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?
Wonderful recipe – just amazing.
Thank you for this delicious recipe! The dough was so easy to work with and the buns were fabulous.
I love hearing this Kristina – thanks so much for the feedback 🙂 N x
Hello!! I have a couple questions as I live on a sailboat in Panama. Can I use cane sugar instead of brown sugar? And can I separate the roller buns into 2 small pans (my oven is small). Thank you!
Kristina – you live on a sailboat so however you make the cinnamon rolls, they will be delicious because everything is delicious while living on a sailboat
Hi Nagi, could you half this recipe to make 6?
Hi Kristina, yes I imagine that will work fine! N x
it’s very nice to be able to choose the serving BUT i would like to be able to print the recipe for the number of serving I choose too, not only the original (we are 5 at home)
WARNING — Very addictive!!! ‘oh one more won’t hurt’ then all of a sudden there are none left!
Making them again tomorrow as they didn’t even last an hour in this house…
Can you make this Using gluten free flour???
Hi Anna, sorry this recipe doesn’t work with GF flour – the rolls are too dense. N x
These came out perfect. I followed the recipe exactly as is (except cutting down the glaze’s sugar to 1 cup). We live in Bangkok and good bread/rolls are expensive and hard to find. My kids love focaccia and we are waiting for your version. Thank you Nagi.
***Do these freeze well?
Hi Wiw – yes the rolls freeze nicely, perfect to store for emergencies! N x
Hi Nagi,
My attempt ended was a failure unfortunately 🙁
After the first rise the dough was just too sticky. It was impossible to work with. I made sure I weight everything correctly so not sure what when wrong. Any advice?
Hi Munsef, did you weight out the ingredients as per the recipe? Sounds like it may of been a little short on flour! N x
Thanks for the reply Nagi,
So I tried the recipe again today, measuring everything twice, I still ended up with very sticky dough after the #1 rise. So I just kept adding flour (added about 150g) until I I was able to roll it out. The rest of the steps were straight forward. I used a dental floss to cut the log which I found to be better than using a knife. Overall, I’m happy with the result. I’m sure I’ll become better as I gain more experience in baking.
Kind regards,
I’m not sure I understand this MAKE AHEAD: Follow recipe up to rolling balls and cover with cling wrap. Then refrigerate for 4 hours – 24 hours (this is the 2nd rise), take them out 30 minutes before then bake!
**Did you mean stop and refrigerate after step 9-10. cut into 12 pieces (4cm / 1.6″), then place on tray (3 x 4).
Step 10.Cover with tea towel then REFRIGERATE after this step?
Hi Wiw, yes you’re going to roll them out and assemble the buns then place them in the fridge (in the pan) for the second rise. N x
Hi Nagi,
Hope you’re doing well
I am trying to figure out how much flour I should use. The recipe says to use 20oz which is 567g when converted, but the recipe also says to use 600g. I would really appreciate it if you clear this one for me.
Kind regards,
Hi Munsef, 1 cup here is 150g, so the recipe calls for 600g in total. If you’re ever unsure, go by the gram amount listed as that’s the same no matter where you are in the world. N x
Thanks for the prompt reply Nagi! I will let you know how it goes as this will be my first time making cinnamon rolls
Many thanks
What would happen if I use a bread maker to mix the dough and for the first rise?
When do I glaze, is it 1 hour after they’ve cooled down?
Thanks I love your recipes!
Hi Wiw – you can definitely do that however there really is no need to knead! 😉 Glaze the rolls once they’ve completely cooled. Enjoy! N x
Hi Nagi,
Can I use active dry yeast? Also can I cut the recipe into half and make it since it’s the first time.
Thanks,
Mayanka
Hi Mayanka, yes that’s the yeast used in this recipe. You can definitely make a half batch 🙂 N x
Oh my God they are incredible!!!!! I have been craving cinnamon rolls for years as we cant really get any in Australia 🙄 these are so easy I have made them 4 times in the last 3 weeks my whole family absolutely loves them ❤️❤️
I rolled in nutella spread in them. So goooooood. Thank you for the recipe and all other recipes. Never fail me 🙂
YUM! I love that idea!! N x
Easy and delicious! Thanks, Nagi! Such a lifesaver during lockdown and Cinnabon doesn’t deliver..How long will the buns keep? Should I keep them refrigerated if they are not finished in a day? Also, if I wanted to roll them into smaller buns (say to make 18 instead of 12) – I guess I would start by making the rectangular piece thinner? Will the cooking time differ in that case?
Hi Mashy, I’m so glad you loved them! I store mine at room temperature but you can definitely store in the fridge if you like. If you want to make more, simply roll the rentable out longer so you have more space to make 18 cuts. Keep an eye on them, cook time should be somewhat the same 🙂 N x
Thanks!! Will try
Thanks for your quick reply, Nagi! Plan to bake some more next weekend 😀 ..
Hi Naji, i love your recipes!!! i tried this and it was amazing! although… my dough was v sticky & so hard for me to work with… what did i do wrong so i know for next time please. Thanks!
Hi Adele – did you follow the weight of flour in the recipe, sounds like you may of just needed a little more?
These are amazing Nagi! I’ve made them twice now with subs to keep them dairy free (coconut oil for butter and almond milk for milk). Works an absolute treat!! Yesterday, I even made them savoury – zaatar scrolls! Just reduced the sugar and upped the salt a bit. Absolutely incredible how soft they are!! Thank you so much! 🙂
I’m so glad it works Vanessa, thanks so much for letting me know!! N x
hi nagi! the first time we made these they were truly AMAZING. we want to make it again but to avoid being rushed the day of, we plan to make the cinnamon rolls the day before our dinner party and bake day of party. when you make it ahead, i see note 6 but i am wondering do you refrigerate it before or after the second rise? e.g. after cutting the log into 12 pieces, placing in pan and covering with tea towel, do we then let the rolls second rise for 40 min and then place into refrigerator for 4-24 hours or do we skip the second rise and place directly into refrigerator for 4-24 hours? cheers and thank you!
Hi Paula, you can make them, roll them out and then pull in the fridge for the seconds rise – the cold will slow down the process 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi, need some help I followed your recipe for the cinnamon rolls ,but when I took the mixture out of the bowl to roll out it was too soft. I added extra flour but struggled to roll it out, I did my best! Any advice…
Hi Shani, sorry you are having issues, that doesn’t sound right at all. What weight of flour did you use in the recipe? N x
These were amazing. Soft, fluffy, sweet. The cream cheese icing was sooo good. We gave some to my neighbour, who raves about my baking, and he said that these are my best yet! Thank you Nagi!
Wahoo, that’s so nice to hear! N x