Our cinnamon brioche rolls with cream cheese frosting are simply divine. Perfect for afternoon tea or brunch, we love serving them for Easter brunch or Christmas morning! These cinnamon rolls definitely fall into the naughty but nice category (but oh they are so nice).
A cross between cinnamon rolls and a copycat cinnabon recipe. These rolls have a soft buttery brioche dough, with a tasty blend of fruit and spices and a delicious cream cheese frosting. Yum, seriously let's get baking!
Just like our hot cross scrolls this cinnamon brioche recipe is light and buttery. Like all good things, these delights take time but it is time well spent.
We think you will love how simple the process is and our double-proving method makes it foolproof. The perfect weekend baking.
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Ingredients
Cinnamon rolls:
- Fruit - Currants, raisins, sultanas, one orange (juice only) and candied mixed peel.
- Spices - Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice, clove and salt.
- For the dough - Dry ingredients: Active dry yeast (or instant yeast), Bakers flour ('00' high grade bread flour), brown sugar. Wet ingredients: 1 egg, butter, zest of one orange and oil.
Sweet cinnamon butter spread:
- Softened butter with ground cinnamon and brown sugar. It's that simple but delicious.
Cream cheese frosting:
- Butter and cream cheese before at room temperature, with icing sugar (powdered sugar), vanilla essence and milk.
See the recipe card below for a full list a quantities.
Related recipes you might love!
If making delicious bakery goods at home is your thing then our raspberry and white chocolate muffins, are a most try! Or for something a little more healthy our chocolate and coconut bliss balls are a great afternoon pick me up.
Step by step instructions.
We can't deny it there are a few steps to this process. But like we said all good things take time and once broken down the steps are simple!
- The make the dough:
- Soak the currants, raisins and sultanas in the juice from the orange.
- Warm milk to lukewarm and add the yeast. Set aside to allow the yeast to activate.
- In a large bowl or kitchen mixer, add the flour, spices, mixed peel, salt, along with the currants, raisins and sultanas with the juice, brown sugar, egg, yeast mixture, oil, zest and grate in the chilled butter.
- Incorporate all ingredients into a ball and knead by hand for 5 minutes. If you are using a mixer with a dough hook. Place on a low/ medium speed for 5 minutes, scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as it mixes. Mix until a soft dough ball has formed and is well kneaded. This cinnamon roll recipe will create a wet, sticky dough at first but trust us after the dough has risen it will become firmer.
- 1st proof:
For the first rise place the dough in a clean greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Make the cinnamon butter spread:
Take the room temperature butter and mix with the cinnamon and soft brown sugar until well combined.
- Roll the dough:
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knock the air out (literally hit the middle of the dough ball). Then using a rolling pin roll out the dough to a large rectangle shape, aiming for about 40 am by 20 cm. Spread an even layer of cinnamon filling over the rolled-out dough.
Starting from the long edge, roll the dough up to create a tight log. Then cut into nine equal pieces. Evenly place the scrolls on a greased baking tray lined with parchment paper, allowing about a 2 cam gap between them.
- 2nd proof:
Place a clean tea towel over the top and set the cinnamon brioche rolls in a warm place to let the dough rise a second time, until they have doubled in size. This should take about 40 minutes depending on how warm it is. While your rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 180°c / 360 °F (fan forced).
- Bake:
Once the dough has doubled in size, place the tray in the preheated oven. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until they are a delicious golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.
How to make cinnamon roll frosting.
Make sure the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature, and place in a mixing bowl. Whisk them together with the icing sugar and vanilla till smooth. Add the milk to adjust the consistency a little, if needed and mix well.
Once the cinnamon buns have cooled, smother each one with a heap of the cream cheese glaze.
Serve and enjoy!
Tips from the chef.
- The key is to be patient, proving can take a while. If you have a warm place in your house use this to your advantage.
- Brioche dough has a higher fat content and may seem a little sticky while kneading. This will come right during the proving process, so be careful not to over flour the surface while kneading!
- And don’t skip soaking the dried fruits. This is so they don’t burn and remain juicy.
How to store cinnamon rolls.
Once fully cooled, keep in a dry airtight container.
To freeze - the brioche cinnamon rolls can be frozen after they have baked and cooled, but without adding the cream cheese icing.
Freeze in a single layer in a sealed air-tight container. These are a great treat to have ready for afternoon tea. Simply pull them out in the morning and whip up some fresh frosting before serving.
To re-heat - To reheat cinnamon rolls before they have been iced simply pop them in the microwave or they can be warmed back up in the oven. Once warmed a little then they can be topped with the icing.
If you're looking for a little sweet treat, this homemade cinnamon rolls definitely ticks all the boxes. ENJOY!
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Happy baking!
Recipe
Cinnamon brioche rolls
Ingredients
Cinnamon brioche dough
- 50 g Currants
- 50 g Raisins
- 100 g Sultanas Golden raisins
- 1 Orange Juice only
- 50 g Candied mixed peel or candied orange peel
- 200 ml Milk
- 3 teaspoon Yeast Active yeast or instant yeast
- 420 g 00 Bakers flour High-grade or strong flour bread flour.
- 2 ½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon Ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cloves
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- 60 g Soft brown sugar
- 1 Egg
- 60 g Unsalted butter Chilled
- 1 Orange Zest only
- 1 tablespoon Canola Oil
Sweet cinnamon butter spread
- 150 g Butter Softened
- ½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- 40 g Soft brown sugar
Cream cheese frosting
- 60 g Butter Room temperature
- 125 g Cream cheese Room temperature
- 180 g Icing sugar / powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla essence
- 1 tablespoon Milk
Instructions
Create the dough
- Grab a small bowl and add the currants, raisins and sultanas, squeeze in the juice of one orange and leave to soak.50 g Currants, 50 g Raisins, 100 g Sultanas, 1 Orange
- In a small pot add the milk and heat until lukewarm (skin temp). Remove from the heat and add the yeast and set aside to activate.200 ml Milk, 3 teaspoon Yeast
- Grab a large mixing bowl or kitchen mixer. Add the flour, spices, mixed peel, salt, the bowl of currants, raisins and sultanas with the juice, brown sugar, egg, milk yeast mix, oil and zest then grate in the chilled butter.50 g Candied mixed peel, 420 g 00 Bakers flour, 2 ½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon, 1 ½ teaspoon Ground nutmeg, ¾ teaspoon Ground allspice, ½ teaspoon Ground Cloves, ¾ teaspoon Salt, 60 g Soft brown sugar, 1 Egg, 60 g Unsalted butter, 1 Orange, 1 tablespoon Canola Oil
- Incorporate all ingredients into a ball and knead for 5 minutes, or if you are using a mixer place with a dough hook on a low speed for 5 minutes until a dough has formed and is well kneaded.
First proof of the dough.
- Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and place into a clean greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to prove in a warm place for 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
Make the spread.
- While the dough if proving make the sweet butter cinnamon spread. Add the sugar and cinnamon to the softened butter and mix until well combined.150 g Butter, ½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon, 40 g Soft brown sugar
Roll the dough.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, line a baking tray with grease proof (baking) paper. Remove the dough from the bowl and place onto the lightly floured bench.
- Knock out the air and roll into a large rectangle (approx 40cm x 20cm)
- Spread the sweet butter spread over the rolled out dough.
- Then from the longer side roll evenly into a long log. Cut the rolled dough into 9 equal slices.
- Place the rolls on the baking tray, leaving a 2cm gap between each.
2nd Proof
- Set aside in a warm place, covered with a clean tea towel for the second proof. This should take around 40 minutes, or until doubled in size
- While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to
180 °C (356 °F) (fan forced)
Bake
- Place the baking tray into the oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.
Cream cheese frosting
- Add the butter, cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla to a bowl, whisk until smooth. Add the milk to adjust the consistency.60 g Butter, 125 g Cream cheese, 180 g Icing sugar / powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon Vanilla essence, 1 tablespoon Milk
- Smother the cream cheese icing over the cooled rolls.
- Serve and enjoy!
Glyn Moody says
I'm a chef I find your recipes easy to follow as the team at the tasty kitchen have done all the hard work in testing the items the tips are a bonus thanks.
Sara-Jane Bowness says
Thank you and that's awesome to hear!
Ned says
My goodness these are good! Like wow, thank you for this great recipe! I am planning to make these again this weekend!
imsen says
they look amazing! can't wait to try em out next weekend!
Anjali says
Omg I love cinnabon but this recipe was even better than the store bought version!! It was full of cinnamon flavor, sweet, soft and fluffy - yum!
Ana F. says
I made these homemade cinnabons this weekend for brunch and they were a hit! My girlfriends loved them and now they all want the recipe. Thanks a bunch!
Katherine says
Just like the real thing! I adore cinnabon so it's great that I can make them at home from scratch now!