What is the best flour for cinnamon rolls?

The best flour for homemade cinnamon rolls is all-purpose flour. While other bread recipes need a high gluten flour for that great chew and crusty outside, cinnamon rolls need less gluten for a tender crumb and soft texture. Some recipes use cake flour but that isn't a hearty enough flour for cinnamon rolls.

How do you keep homemade cinnamon rolls soft?

The key to soft homemade cinnamon rolls is three parts. First, be sure to use all-purpose flour, not bread flour. Second, carefully measure both the liquids and the flour. If you have too dry of a brioche dough, your cinnamon rolls will also be dry. Use either a scale to measure the flour, or a spoon to gently scoop the flour into your measuring cup.

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls (Easy Video Recipe)

Ingredients

Scale

Dough

1 1/4 cups warm water

1/4 cup milk

1 package yeast

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

6 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

2/3 cup instant potato flakes

4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Filling

1 cup light brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Pinch kosher salt

1 1/2 tablespoons salted butter, melted

Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar

Pinch kosher salt

3 tablespoons heavy cream

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Instructions

Combine water, milk, and yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer with the dough hook attached. Allow the yeast to bubble and bloom before moving on.
Add the sugar, eggs, butter, salt, and potato flakes. Mix to combine.
Add the flour, one cup at a time, letting it mix into the dough before adding the next. Put a small amount of dough between two fingers. It should be sticky without being overly sticky. Watch the video below for an example of what you are looking for. Add additional flour if needed.
Remove the hook and cover the dough. Allow the dough to rise for 90 minutes.
While the dough rises, mix together the filling ingredients.
Punch down the risen dough and dump it onto a floured surface. Roll it into a rectangle about 9 x 15 inches. Cover the surface with the filling.
Roll the dough tightly starting on the long edge. Cut into 12 even pieces and place in a greased 9×13 inch pan. Cover and let rise for 90 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 25 minutes.
While the rolls bake, mix together the glaze in a small bowl. Drizzle over the finished cinnamon rolls while they are still hot.

Author: Carole Jones
Prep Time: 3 hours
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Category: Breakfast
Method: Baked
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 roll
Calories: 414
Sugar: 58 G
Sodium: 448 mg
Fat: 4 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 85 g
Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 10 g
Cholesterol: 124 mg