Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2006

Show: Good EatsEpisode: House of the Rising Bun

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (282)

Cook Time:
30 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
12 rolls

Times:

Prep: 45 min
Inactive Prep: 10 hr 30 min
Cook: 30 min
Total:: 11 hr 45 min

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Ingredients

Dough:

4 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 large whole egg, room temperature
2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/4 cup
3 ounces unsalted butter, melted, approximately 6 tablespoons
6 ounces buttermilk, room temperature
20 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 cups, plus additional for dusting
1 package instant dry yeast, approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
Vegetable oil or cooking spray

Filling:

8 ounces light brown sugar, approximately 1 cup packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
3/4-ounce unsalted butter, melted, approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons

Icing:

2 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened, approximately 1/4 cup
3 tablespoons milk
5 1/2 ounces powdered sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups

Directions

For the dough: in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter, and buttermilk. Add approximately 2 cups of the flour along with the yeast and salt; whisk until moistened and combined. Remove the whisk attachment and replace with a dough hook. Add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough, add more flour if necessary; the dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky. Knead on low speed 5 minutes more or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead by hand about 30 seconds. Lightly oil a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl, lightly oil the top of the dough, cover and let double in volume, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until well incorporated. Set aside until ready to use.

Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently shape the dough into a rectangle with the long side nearest you. Roll into an 18 by 12-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the 3/4-ounce of melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch border along the top edge. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the top edge; gently press the filling into the dough. Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Very gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness. Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2-inch rolls; yielding 12 rolls. Arrange rolls cut side down in the baking dish; cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 16 hours.

Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off. Fill a shallow pan 2/3-full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; approximately 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

When the oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown, or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, approximately 30 minutes.

While the rolls are cooling slightly, make the icing by whisking the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. Add the milk and whisk until combined. Sift in the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth. Spread over the rolls and serve immediately.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
Laura Gurnee, IL 03-18-2010
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Alton never lets me down
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

These cinnamon rolls were out of this world! I will definitely be making these in the future. I accidentally cut them 2... inches thick instead of 1 and 1/2 inches, so they turned out to be giant rolls (actually a good mistake!) Had to add a few minutes to the baking time for that. Anyway thanks Alton, you rock! Read more
recipe Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
m cam, CA 03-16-2010
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if you follow the recipe.. heavenly
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

i just finished making these today.. and oh my gosh they are amazing. the only problem i ran into was that i didnt have... instant yeast so i just used active. in a small bowl i put 3 teaspoons of the yeast with a bit of brown sugar and some warm water and left it for about ten minutes then used as directed in place of the instant.. the finished product is deliciousRead more
recipe Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
Gabriela Victorville, CA 02-27-2010
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Not gonna make again -- too dry
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

I kept reading the reviews saying they were too dry, but how could a cinnamon roll be too dry I kept asking myself? Ya, I... found out pretty quick. I got a good rise, I added all the flour it asked for because he said it shouldn't be sticky, but the finished product tasted too dry. Will keep looking for a good recipe. Read more
recipe Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
Mike APO, AE 02-25-2010
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SWEET!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I am deployed to Kuwait on an Army ship and I made 3 pans of these for the crew last week and they couldnt believe I made... them...I am not even the cook...lol, very good and easy to make. Even I couldnt mess'em up! Read more
recipe Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
Teresa Lockport, NY 02-18-2010
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Excellent recipe
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I thought that my recipe for cinnamon rolls was good but holy freeholies! Thanks Alton. Teresa
recipe Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
asheley Chillicothe, OH 02-15-2010
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Had a few problems, but everything worked out
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This was my first attempted at cinnamon rolls. I found that for me, there was to much flower, and as a result my dough was a... little dry. I also added a little vanilla & lemon extracts. I used active yeast, and it worked fine, but because my dough was dry it took longer to rise and it never fully doubled in size. I would have let it rise longer, but I was on a schedule. I found the dough to be a little tough (because it was to dry to start with), so I was worried the finished rolls would be tough too. I ground my own cinnamon for the filling, and used a tablespoon an a half. The next morning the rolls didn't really rise any more when I proofed them, but they did when I backed them. They didn't need the full 30 min I highly recommend that you use a thermometer and go by the temp. as I did. The only thing that I didn't like was that the filling seemed to kind of melt away. After it was all said and done though, the rolls were great, and my husband loved them on Valentine's day morning. They were not tough at all, witch I feared. I thought they tasted really nice, and I don't even like cinnamon rolls, and my husband said they were the best cinnamon rolls he had ever had! Once I have a little more practice with the recipe, I know it will all go off without a hitch. I encourage every one to try this recipe, but be patient with it, and maybe (like me) you will need more than one try toe get them to be perfect, but I promise they will be delicious and "your patients will be rewarded"Read more