The Perfect Cinnamon Rolls {Gloria’s Famous Recipe}
These perfect cinnamon rolls are incredible! Soft, fluffy, with the perfect amount of sweet cinnamon filling. The search is finally over!
A huge fan favorite for ten years, these cinnamon rolls are perfection.
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Dough
This recipe makes a huge batch of cinnamon rolls – 24 to be exact. And the cinnamon rolls are substantial in size.
If you want a more moderate approach to cinnamon rolls, here’s a small batch recipe cut down from this perfect cinnamon roll recipe.
The dough for these cinnamon rolls includes:
- scalded milk
- butter
- yeast
- eggs
- sugar
- flour (I use unbleached all-purpose flour)
I add the flour as quickly as possible, because I’ve learned over the years of making these cinnamon rolls, that they turn out softer and fluffier if the dough is not over kneaded.
Once the flour has been fully incorporated, the dough only needs to be kneaded for 2-3 minutes.
The flour amount in the recipe is a guideline, because several factors will impact the exact amount of flour needed, including how we each measure flour.
The dough should clear the sides of the bowl and be soft and slightly sticky, but if it leaves a lot of doughy residue on your fingers, continue adding flour a little at a time until it is less sticky and more supple.
It should not be stiff and stodgy. Err on the side of under flouring if you aren’t sure.
Let the dough rise until doubled.
These food-safe buckets {aff. link} are my go-to for rising the dough for these perfect cinnamon rolls.
Rolling and Cutting Cinnamon Rolls
Divide the dough in half and pat or roll each half into a rectangle, about 1/4-inch thick.
Spread softened butter across the top, followed by the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Very lightly pat the cinnamon and sugar mixture into the dough.
Cut the cinnamon rolls into 1 1/2-inch pieces (or thereabouts), depending on how big you want the cinnamon rolls.
How to Tuck the Ends of Cinnamon Rolls
To avoid the loose edge of the cinnamon rolls unraveling while baking, I always tuck that edge under the cinnamon roll.
It’s about as simple as it sounds. Before placing on the sheet pan, take the loose edge and bring it underneath the cinnamon roll.
Place the cinnamon roll on the prepared pan so that edge stays tucked underneath.
I use two half sheet pans lined with parchment paper for baking these cinnamon rolls.
Let them rise on the pan until noticeably puffy – the sides of the cinnamon rolls should be touching each other.
Bake until golden and no longer doughy in the center. In my oven that’s about 22 minutes.
I prefer letting the rolls cool until just warm before spreading on the frosting instead of spreading the frosting on right out of the oven.
The frosting recipe includes maple extract. It is a delicious flavor pairing for these cinnamon rolls! However, you can easily leave it out if you want a more classic cinnamon roll frosting.
How to Make Cinnamon Rolls Ahead of Time
I have an entire post dedicated to this topic: How to Make Cinnamon Rolls Ahead of Time.
But in short, it’s easy to make these cinnamon rolls in advance.
- Make the cinnamon rolls and place them on the sheet pan.
- Immediately cover them with greased plastic wrap and pop them in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours.
- Take them out of the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature (it’s likely they rose in the refrigerator, but if they need more rising time, let them rise fully before baking).
- Bake as directed in the recipe.
The baked and frosted cinnamon rolls can also be frozen (it’s a game changer) – I’ve included details for doing so down in the notes of the recipe.
Perfect Cinnamon Rolls
These cinnamon rolls are perfection. I have probably a dozen other recipes for cinnamon rolls on my site, but when I need a never-fail, go-to recipe, I always turn to this recipe!
Thousands of you have fallen in love with this recipe, too. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Shannon: I had to comment because this is the first cinnamon roll recipe that has worked out for me! Honestly, I think I have made at least 10 recipes and none of them tasted just right.
Katie: I very seldom comment on recipes because I usually have to tweak them to my liking but this was spot on. I actually hate baking because it never turns out well for me, I’m a perfectionist. I cannot believe how good these are and everyone who tried them agreed! They are so awesome and I’ve made cinnamon rolls in the past that were just meh, so I wasn’t too hopeful. What reeled me in was that it was a tried and true recipe, I love it when the older generations decide to share their incredible recipes with us! Thanks Gloria and Mel! They were truly delicious.
Andrea: I’ve been making these for 3 years now, and seriously life changing. I wasn’t a newbie to cinnamon roll making, but your tips make these even more amazing. One of my most favorite recipes of all time!!!
A Little About Gloria
Years ago, my Aunt Marilyn introduced me to these cinnamon rolls AND to Gloria, the amazing woman behind the cinnamon roll recipe!
When I finally met her, it felt like I was meeting a celebrity, which is not far from the truth. Her cinnamon rolls are legendary! She was so gracious and kind. And so excited to have her recipe posted here!
For decades, every year on Father’s Day, Gloria and her daughter made cinnamon rolls for all the men at Gloria’s church congregation. In order to serve the cinnamon rolls at the peak of their awesomeness, they would stay up all night so that the rolls would be warm from the oven and super fresh for church (in the picture above she’s holding a collage of one of her epic all nighters).
I want to be like Gloria when I grow up (except I don’t think I’m selfless enough to stay up all night like that!).
Gloria has since passed away, but her amazing legacy (even beyond cinnamon rolls!) lives on. 💗
One Year Ago: Loaded Broccoli Cheese and Bacon Soup
Two Years Ago: Glazed Chocolate Chip Scones {And Halloween Recap}
Three Years Ago: Hearty Turkey and Bean Chili
Perfect Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Rolls:
- 4 cups milk (preferably not skim)
- 1 cup (227 g) salted butter
- 1 cup (212 g) sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ¾ tablespoons instant yeast (see note)
- 4 large eggs
- 11-13 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Filling:
- 1 cup (227 g) salted butter
- 2 cups (424 g) lightly packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Frosting:
- 8 ounces (227 g) cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup (113 g) salted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 teaspoons maple extract/flavoring (optional)
- Pinch of salt
- 2 pounds powdered sugar
- Cream or milk for consistency
Instructions
- For the dough, heat the milk in a medium saucepan until the milk is scalded (which is basically heating it until right before it simmers – it will start steaming and little bubbles will form around the edge of the pan). Pour the milk into the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
- Add the butter, sugar and salt. Mix until the butter is melted and let the mixture cool until warm but not hot (110 degrees F on instant-read thermometer).
- Add the yeast and eggs and mix until combined.
- Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. The exact amount will depend on several factors (including how you measure the flour). I usually end up adding right around 13 cups of flour. The goal is for the dough to soft and just slightly sticky without leaving a lot of residue on your fingers. Let it knead for 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a large, lightly greased bowl. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled.
- Divide the dough in half. Roll or pat each portion of dough into an 18-inch by 12-inch rectangle. Spread 1/2 cup softened butter over each rectangle.
- Stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle half of it over each rectangle. Pat it in slightly with the palms of your hands. Starting with one long end, roll up the cinnamon rolls. Don't stretch and pull the dough while rolling or it can cause gaps when the cinnamon rolls are baking.
- Cut each cinnamon roll log in half with a serrated knife or unflavored dental floss. Then cut each half in half again (forming four equal portions). Cut each of the four portions into three rolls – twelve cinnamon rolls total. Repeat this with the other roll – you'll have 24 cinnamon rolls total.
- Place the rolls on a parchment-lined half sheet pan. I space the rolls 3 across, 4 down. If the ends have come free, carefully tuck them under the cinnamon roll.
- Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap and let the rolls rise until double. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake the rolls for about 18-22 minutes until lightly golden on top. Let the rolls cool almost completely in the pan before frosting.
- For the frosting, in a large bowl, whip together the cream cheese and butter. Add the vanilla, maple (if using) and salt, and mix until combined.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar and mix until thick and creamy. Add cream or milk a tablespoon at a time until the frosting is smooth and spreadable to your liking.
- Spread the cinnamon rolls with frosting.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Gloria C. (after my Aunt Marilyn told me all about them)
My husband was not a cinnamon roll person–until I made him this recipe!! I use icing instead of frosting, but other than that I didn’t change a thing. He loves them! Thank you for posting, and thank you to Gloria for being willing to share!
Thinking of Gloria. I didn’t know her, but I appreciate her sharing her recipe and talent. I have been making these cinnamon rolls for about 6 years. I have tried others, and I always go back to this tried and true recipe. The dough is so supple and stretchy. It is so easy to work with and delicious. Today is Father’s Day, and I have made these cinnamon rolls for the men in our church congregation just like Gloria and her daughter.
I love that you honored Gloria’s memory in the same way by doing that for the dads at church. Made my day to read that!
I’m in process of making these. If there was a comment about the mixer, I missed it. I have a regular Kitchen Aid, and this batch is too big to fit in the bowl. The dough is over the top of the dough hook. I just can’t deal with adding additional flour by hand, so I hope they will turn out even though the dough is a bit sticky.
I’ve made a lot of cinnamon roll recipes but I think this might be my new favorite. So delicious, soft and fluffy!
Best cinnamon rolls ever!!!! I follow Mel’s instructions for freezing them individually and reheating in the microwave- they taste fresh out of the oven and phenomenal. Soft, tender perfection. Look no further.
Not that this recipe needs another review, but my 13 year old daughter decided to bake while I was gone today and she picked this recipe. She has never made any yeast dough before. But she definitely knew which website she should go to! I came home to soft, fluffy, truly Perfect Cinnamon Rolls she made all by herself! They were better than any I’ve ever made and I’ve been an avid baker for about 25 years! This recipe is awesome, accessible for any level of experience.
HELP! I don’t have 2 lbs powdered sugar. I have about 1 lb and a lot of granulated sugar. Is there anything I can do? Stores are closed today.
Sorry for the delay in responding – you can grind granulated sugar into a super fine powder and use it in place of powdered sugar (it’s not *exactly* the same but it works in a pinch).
Do you have any tips for doubling maybe tripling this recipe? I love this one better than your other perfect cinnamon rolls. Ha ha
Too many perfect cinnamon roll recipes! Haha. When I double this recipe, I double it straight across. When I triple it, I triple everything but only double the yeast.
I love this recipe!! I like to give baking goods at Christmas time. Can I refrigerate uncooked rolls in a disposable tin? Beings they’re for Christmas morning, it would be nice for my friends to cook them then.
Yes, that should work just fine!
Hi! I’m wanting to pre-make and freeze a bunch of these to bring to camp. I’ve frozen them plenty of times in the past and always microwave them and they’re so so good. However, I think it would take too long to microwave all the cinnamon rolls for the girls the morning of. Have you ever just left them to thaw?
Yes, you can do that…they aren’t quite as soft and fluffy. Do you have access to an oven? You can put the pan of thawed rolls in the oven to warm slightly.
I have made many, many different cinnamon bun recipes. But none have turned out as soft and fluffy and tasty as these! I used more cinnamon that the recipe and halved it which made 16 huge buns! So delicious. This is a keeper!
Our Christmas breakfast every year. Makes the best cinnamon rolls. I usually halve it and omit the maple in the frosting. They’re perfect.
How would the recipe change if I wanted to use sourdough starter instead of instant or active yeast?
Hi Kent, I haven’t tried this recipe with sourdough starter so I don’t know what to suggest, sorry! You might try googling a sourdough cinnamon roll recipe and compare the two to try and experiment!
I don’t know if anyone else has already suggested it, but doubling the amount of cinnamon in the filling makes these even more incredible!
These are so perfect and so delicious! I leave out the maple flavoring because I don’t care for that, otherwise, I make as the recipe directs. It works just fine to half the recipe. I like these better than Cheryl’s recipe — I think the two taste quite similar, but these taste just a bit better in my opinion and are easier.
You live in the Treasure Valley, right? Can you let me know the next time you make these? I would love to watch you! I’ll even bring all the ingredients! Mine gap every time I make them, no matter what I try and I am not sure what I am doing wrong!
These cinnamon rolls were the best I’ve ever made!! so soft and delicious!!
The only thing is that it made about 60 cinnamon rolls!! I was giving cinnamon rolls to everyone in my family! Of course no one was mad at it!
I love this recipe and make it quite often. I do add more of a cinnamon mixture.
I’ve made this recipe time and time again! Our very fave. I like to freeze four per gallon ziplock bag. Just pop them out as needed and microwave one at a time for 60 seconds on high. Tastes just as good as fresh!
Should I use salted or unsalted butter?
If salted, do I still add the salt from the recipe?
I use salted butter
I made a half batch of this recipe this weekend and they turned out perfectly! The rolls are fluffy and soft and the frosting was the perfect pair! First time making cinnamon rolls in my own kitchen and it was a success! I shared with a few friends and they all quickly texted me back after eating them to let me know how delicious they were! Thank you for another great recipe Mel and Gloria, this will definitely be my go-to cinnamon roll recipe from now on!
We’ve tried these twice and both times have come out dry. HELP! The frosting and flavor are good, but I’m not sure what to change to fix this.
If they are turning out dry, it makes me think they are either over floured or over baked…any chance either of those things have happened? They shouldn’t be overly browned on top (what is the texture of the dough when you shape them into rolls?)
Help! I made the dough with Self-Rising Flour on accident. Do I need to throw it out and start over?
Sorry for the delay in responding – how did the rolls turn out?
I made 60 dozen of these at my bakery for Easter and they were a huge hit! Because I had to turn away many orders that I just couldn’t fill, I want to offer them again for this weekend but I have not been able to find yeast. Not even at the restaurant supply store. The only yeast I found is wet yeast/cake yeast. I’ve never used this before but I need to figure it out quick. Any conversion advice?
Hi Robyn, a quick google search showed me this: To substitute instant or bread machine yeast for active dry yeast, use 25% less instant yeast than active dry. A . 6-oz cube of cake yeast is roughly equivalent to 1½ to 2 teaspoons instant yeast or 2 to 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast.
Where can I find maple extract? I’ve never heard of it.
I’ve always purchased from kingarthurflour.com.