Buttery Brioche Cinnamon Rolls

The warm smell of cinnamon, butter and a sweet dough baking in the oven is probably one of the best things you can wake up to in the mornings. If you have been following my blog for awhile, you know how much I adore breakfast and brunch. Granola, muffins, breads , stratas, french toasts- I love it all.

I have a wonderful cinnamon roll recipe to share with you. This is the culmination of a long study of several recipes that I attempted to perfect- after much trial and error.

I don’t like a heavy cream cheese frosting, but a lighter thin icing that doesn’t hide the pillowy layers of bread that have baked up fluffy and buttery. I didn’t want a heavy or clunky roll so I opted for a brioche type dough that prooves overnight. Don’t be intimated– its a beautiful dough to work. Brown sugar, softened butter and loads of cinnamon create the perfect filing- and not too much of it where you need a knife and a fork to eat your treat.

I hope you give these little beauties a try. Feel feel to ask questions below in the comments or on my Instagram page @pineandpalmkitchen .

Enjoy!

They are almost too beautiful to top with a glaze.

Buttery Brioche Cinnamon Rolls

  • For the Sweet Dough
  • 1 cup whole milk

  • 1 TBSP active dry yeast

  • 4 TBSP sugar

  • 2 large eggs

  • 3 1/4 cup all purpose flour, plus more for rolling the dough

  • 1 tsp kosher salt

  • 1/2 cup softened butter, plus 5 TBSP for the pans

  • For the filling
  • 3/4 cup softened unsalted butter

  • 1 cup plus 2 TBSP light brown sugar

  • 1 1/2 TBSP cinnamon

  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt

  • For the icing
  • 2-4 TBSP Whole milk

  • 2 cups SIFTED powdered sugar

  • 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice

  • 1 TBSP butter, melted

Heat milk to 110 degrees then whisk in the sugar and yeast

Tools NEeded:

  • Cooking thermometer

  • Stand mixer with dough hook attachemnt

  • large bowl

  • 2- 9″ x 13″ baking pans

  • plastic wrap

  • Cooking spray

  • rolling pin

  • off- set spatula

  • fine mesh strainer or sifter to sift powdered sugar

Bubbles mean the yeast has been activated.

Method: Prep time: 15 minutes, overnight rise, second proove-45 minutes, baking: -30 minutes.

  • In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the milk to 110 degrees. Once you have the milk at 110 degrees, pour into a measuring cup and whisk in the yeast and sugar. Let rest for 5 minutes. The milk will begin to bubble signifying the yeast is alive and has been activated.
    Once the yeast is activated, whisk in your eggs and combine until smooth.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, add the flour and salt. Take care to accurately measure the flour. Add the milk mixture to the flour and mix until well combined.
    Slowly add in the butter, one tablespoon at a time taking care to fully incorporate the butter with each piece. Scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time. The dough might try to “climb” up the dough hook. This is fine- just scrape it down.
  • Coat a large bowl with softened butter or vegetable oil.

    Once your butter is fully mixed in, beat the dough on medium speed for 5 minutes until glossy and smooth.
    The dough is still fairly wet and not ready for rolling. Transfer the dough the large buttered bowl.
    Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge 7-8 hours or overnight.
    This would be a good time to set out the 3/4 cup butter for the filing. It should soften overnight for best results.
  • Prepare the filling:
    In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, cinnamon, salt and brown sugar. Set aside.

  • Generously butter the entire interior surface of the 2 baking pans. Be certain to coat the sides and bottom. More is best.
  • Roll out the dough– prepare your work surface with a generous amount of flour. Knead the dough for a few minutes with your hands to loosen up the dough. Shape it into a rough rectangle pressing outward with your fingers. With a floured rolling pin, begin rolling the dough into a large rectangle about 1/4″ thick. Rotate the dough often while rolling to prevent sticking , adding more flour on the work surface.
  • With an ” target=”_blank”>offset spatula, spread out the cinnamon- sugar-butter filling onto the dough leaving a 1″ border around the edge.
    Roll the dough up tightly into a log making sure you roll evenly so the ends are not thinner than the center section. If the ends are thinner, just trim them with a sharp knife.
    Using a serated knife with a floured blade, cut the dough into 2″ thick sections starting from the middle .
    Place the rolls cut side up into the buttered baking pans. The rolls should not be touching.
  • Spray two pieces of plastic wrap large enough to cover the pans with cooking spray. Lightly cover the rolls with the sprayed plastic wrap and place in a warm area to rise for 45 minutes. Make certain there are no drafts or cold air where the rolls are rising.
    Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees.
  • After 45 minutes, the rolls should be puffy. Remove the plastic wrap. Place rolls in the preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 20-30 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
    With a metal spatula, try picking up one of the rolls to peek underneath to ensure the bottoms are nicely browned and not soggy or raw.
  • Mix the icing while the rolls are in the oven baking.
    Be certain to sift the powdered sugar or else the icing will be clumpy.
    Add in the lemon juice, powdered sugar and melted, but cooled, butter. Follow with the milk– one tablespoon at a time. You want a smooth icing that is not too runny, so you may not need all the milk.
    Whisk until smooth and glossy.
  • Remove the rolls from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then pour on the icing. Let the icing set up for a minute or two and then remove from the pan with an off-set spatula.
    Serve warm.
Creating a wonderful mess
The milk has really bubbled up- perfect for the dough.
Place dough in a buttered or oiled bowl. Cover. Let rest overnight.
Hello beautiful little ball of dough.
Filling for the rolls- butter, cinnamon and light brown sugar- throw in a bit of salt.
Spread the filing out leaving a 1″ border around the edge.
Start slicing in the middle working out- toss the pieces on the end. Use a floured knife.
Perfect swirls of happiness.
I bake the recipe in two batches- one to keep and one to share.
Sweet buttery love in a pan.

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5 Comments

  1. Hi, this recipe sounds wonderful!
    I was wondering how many rolls is this
    supposed to make?

    Thanks and Merry Christmas ?

    1. Meggen Wilson says:

      Hi Deborah- This makes about 16 cinnamon rolls. I use two pans to bake it in, but you can use one really large pan. Make certain the rolls are not touching while rising. The more space you give them to rise, the softer and more pillowy the dough will be.

  2. I wish you’d open them so I can see the finished product from the end result.

    1. Meggen Wilson says:

      Hi Ang,
      They are billowy inside- a true brioche roll. I hope you give them a try.