American · Desserts

Soft cinnamon rolls

Name: Soft cinnamon rolls
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 3 h 45 min
Yield: 12 rolls
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 1/2 cups (420 grams) all-purpose flour, divided; 1 cup (240 grams) whole milk, divided; 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast; 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon fine sea salt; 1 large egg; 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, softened and divided; 3/4 cup (160 grams) packed dark brown sugar; 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon; 4 ounces (113 grams) full-fat block cream cheese, softened; 1 cup (120 grams) confectioners' sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream or milk, for glaze

Pillowy cinnamon spirals with gooey brown-sugar centers and a tangy cream cheese glaze.

About 3 hr 45 minTotal

About 1 hr 15 minActive

$$Cost

AdvancedDifficulty

Makes 12 rolls

Equipment

Use another light-colored 9 × 13-inch metal pan and begin checking browning early.
Best metal 9-by-13 pan
USA Pan 9-by-13-Inch Rectangular Baking Pan · 1110RC
View at Amazon
Another workable path: Use another light-colored 9 × 13-inch metal pan and begin checking browning early.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We matched exact interior dimensions and metal heat behavior, then checked material, maximum temperature, coating care, stable model identity, and retail destination. Kwilt has not baked with this pan.
USA Pan 9-by-13-Inch Rectangular Baking Pan · 1110RC: The exact 9-by-13-inch baking surface and aluminized-steel construction match recipes whose dough depth and bottom browning depend on a standard metal pan. Trade-off: The nonstick surface calls for hand washing and nonmetal tools, and efficient heat conduction can brown faster than glass.
Another workable path: Use another light-colored 9-by-13-inch metal pan; glass changes heat behavior and is not an equal substitute for every high-heat bread method.
Sources
USA Pan 1110RC specifications
Amazon exact product listing

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 12 rolls

3 1/2 cups (420 grams) all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup (240 grams) whole milk, divided
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 large egg
6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, softened and divided
3/4 cup (160 grams) packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
4 ounces (113 grams) full-fat block cream cheese, softened
1 cup (120 grams) confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream or milk, for glaze

Instructions

For tangzhong, whisk 3 tablespoons flour with 1/2 cup milk in a saucepan over medium heat until a thick paste forms, about 2 minutes. Scrape into a mixer bowl and cool 10 minutes.
Add remaining flour and milk, yeast, granulated sugar, salt, egg, and 3 tablespoons butter. Knead 8 to 10 minutes until smooth, elastic, and tacky. Cover and rise 60 to 90 minutes until puffy and nearly doubled.
Roll to a 16-by-12-inch rectangle. Spread with remaining 3 tablespoons butter and sprinkle evenly with brown sugar and cinnamon, leaving a 1/2-inch bare long edge. Roll tightly from the other long edge, pinch closed, and cut 12 rolls with unflavored dental floss or a serrated knife.
Arrange in a buttered , cover, and rise 35 to 55 minutes until touching and very puffy. Bake at 350°F for 22 to 28 minutes until lightly golden and the center roll reaches 190°F. This is the batch's one true project: cooked flour paste, kneading, two rises, rolling, filling, clean portioning, baking, and glazing are intrinsic.
Beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and enough cream for a thick glaze. Cool rolls 10 minutes and spread glaze over warm tops. Store covered; rewarm individual rolls gently so the tangzhong-soft crumb stays plush.

United StatesAmerican baking and dessert traditions

From the table

About this recipe

Cinnamon rolls are familiar American bakery and weekend-breakfast comfort; this version uses tangzhong, a cooked flour-and-milk paste, to hold extra water and keep the enriched spiral bread unusually soft.

Cinnamon rolls are familiar American bakery and weekend-breakfast comfort. The small cooked flour-and-milk paste is tangzhong, a technique that binds extra water so enriched bread stays unusually soft beyond the first hour. A dark brown-sugar cinnamon filling supplies the expected gooey spiral, and cream cheese glaze adds enough tang to keep the roll from tasting flatly sweet. This Kwilt version follows the reviewed household adaptation: Center the 962-review tangzhong method, resize giant rolls for a household pan, and add the independently preferred cream cheese note while openly counting every yeast-dough and assembly step.

Sources

Dinner does not stop at the recipe