mother – I’m the director/producer/cameraman/editor/screenwriter/runner/recipe developer.
Have you tried the Soft No Knead Dinner Rolls yet? 🙂
LIFE OF DOZER
You knew he’d be down there, didn’t you?
OMG!! These are a slice of heaven! I made these today and am just blown away! They are so light and fluffy and freaking DELICIOUS!!! I followed your directions exactly. I used a stoneware baking dish, so they needed to bake about 10 minutes longer than your directions. This is my new go to recipe. Thank you for all the testing. This is a keeper!
Yes YES YES!!!!!!!!! ❤️
Hi, i would like to try this recipe. I have active dry yeast and instant yeast… which one should I be using?
Thanks
Hi Vii! Either is fine 🙂 Go for active dry yeast!
Just as a follow-up to my comment yesterday. Made these for my brunch and everyone clamored around them to get one and they are a HUGE hit!! Now I’m in double trouble – they want the no knead dinner rolls at dinner and the transformed rolls for breakfast!! I don’t know why, but I love that dryer trick so much. The dough and the rolls just rise beautifully….try it!!
These look absolutely brilliant and delicious. Any time I can avoid kneading is a good day for me 😉 Thanks for the sweet sunday inspiration!
I hear you!!! I even have a stand mixer but I swear, I’ve almost burnt out the motor from bread making so these no knead doughs have been a life changer!
Sorry to differ, but kneaded bread is not better than no knead, nor does it keep better. The reason bakeries still knead bread is only because it produces bread faster. In fact, all the things they taught us in home ec – the warm water, the kneading, the punching down, the requirement for a warm environment to rise – are to produce a loaf in the shortest amount of time, not to produce the best loaf. If you really want the most flavorful bread that stays fresh, let it rise in the refrigerator for 24 hours. It’s time that produces great bread, not kneading.
Hi Rosemary, thanks so much for sharing you expertise, I find that really interesting! As I’ve delved more into yeast baking, I’ve been fascinated to read similar – things like the need to froth the yeast, and this whole no knead phenomenon too. I do feel that kneaded dough does come out slightly more tender and as a result it keeps better. And yes I absolutely agree that long rise = great flavoured bread, that’s why I add butter into my no knead doughs, to add flavour. 🙂 N xx
I made them with a shredded apple and toasted walnuts used palm sugar didn’t have regular sugar I had mexican cinnamon that I ground in my spice grinder its a warmer sweet fragrant cinnamon I liked them so did the husband ,no glaze just turned the pan over so the sticky stuff was the topping
next time I am baking these as garlic bread rolls …
WHOOT WHOOT WHOOT!!!! I AM SO HAPPY TO HEAR THAT!!! I can’t WAIT to make these as cheese and garlic rolls and all sorts of variations!
I have made the no knead dinner rolls a few times now and they are awesome! Nagi is right when she says people will request them because I get that just for the dinner rolls. I am right in the middle of making these now and I use the dryer trick and that’s where my dough is now. I’m so excited to transform these into cinnamon rolls and this is brilliant idea!!. Carbs, shmarbs…enjoy!! life is too short.
I can’t WAIT to hear what you think!!!! PS Every single time I made these, I used the dryer. It’s winter over here in Australia, it’s the best place!!!
I’d like to suggest to keep rolls soft for an Xtra day or so, crush a vitamin C pill and add it to your dough Or what I do is add about a teaspoon of lemon juice when adding the liquid
SERIOUSLY???!!!! GOOGLING RIGHT NOW!!!
I’m drolling. These rolls look amazing, Nagi!
Thanks Sabrina!!! 🙂 Worked hard on these, I’m proud of them! N xx
Are those crumbs on his whiskers? Hehe – lovely recipe and I could really sink my teeth into one this morning, with my hot cup of coffee. Love the substantial filling – makes all the difference!
They very well may have been – he he!! You know full well that he got plenty of snacks throughout all the trial and errors! N xx
Hello Nagi!
I have never tried no knead dinner rolls and yours look just amazing!
I either knead by hand when I feel I need some exercise for my arms hehe or use my kitchen aid.
I have to try these one of these days and I will let you know!
Take care!
I swear I have almost burned out my KitchenAide because of bread making! I use it way more for dough than for sweet baking!
Not my usual batch of cinnamon buns, but I’ll be Happy to give these a try!! Anddddd…I’m going to take Dorothy’s suggestion. After all – everything IS better with bacon! 😀
Dozer dog’s eyes are so dreamy! How can you resist them?! 😉 Have a great weekend Nagi, and thanks for another super recipe – I can tell already!
But of course. Bacon bacon bacon! PS I can’t resist them ,that’s the problem. And without being exercised for 2 whole weeks, he gained almost 2 kg / 4 lb!!!
I love you, Nagi! These are happening this weekend. Thank you!
Probably shouldn’t rate until I’ve tried them, but what the heck –
they look 5 stars and I’ve been searching for a fluffy cinnamon roll
recipe for ages.
I hope you love them TJ!!! 🙂 N xx
Do these freeze well? What a great recipe… keen to give it a try but won’t be able to eat them all. Thank you!
YES!!! I froze plenty, thawed then warmed 🙂
Look so easy that even me can do it. I think so:)
I wish to have one right now with a hot chocolate on a rainy day like today.
Have a fun weekend Nagi!
YOU CAN YOU CAN! 🙂 Hope you are having a fab weekend too Carlos, it’s a long weekend over here and it’s been a great one! N xx
Good thing you already apologized. These are a no-brainer and way too easy not to make. Kicking myself for even reading this but we’re going to give it go, swimsuit season be damned.
Ba ha ha!!!! I should have apologised extra hard to those heading into swimsuit season – us Aussies are bundled up in jumpers so our care factor is lower….
Hi Nagi. I haven’t made cinnamon rolls is ages, but now I want some. I usually let my bread maker do the work for me (on the dough cycle). Have you ever added chopped pecans and cooked, crumbled bacon on top of the cinnamon/sugar? Trust me, you need to try it.
Gah! I actually thought of you when I made a pecan stuffed version and meant to add it in the notes. And I LOVE the bacon idea! Putting both of them in the recipe notes! N x