This recipe for homemade cinnamon rolls is amazing because it only takes an hour! Your kids will love helping to make this delicious treat.
One hour cinnamon rolls (or cinnamon buns), are a deliciously quick treat. They’re soft and fluffy, and full of sweet cinnamon flavour. Perfect straight from the oven, but can also be eaten cold, this cinnamon roll recipe is so easy to make, it’s one of my favourite things to bake.
I always associated cinnamon rolls as an American bake, but here in the UK cinnamon rolls are also hugely popular. What’s not to love with a fluffy bread dough, warming cinnamon flavour and an iced drizzle. The problem with these being so popular in America is that most of the recipes you find online use American termanolgy and units of measurement, so this UK recipe for cinnamon rolls is great for those of us who prefer to weigh our ingredients.
How can you make these cinnamon rolls quickly?
This recipe for quick cinnamon buns is amazing and easy because it uses a ‘cheats’ way of proving the dough so only takes one hour! I think quick is always good when you’re baking with kids who don’t always have the patience to wait hours for something to prove. Before I tried it for the first time I wasn’t sure how well it would work, but you just need to pop the unproved cinnamon rolls in a cool (90C) oven for 20 minutes and voila they’re ready to go. It couldn’t be simpler. If you want to learn how to make cinnmon rolls and can’t wait ages for them to be ready, this is a great place to start.
How can kids help make these homemade cinnamon buns?
Like making any bread recipe there are a few things kids can help with when making these cinnamon rolls. From measuring and mixing the ingredients together to kneading the dough, there are enough jobs for even toddlers and little children to do.
My kids also liked the process of making the cinnamon buns themselves. They’ll have the chance to roll the dough out before adding the butter and cinnamon sugar and then rolling it all up.
Can you freeze cinnamon buns?
Yes. You can freeze the cinnamon rolls either before or after baking. Just make sure you wrap them well before putting them in the freezer and leave them to thaw at room temperature overnight before you want to eat them. Once they’re thawed, either bake or reheat them in the oven before drizzling over the icing.
Can you make one hour cinnamon rolls ahead of time?
Yes. You can make them up the day before, until you get to part where you put them in the baking tray. Wrap them well and pop them in the fridge until the morning. When you come to bake them, just make sure they have doubled in size before you put them in the oven. If they haven’t risen well in the fridge, pop them in the oven for about 30 minutes at a low temperature until they have doubled in size, then bake them.
How long to cinnamon rolls keep?
Store these cinnamon rolls in an air tight container and they will keep for a few days. If you want to keep them for longer, you can freeze them (as outlined above).
Similar recipes
If you liked these cinnamon rolls you’ll love our easy bread and bun recipes,
Raspberry swirl rolls
Iced buns
Nutella babka
Schnecken
Belgian buns
Monkey bread
Caramel apple cinnamon rolls
Useful equipment
You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make these cinnamon rolls
Digital scales
Freestanding mixer
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
9 inch baking tin
Wire rack
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Difficulty: Easy
Time: 20 minutes + 20 minutes proving + 20 minutes baking
Serves: 9
Ingredients
2 and ¾ cups plain / all-purpose flour (330g)
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
1 packet dried fast action yeast (1 packet = 2 and ¼ teaspoons)
½ cup water (120ml)
¼ cup milk (60ml)
2 tbsp unsalted butter (30g)
1 large egg
For the filling:
¼ cup (60g) unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
¼ cup (60g) brown sugar
For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 tbsp milk or coffee
how to make homemade quick UK cinnamon rolls
Line a 9 inch square baking tray with baking paper then make the dough.
Mix the dry ingredients
Get your children to measure out the flour, sugar, salt and yeast and mix together in a large mixing bowl or freestanding mixer. Set it aside for now. When you are measuring out the sugar and salt, make sure your kids level off the top of the teaspoon with their finger so you get the right amount.
Add the wet ingredients
Measure the water and milk into a microwaveable bowl.If you have digital scales, you can use the ml setting to get a more accurate reading, otherwise you can use measuring cups or a measuring jug.
Measure the butter, get your kids to cut it into a few small pieces and then add to the water/milk. Pop it all in the microwave for approx 45 seconds until the butter has melted. Test the mixture is warm rather than hot – I just dipped my finger in. (If it’s too hot it’ll kill the yeast).
Add the milk/butter mixture to your mixing bowl.
Get your little one to crack the egg into a small bowl. We find it best to do this rather than adding it straight in, just in case any shell goes in. If it does, simply fish it out with a larger piece of shell.
Add the egg to your mixing bowl.
Knead your mixture for 3-4 minutes, either by hand, with wooden spoons, or using the dough hook on your freestanding mixer. We tend to use our mixer as it’s a bit easier and less messy and is ready a bit quicker.
The cinnamon roll dough is quite a sticky dough, but it’s ready when it’s not as sticky anymore and has come together as a dough. It will become a little less sticky and easier to work with once it’s rested.
Pop it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it and leave it to rest for about 5 minutes.
Make the cinnamon rolls
Preheat your oven to 90C (200F) and turn off after 10 minutes or just before your put your rolls inside.
While your dough is resting, measure out filling. Make sure your butter is soft enough so spread. If it’s not, pop it in the microwave until it has softened.
Get your kids to measure the cinnamon and sugar into a small bowl, and give them a mix.
Get your kids to lightly flour your worksurface, then roll the dough out to a 15×9 inch / 23×38 cm rectangle.
Spread the butter all over the top, making sure your kids go right to the edges. We used a rubber spatula rather than a knife as it was a bit kinder on the dough. If you have a silicone pastry brush, that works as well, or the back of a spoon.
Sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon mixture evenly over the top.
Roll up the cinnamon buns
Get your child to roll the dough up tightly into a cylinder, starting at the short edge.
Trim the ends to neaten it then carefully cut it into 9 even pieces. My kids were able to cut them it if I marked on them where.
Arrange each piece in your baking tray and lightly cover with tin foil. Pop the cinnamon rolls in the oven to rise. Make sure you remember to turn the oven off as you put them in. Leave the cinnamon buns to rise for 20 minutes or until they have doubled in size.
After 20 minutes, keep the buns in the oven, but remove the tin foil and turn the oven up to 190C / 180C Fan / 375F.
Bake the cinnamon rolls for 15-20 minutes. They’re ready when they have turned a nice golden brown colour and if you tap on the base of them they should sound hollow.
Remove them from the oven and leave them to cool in the tin for a few minutes before putting them on a wire rack to cool a bit more.
Make the glaze
Get your kids to mix the icing sugar, milk and vanilla extract together until it is smooth, runny and lump free.
Drizzle the glaze over the rolls while they are still warm.
Serve and enjoy!
Quick cinnamon rolls
This recipe for cinnamon rolls is amazing because it only takes 45 minutes! Your kids will love helping to make this delicious treat.
Ingredients
- 2 & 3/4 cups plain flour 330g
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 package dried fast action yeast 1 packet = 2 and ¼ teaspoons
- ½ cup water 120ml
- ¼ cup milk 60ml
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter 30g
- 1 large egg
For the filling:
- ¼ cup (60g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup (60g) brown sugar
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered/icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 Tablespoons milk or coffee
Instructions
Line a 9 inch square baking tray with baking paper.
Add the wet ingredients
Measure the water and milk into a microwaveable bowl. Measure the butter, cut into a few small pieces and add to the water/milk. Pop in the microwave for approx 45 seconds until the butter has melted. Test the mixture is warm rather than hot – I just dipped my finger in. (If it’s too hot it’ll kill the yeast).
Add the milk/butter mixture to the flour.
Crack the egg into a small bowl. Add to your flour.
Knead your mixture for 3-4 minutes, either by hand or using the dough hook on a stand mixer. We used our mixer as it’s a bit easier and less messy. It’s ready when it’s not sticky anymore.
Pop it in a lightly oiled bowl and leave to rest for about 5 minutes.
Make the cinnamon rolls
Preheat your oven to 90C (200F) and turn off after 10 minutes or just before your put your rolls inside.
While your dough is resting, measure out filling. Make sure your butter is soft enough so spread. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl.
Roll the dough out to a 15×9 inch rectangle.
Spread the butter all over the top. We used a rubber spatula rather than a knife as it was a bit kinder on the dough.
Sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon mixture evenly over the top.
Roll the dough up tightly, then cut into 9 even pieces.
Put each piece in your baking tray and lightly cover with tin foil. Pop the cinnamon rolls in the oven to rise. Make sure you remember to turn the oven off. Let it rise for 20 minutes or so.
After 20 minutes, keep the buns in the oven, remove the tin foil and turn the oven up to 190C / 180C Fan / 375F.
Bake the cinnamon rolls for 15-20 minutes. They’re ready when they have turned golden.
Make the glaze
Mix the icing sugar, milk and vanilla extract together until it is smooth, runny and lump free.
Drizzle the glaze over the rolls while they are still warm.
Pin it for later
Similar recipes:
If you liked these cinnamon rolls you’ll love our:
Belgian buns
German sticky rolls (Schneken)
Puff pastry cinnamon rolls
Monkey bread
Cinnamon twists
Chocolate babka
Or why not try our favourite easy bakes for toddlers.
