One Big Cinnamon Roll

What Makes this Single Serve Cinnamon Roll the BEST?

• Quick & Easy to make. The dough comes together in about 5 minutes and no mixer or dough hook is required. Then the dough only has to rise for 10-15 minutes because we’re using rapid rise yeast. Then it bakes up in about 30 minutes and is ready to enjoy.
• It’s HUGE. We’re talking Cinnabon size – honestly maybe bigger! It’s definitely big enough to share, but I wouldn’t blame ya if you didn’t!
• Texture. The dough bakes up perfectly – the edges get slightly golden brown, but it stays pillowy soft all the way through – and the cream cheese frosting is silky and delicious.

Ingredients

• Rapid Rise Yeast. This is the ingredient that allows us to get a good rise in our dough in less than half of the time of traditional yeast.
• Salted Butter. Don’t be afraid to use salted butter in desserts! Salt makes sweet things taste even better!
• Granulated, brown, AND powdered sugar. Granulated sugar goes into the dough to add a little sweetness and feed the yeast. Brown sugar is used in the filling to add that rich molasses-y flavor. Powdered sugar is used in the cream cheese frosting for the perfect smooth consistency.
• Cinnamon. I used a half teaspoon in this recipe, but if you like extra, go for it!
• Cornstarch. This will help the filling stay in place and not leak out while baking so don’t skip it!
• Cream Cheese. I suggest using full fat Philadelphia cream cheese, but you’ll only need 1 TBSP, so whatever you have will work fine – just be SURE it’s at room temperature so your frosting doesn’t have clumps.
• Vanilla Extract. If you want little flecks of vanilla bean, go for the vanilla bean paste. Otherwise any good quality pure vanilla extract will do the trick.

How to make One Big Cinnamon Roll

Make the dough.

Add the butter and water to a medium sized mixing bowl. I like using my large 4C liquid measuring cup for this recipe. Warm the butter and water in the microwave until it’s warm to the touch, but not hot – about 110-115 degrees F. If it’s too hot it will kill the yeast, so be careful. Then, add the yeast, sugar, and 2 TBSP (20g) of the flour and whisk until smooth. The, add the remaining 90g of flour and stir together with a mini spatula or wooden spoon until it’s combined.

Then, turn the dough onto a very lightly floured surface and knead by hand for about 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and springs back when you press a clean finger into it. Place back in the mixing bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise for 10-20 minutes or until it has doubled in size.

Make the filling and bake.

In a small bowl, add the room temperature butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt. It’s important to use softened butter NOT melted butter because we want the filling to stay inside the cinnamon roll and not seep out while baking. Using softened butter and cornstarch will help with that!

Mix until combined into a thick paste like consistency. Once the dough has doubled in size, roll it out into one strip about 1.5″ tall and 15″ long. You don’t want the dough to be too thin because we want nice thick layers so don’t roll it thinner than 1/4″.

Spread the filling in an even layer across the entire top of the dough, then tightly roll. Pinch the end to keep it from unraveling while it bakes. Place the roll onto a parchment lined quarter sheet pan or into and 4-6″ round baking dish. I like to bake it in my mini dutch oven – but you could do a small cake pan, a large muffin tin, even an oven safe mug. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until the edges are just starting to brown.

Make the frosting.

Add the softened cream cheese and butter to a small bowl and mix until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste) and a pinch of salt and mix until combined. You can adjust the thickness by using a bit of heavy cream to thin it out and powdered sugar to thicken.

Spread the cream cheese frosting onto the warm cinnamon roll and enjoy.

One Big Cinnamon Roll FAQs

• Can I make this recipe gluten free? Unfortunately, I have not developed a gluten free cinnamon roll recipe yet. For this recipe, the gluten formation is essential to achieving the perfect soft and bouncy texture of the roll, so I’d stick with regular all purpose flour for the best results.
• Can I make this ahead of time? You can prepare the roll to the point that it’s rolled up, then place it covered in the fridge for a few hours up to overnight. When ready to bake, pour on the cream and then bake normally as directed.
• Do I have to bake it in a cast iron? No! Any pan you have that is small (around 6″ is ideal) and round is perfect. But you can also just bake this on a sheet pan. It might bake up a little wonky unless your roll is perfectly straight, but it will still taste delicious.