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?
Made these Christmas morning for the family, they were a great success. So soft and fluffy even when prepped the day before and finished off the next day.
Thanks for another killer recipe!
I will be using all your recipe for our Christmas dinner! But I would be making everything ahead. For the cinnamon rolls, how many days ahead can I make it?
I made these with the 4.5 cups of flour in US, but my dough wasn’t sticky and and was more dough like. Should I have used 4 cups instead? Also if rolls don’t rise well or as much as expected on 2nd rise, was my water not warm enough? Any suggestions?
I made these for Thanksgiving Brunch today. They were so easy and amazing!
I baked these buns and put them in the frig over night. I left them on the counter in the morning for about 40 min then baked them in a preheated 320 oven as I have confection. I baked them for 25 min but they seem are a bit doughy. maybe I should have a higher heat. The middle ones were the most doughy
Hi Dianne, sorry you had issues here, sounds like they may of needed slightly longer in the oven, were they undercooked? N x
Hi Nagi!
Originally from Australia but currently living in the middle-east, my house doesn’t have an oven 🙁
How can I bake a cake/cinnamon rolls on the stove???
(I only trust your recipes and tips)
Hi Nina, I don’t think it will work on the stove top sorry as the heat is one directional – the tops won’t cook and go golden. N x
These turned out AMAZING!! Thank you for such a well written clear recipe to follow!
Hi Nagi, thank you for all your amazing recipes. Really appreciate your hard work. Question: If I freeze half the batch of cinnamon rolls, is it better to freeze them AFTER THEY ARE BAKED, or freeze them BEFORE THE SECOND RISE? Thank you for your reply in advance.
Hi Eunice, this recipe works well if you freeze before the second rise or even after baking – it’s totally up to you! N x
Hi Nagi, if you freeze them after baking is it better to freeze them without the frosting or would it work out well with the frosting on too?
Hi Nagi, thank you for ALL your amazing recipes. And thank you for working so hard to help us. I would like to freeze half the batch. Is it better to freeze them AFTER they are baked, or freeze them UNBAKED before the second rise?
Just tried this. Really soft bun and so easy to make! Love it! I adjusted the icing recipe into half and used softened butter instead of melted butter to spread on the dough..no mess at all !
Made these last week for a road trip – still thinking about them. Definitely better when they are fresh so if you can eat them the same day – so light and fluffy followed the recipe exactly and they were AMAZING. Only thing I would change is the icing recipe makes too much I would do half the amount and just spread it in the grooves. Gets too messy to eat and store otherwise. Another recipe I saw suggested rubbing softened butter into the dough instead of melted I must admit I would do that next time the melted butter was also just messy. Thanks Nagi!!
made them today and they were FANTASTIC!! easy recipe, once again. THANK YOU so much. will never have the fear of making these ever again. (did a simple icing without the cream cheese and it was superb).
I want to put them in the frig and bake the next day, but I’m not sure if I should put the dough in before the 2nd rise, or after I roll them into a log.
Hi Linda, roll and cut them – place them in the fridge just before the second rise. N x
I want to give these as gifts. What adjustments are needed if i put 4 in a disposable foil pan to bake?
Delicious and easy to make. Next time I will add nuts. Any way to freeze these since recipe makes too much for husband and myself?
Hi Elaine, you could always make a half batch – or just pop them in the freezer and thaw when you want to eat 🙂 N x
I’ve made this before and turns out great! This time i want to make it in a pyrex glass pan..will it work?
Hi Echy, yes that should work fine, I’m so happy you love them! N x
Hi, love your recipes.. plan to make this cinnamon roll. Can I omit the glaze?
Yes you can Chin! N x
Hi Chin, you sure can! N x
Oh I just love this recipe! I’ve made it so many times already! The dough is so soft, and it’s so easy to follow, a keeper definitely! If there is leftovers the next day, we just blitz them in the microwave to warm them up and eat like fresh again😉
Hi Nagi,
I so love this recipe. It’s like a dump-rise-roll-bake recipe. So easy for new bakers like me. I recently used it as base for a Filipino bread called ensaymada and it’s just so good, melt-in-your-mouth and the no kneading part is a very welcome bonus! Doing it again now! I’ve shared your recipes with my family and friends and we are all raving!
Keep sharing!
These are sooo good! No more store bought cinnamon rolls, ever.
Wonderful recipe – just amazing.