Homemade Giant Cinnamon Rolls

Homemade Giant Cinnamon Rolls - bakery-size rolls that are impossibly soft, fluffy, and big enough to make you question every normal-sized cinnamon roll you have ever eaten.

I will be honest with you, I did not set out to make a giant cinnamon roll. I set out to visit a bakery in Rhode Island called Codough, eat one of their massive sourdough cinnamon rolls, and go home feeling smug about it. And that is exactly what happened. Their roll was the size of my face. Not an exaggeration. I pressed it up to my face for reference. While these are not sourdough, they are absolutely inspired by that moment of standing in a bakery in Rhode Island and deciding I needed to recreate that sheer scale at home. So here we are, Homemade Giant Cinnamon Rolls. These are the rolls I have been making ever since, and they have not disappointed anyone yet.

If you are deep in your cinnamon roll era (same), you might also want to check out my Brioche Cinnamon Rolls, Caramel Cinnamon Rolls, and Blueberry Muffin Cinnamon Rolls. All different. All worth your time.

Ingredient Overview

Here is what you are working with for these homemade giant cinnamon rolls. Nothing strange, nothing hard to find, just good ingredients doing their jobs.

• Bread flour - higher protein than all-purpose, which means more gluten development and a chewier, more structured roll that can actually hold its jumbo size without collapsing into itself
• Instant dry yeast - no proofing required, just add it straight to your lukewarm milk and keep going
• Lukewarm milk - activates the yeast and keeps the dough tender; too hot and you kill the yeast, too cold and nothing happens
• Granulated sugar - a small amount feeds the yeast early on, the rest sweetens the dough
• Eggs - three of them, room temperature, for richness and structure
• Unsalted butter - goes into both the dough and the filling, softened so it incorporates without a fight
• Salt - do not skip it; it balances everything and keeps the dough from tasting flat
• Brown sugar and cinnamon - the filling, packed and creamed with butter into a paste that stays put
• Heavy whipping cream - poured over the rolls just before baking, this is the move that keeps them soft all the way through
• Cream cheese - the base of the frosting, tangy and thick and exactly right

How to Make Homemade Giant Cinnamon Roll Dough

The dough can be a two-day situation if you want the best results, and you do. 

• Combine lukewarm milk, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and instant yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer. Whisk and let it sit for 10 minutes until foamy. If it is not foamy, your yeast is dead and you need to start over. 
• Add the remaining sugar, eggs, bread flour, butter, and salt to the bowl of the yeast mixture. Attach the dough hook attachment and mix on medium speed for 6 to 7 minutes. The dough should be smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but pulling away from the sides of the bowl. If it seems sticky, let it keep going.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn it once to coat, cover it, and let the dough rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
• After 1 hour, do one stretch and fold. Lift one side of the dough and fold it over itself, then repeat on all four sides. Cover again.
• Place dough in the fridge and chill for at least 2 hours, or up to 12 hours overnight. The cold slows everything down and develops flavor. It also makes the dough significantly easier to roll out, which matters a lot when you are aiming for jumbo cinnamon rolls the size of your face.

How to Roll Out Your Dough

This is where the size actually happens, so pay attention.

• Pull your dough out of the fridge and let it sit on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes. Cold dough is easier to work with but if it is fighting you, give it a moment.
• Roll the dough into a large rectangle, approximately 10x18 inches. Use a ruler if you have one. I am serious. The size of the rectangle is what determines the size of the roll, and if you shortcut this step you will end up with medium cinnamon rolls.
• Aim for about ¼ inch thickness throughout. Try to keep the edges as even as possible so the rolls bake uniformly. Uneven edges mean uneven rolls, and the ones on the ends will always be slightly smaller.
• Spread your filling all the way to the edges using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Do not leave a border. You want filling in every layer.
• Instead of rolling the whole sheet into a log and slicing it, you are cutting the dough into 6 individual strips using a pizza cutter, each one about 3 inches wide, along the long edge. Then you roll each strip individually into a tight spiral from the bottom up. This is how you get that tall, dramatic, bakery-size roll.
• Place the rolls cut-side up in a parchment-lined 9x13 pan, 3 across and 2 down. They should have a little space between them.
• Once the rolls are in the pan, press down gently on each one with the palm of your hand. This helps them spread slightly and ensures they bake up tall and even rather than just... tall and wobbly. Cover loosely and let them proof for 45 to 60 minutes until puffy and nearly doubled.

Common Mistakes - Homemade Giant Cinnamon Rolls

• Using milk that is too hot - it will kill the yeast. Lukewarm means it should feel barely warm on your wrist, not hot.
• Skipping the cold proof - technically you can do a same-day roll, but the flavor will be flatter and the dough will be harder to handle. The fridge is your friend.
• Rolling the rectangle too small - if your rectangle is not close to 10x18 inches, your rolls will not be jumbo. They will be normal. And normal is not what we are doing here.
• Not pressing the rolls down before the second rise - skipping this means they bake up unevenly. One press, palm flat, takes three seconds.
• Skipping the heavy cream pour - I know it feels like a lot but it is what keeps these rolls soft in the center. Do not skip it.
• Frosting while too hot - the cream cheese frosting will melt right off the top of the dough. Let them cool for at least 20 minutes. I know it is hard.

Tips and Tricks - Homemade Giant Cinnamon Rolls

• The cream cheese frosting can be made ahead and stored in the fridge. Pull it out while the rolls cool and it will come back to a spreadable consistency on its own.
• If your rolls are browning too fast on top, tent the pan loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes of baking. The inside still has more cooking to do.
• A piping bag with a round tip makes the frosting look bakery-level. Dollops are the move. But spreading it with a spoon works too and no one is grading you.
• These are best served warm. If you are reheating, 20 seconds in the microwave per roll is enough.
• If the filling mixture seems stiff, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before spreading. Cold butter filling tears the dough.

Frequently Asked Questions

A few things people always ask about these homemade giant cinnamon rolls.

• Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour? You can, but the texture will be softer and less structured. Bread flour is what gives these their chew and helps them hold that jumbo size.
• Can I make the dough the night before? Yes, and honestly you should. The overnight cold proof in the fridge is built into this recipe and is part of what makes them taste the way they do.
• Why do I pour heavy cream over the rolls before baking? It soaks into the layers and keeps the interior soft and almost gooey while the outside gets golden. It is not optional.
• My rolls are browning on top but still raw in the middle. What do I do? Tent with foil and keep baking. These are big rolls and they take time. 30 to 35 minutes is the range but your oven may vary.
• Can I make these without a stand mixer? You can mix by hand but the dough needs a solid 10 minutes of kneading to develop properly. It is a workout.
• Can I use active dry yeast instead of instant? Yes, but you will need to proof it first in the warm milk for about 10 minutes before adding anything else.

Storing and Freezing

Storing: These homemade giant cinnamon rolls store well at room temperature for up to 2 days, covered tightly with plastic wrap or in an airtight container. After that, move them to the fridge where they will keep for up to 5 days. Reheat individual rolls in the microwave for about 20 seconds. If they have already been frosted, that is fine. The frosting softens back up with the heat.

Freezing: I am going to be straightforward with you: I do not recommend freezing these. The texture after freezing and thawing is just not the same. The rolls lose some of that soft, pillowy quality that makes them worth making in the first place, and the cream cheese frosting does not love the freezer either. Make them fresh, share them with people, eat them over two days. That is the move.

FOR MORE CINNAMON ROLL RECIPES, HERE ARE SOME I SUGGEST!

• Caramel Cinnamon Roll Recipe That You Will Not Regret
• Soft Pumpkin Caramel Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
• Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls
• Glazed Cinnamon Roll Recipe From Scratch
• Classic Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

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Recipe

Homemade Giant Cinnamon Rolls

Molly Murphy

bakery-size rolls that are impossibly soft, fluffy, and big enough to make you question every normal-sized cinnamon roll you have ever eaten.

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 1

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Dough

• 1 ½ cups lukewarm milk 360g
• 1 ½ teaspoons instant dry yeast 5g
• ½ cup + 2 teaspoons granulated sugar 120g
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 5 ¾ cups bread flour plus more for dusting 720g
• ½ cup unsalted butter softened 113
• 2 ¼ teaspoons salt 14g

To Pour on Before Baking

• ½ cup heavy whipping cream

Filling

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• ¾ cup unsalted butter softened to touch

Frosting

• 4 oz cream cheese softened
• ½ cup unsalted butter softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1-2 tablespoon milk or heavy cream
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

 

For the dough

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 1 ½ cups lukewarm milk, 2 teaspoons of the sugar, and 1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast. Whisk together and let sit for 10 minutes, until the mixture looks foamy.
  1 ½ cups lukewarm milk 360g, 1 ½ teaspoons instant dry yeast 5g
• Add the remaining sugar, eggs, bread flour, butter, and salt to the bowl. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on medium speed for 6-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Don't worry if it's too sticky it will be firm up.
  ½ cup + 2 teaspoons granulated sugar 120g, 3 large eggs room temperature, 5 ¾ cups bread flour plus more for dusting 720g, ½ cup unsalted butter softened 113, 2 ¼ teaspoons salt 14g
• Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
• After 1 hour, perform one stretch and fold (lift one side of the dough and fold it over itself, repeating on all four sides). Cover again.
• Place the covered dough in the refrigerator and chill for 2 hours or up to 12 hours overnight. This cold proof develops flavor and makes the dough easier to work with when rolling out.

Filling and Shaping Instructions

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, and unsalted butter on medium speed until smooth and well combined. Set aside.
  1 cup packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, ¾ cup unsalted butter softened to touch
• Lightly flour a clean work surface. To make jumbo the size of rolling out matters so if you have a ruler please use. Roll the chilled dough into a large rectangle, about 10x18 inches in size. You want the dough to be about ¼ inch thick. Try to keep the edges as even as possible so the rolls bake uniformly.
• Spread the filling mixture evenly over the dough, using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to get it all the way to the edges.
• Starting with the long edge farthest from you, cut the dough into 6 even strips using a sharp pizza cutter. Each piece should be about 3 inches wide. The edges might be slightly smaller than the middle ones. I like to place the small ones in middle of the pan.Take your time to keep the cuts straight so the rolls bake up evenly.
• Working one at a time, roll each strip into a tight spiral, starting from the bottom edge and rolling upward until you reach the top. As you roll, gently tuck in any filling that tries to escape and keep light, even pressure so each roll stays compact and uniform. Once rolled, pinch the end seam lightly so it stays closed.
• Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides for easy lifting later. Lightly spray the sides of the pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Arrange the rolls cut-side up in the prepared pan. 3 across and 2 down. They should have a litle space between them - they'll puff and rise into each other during proofing and baking. Gently press down the dough with the palm of your hand.
• Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let the rolls rise for 45-60 minutes in a warm place or in the oven with a light on and until puffy and nearly doubled in size.

Baking Instructions

• Once the rolls have finished their second rise, preheat the oven to 350F.
• Warm the heavy whipping cream just until it loses its chill (microwave for about 15-20 seconds). Gently pour the cream evenly over the tops of the risen rolls, letting it soak down into the layers.
  ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• Place the pan in the oven and bake at 350°F and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the rolls are deep golden brown on top. These rolls take a long time to bake because they need to absorb the cream.
• If the rolls begin to brown too quickly, loosely tent the pan with foil during the last 10 minutes of baking.
• Remove the pan from the oven and let the rolls cool for at least 20 minutes before frosting.
• While the rolls are cooling making the cream cheese frosting.

For the cream cheese frosting

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl, then beat for 2 more minutes until smooth and fluffy.
  4 oz cream cheese softened, ½ cup unsalted butter softened
• With the mixer on low, add powdered sugar, then vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until combined.
  3 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1-2 tablespoon milk or heavy cream, Pinch of salt
• Increase speed to medium-high and beat 2-3 more minutes until light and fluffy. If too soft to pipe, chill for 10-15 minutes.

Assembly

• Once the cinnamon rolls have cooled slightly, spread the cream cheese buttercream evenly over the tops of the rolls. I did dollops with a piping bag for a pretty look, but you can do whatever you like!
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

Keyword giant, bakery size, cinnamon roll,

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