Overnight Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

4.93 from 81 votes

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Overnight cinnamon rolls that are ooey and gooey and soft. Make the dough the night, assemble the rolls the night before and allow it to rise in the fridge overnight. Just bake up the next morning!

Prep Time35

Cook Time18

Rising Times14

Total Time14 53

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American, Breakfast

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: cinnamon rolls

Author: Adrianna Adarme

Cost: $12

Equipment

1 9x9-inch baking dish (or 9x13-inch)
1 Stand-up Mixer
1 large bowl
1 Measuring cup

Ingredients

Dough:

1/4 cup lukewarm milk (about 115F)
1 (8g) tablespoon active dry yeast (see below for instructions on using *instant* yeast)
2 3/4 (357g) cups all-purpose flour
3 (38g) tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs beaten in a bowl
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste
1/2 (113g) cup unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into cubes

Cinnamon Roll Filling:

1/2 (113g) cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 (30g) cup ground cinnamon
3 (39g) tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
3 (38g) tablespoons white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste
Pinch kosher salt

Cream Cheese Glaze:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
2 (200g) cups powdered sugar sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste
Pinch kosher salt
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Instructions

To Make the Dough:

To the bowl with of a stand-up mixer (alternatively, you can do this in a large bowl by hand), add the lukewarm milk. Mix in the active dry yeast and allow to stand and activate, about 8 minutes, until foamy and alive!
To a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. To the bowl with the yeast mixture, add the beaten eggs and vanilla extract; then all at once, add the flour mixture. Attach the dough hook to your mixer and mix on low until the dough starts to become cohesive. With the mixer running on low, slowly add the cubes of butter.
Knead on medium speed for about 5 minutes. Alternatively, if you’re doing this by hand, you’ll need to knead the dough for about 5 to 8 minutes. The dough will go from crumbly and separate to completely cohesive and smooth. The dough will be a little bit sticky. If it's super sticky, add another two teaspoons of flour. Remove the dough from the hook and bowl and form it into a ball.
Transfer the ball of dough to a clean, lightly greased bowl (I used the flour bowl and just wiped it clean with a kitchen towel and then greased it with olive oil). Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let it rise for about 30-45 minutes, until super supple and a little less than double in size.

To Make the Filling:

To the bowl of a stand-up mixer (with the paddle attachment) or using a medium bowl and a fork, add the butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla and salt. Mix and mash until the filling is completely smooth.

To Assemble the Cinnamon Rolls:

Lightly flour your work surface and place the dough into the center. Lightly flour your rolling pin and roll the dough into a 1/4-inch thick square that measures 15“ x 15“ If it’s not a perfect square, then that’s totally ok.
Add the filling to the dough and spread into a thin layer, using a butter knife or offset spatula. I smeared the filling pretty close to the edges. Starting from the edge furthest from you, roll the dough towards you, horizontally, into a firm log.
Taking a piece of dental floss, trim off the ends. Cut the rolls into 1 inch rolls, for about 12 rolls. OR you could do 1 1/2 rolls for 9 rolls.
I've done both depending on how many servings I need.
Transfer to a greased 9 x 9 baking pan (or something comparable). Cover the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge overnight.

To Make the Cream Cheese Icing:

To the bowl of a stand-up mixer (or a large bowl) with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugars, vanilla paste, salt and heavy cream. Beat for about 20 seconds.

To Bake the Rolls:

The next morning, remove the rolls from the fridge. Allow them to stand on the counter to come to room temperature for about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours. This will depend on how cold your fridge is. I like to make sure they feel soft and supple.
*See below for instructions on assembling the rolls and then allowing them to rise overnight in the fridge.
Preheat your oven to 350F. Remove the plastic wrap from the baking dish and transfer to the oven to bake for about 18-20 minutes, until they've puffed up a bit and are medium golden brown.
When the cinnamon rolls come out of the oven, let them stand for about 5-10 minutes. Then add on the icing to the warm cinnamon rolls.

Notes

Using Instant Yeast:

Instant yeast is different than active dry yeast. Active dry yeast has to be activated in liquid until it's foamy and alive. Instant yeast can be added to dry ingredients. You can use instant yeast with this recipe. To do that, mix into the dry ingredients (you can skip activating it).

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