By popular demand, it had to be done – the magic Soft No Knead Dinner Rolls have now been transformed into these No Knead Cinnamon Rolls!!! Soft and fluffy with a cream cheese glaze, these will change your life. No kneading, no stand mixer, no overnight rise. You’re welcome / I’m sorry….
I’m apologising for sharing these for a number of reasons. I’m sorry to all those trying to be healthy. (Me, me!) I’m sorry to everyone trying to cut down of their carb intake. (Me, me!) I’m sorry to everyone who makes these once and are harassed to make them again and again…..
I actually wasn’t sure if I would ever share this. I had quite an astonishing number of messages here and on Facebook asking if the No Knead Dinner Rolls could be used to make cinnamon rolls. The concept sounded quite easy – just use the same dough but add a bit more flour so it was rollable into a large rectangle that could be slathered with butter and cinnamon sugar, then rolled up and cut.
The problem I kept running into – the 2 rolls in the middle of the tray just wouldn’t cook through properly. They looked cooked, but as soon as I bit into it, it was undeniably doughy.
Batches later… the answer was so simple. I ran out of bread flour and used normal flour.
Boom. It worked. Duh! Head smack! No-knead dough is more fragile than kneaded dough and bread flour makes buns slightly lighter and more tender. When you add that heavy butter / sugar slather, it weighs down the dough and adds too much moisture for the dough to rise and cook through properly.
Switch to plain / all purpose flour = slightly sturdier dough = sturdier (but still soft!) buns = fully cooked through.
Phew!
This No Knead Cinnamon Rolls recipe is also surprisingly forgiving. I’ve been amazed – you’ll see in the video that the dough looks even looser than the photos above. I’ve added flour and water right at the end to adjust the dough when it looked too thin / thick, I forgot sugar once and added that in after the 1st rise. Same result every time – couldn’t tell the difference.
As for kneaded vs no knead dough – here’s the truth. Kneaded dough makes a better bread. If that weren’t a fact, millions of bakeries around the world would be ditching their mixers. The bread is slightly more tender and keeps slightly better.
But the operative word here is slightly. The sheer convenience of this no knead recipe outweighs the small difference, and opens up a new world of possibilities for people who don’t have a stand mixer nor are inclined to knead dough by hand.
And the clincher is that when these No Knead Cinnamon Rolls are warmed slightly – just 15 seconds in the microwave – it makes them so uber soft and fluffy, you’d swear they were from a posh bakery.
Well – your family and friends will think that. You can just sit back and lap up the compliments! – Nagi x
PS You know full well these are not my Baby Hands.↓↓↓ These are my mother’s hands. She came round to be the hand model for the video. And she made these No Knead Cinnamon Rolls for the first time and specifically said that she was surprised how easy it was, even with “all that log rolling and cutting business”. 😉
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No Knead Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Buns:
- 1 tbsp dry yeast (Note 1)
- 70 g / 1/3 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar), or sub with normal white sugar
- 1/2 cup / 125 ml warm water (Note 2)
- 600 g / 20 oz plain flour / all purpose flour (4 1/2 US Cups, 4 Cups everywhere else exc Japan) (Note 3)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup / 250 ml milk , lukewarm, whole or low fat, (Note 2)
- 50 g / 3.5 tbsp unsalted butter , melted and slightly cooled
- 2 large eggs , beaten with fork
EXTRA FLOUR:
- 1/4 cup / 35g plain flour (all purpose flour), plus more as required
For Rolls:
- 90 g / 6 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
- 1 cup / 220 g brown sugar , packed
- 2 tbsp cinnamon powder
Cream Cheese Glaze:
- 90 g / 3 oz cream cheese , softened
- 50 / 3 tbsp unsalted butter , softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (or essence)
- 1 1/4 cups / 150g soft icing sugar / powdered sugar
- 2 - 3 tbsp milk , any (or water)
Instructions
Buns:
- Place the yeast and 2 teaspoons of the sugar in a medium bowl, then pour in water. Leave for 5 minutes until it froths.
- Place 600g/20oz flour, remaining sugar and salt in a bowl. Mix to combine.
- Make a well in the centre. Add milk, butter, eggs and pour in the yeast liquid, including all froth.
- Mix until combined with wooden spoon - it will be like a sticky muffin batter, not kneadable.
- Rise # 1: Cover with cling wrap and place in a warm place (25C/77F+) to rise for around 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hrs or until almost tripled in volume. (Note 4) Dough surface should be bubbly (see video or photos in post).
Making Rolls & Rise #2 (video is helpful):
- Line a 31.5 x 23.5 cm / 9 x 13" tray with baking paper with overhang.
- Mix cinnamon and sugar in a bowl.
- Uncover dough, mix with spoon to deflate.
- Sprinkle half Extra Flour on work surface, pour dough on, sprinkle over remaining Extra Flour. Use hands to incorporate the flour into the dough - it may not absorb it all (or need more), the dough will stop absorbing flour when it's no longer sticky, should be soft, pliable.
- If work surface is now flour free, sprinkle with more flour.
- Shape dough into log, then roll out into 28 x 48 cm / 11 x 19" rectangle.
- Pour over butter, then brush all over, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
- Roll up firmly, then shape into an even log.
- Cut into 12 pieces (4cm / 1.6"), then place on tray (3 x 4).
- Cover with tea towel then place in warm place for 40 minutes or until almost doubled.
Baking / Frosting:
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F (standard) or 160C/320F (fan / convection). Place shelf in the middle of the oven.
- Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the tray at 16 minutes.
- Buns are ready when the middle rolls are golden and the outer ones are deep golden on the edges. Tap the middle ones - they should sound hollow.
- Optional: Brush with 1 tbsp / 15g melted butter to remove any residual flour spots.
- Use paper overhang to lift rolls onto cooling rack (key step - Note 5). Cool for 1 hour (will still be warm).
- Use a spoon to frost with glaze. Best served warm!
Glaze:
- Place butter, cream cheese and vanilla in a bowl. Beat until smooth (10 - 15 seconds).
- Add icing sugar, beat to incorporate. Add enough milk to make it a consistency that can be spooned over the buns and it drips slightly (see video).
Recipe Notes:
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
No Knead Cinnamon Rolls recipe video! Starring my mother – I’m the director/producer/cameraman/editor/screenwriter/runner/recipe developer.
Have you tried the Soft No Knead Dinner Rolls yet? 🙂
LIFE OF DOZER
You knew he’d be down there, didn’t you?
Hey there, love your work (and Dozer!). It would be helpful if you included the full time it takes to make a recipe… I thought the cinnamon rolls took 40 mins, which was perfect for my plans for the day. But then realised there was also 1.5 hours of raising time, an hour of cooling time and suddenly no sticky buns for morning tea. More of an all day Sunday project. Thanks for all your amazing recipes!
Made a double batch using a Keto AP Flour, not almond. They baked up BEAUTIFULLY around 3 inches high. I just eyeballed the filling and I needed more cinnamon and butter. I loved that they weren’t overly sweet. I added chopped pecans in the filling and made a caramel and confectioner glaze. Definitely my go to recipe!!
Just made these for the first time (after the kids begging for cinnamon rolls for weeks) – I can’t get over how easy these are! I made a half quantity of dough but still got 12 lunchbox sized scrolls, and then topped with a vanilla glaze, because the kids don’t like cream cheese icings. Amazing. Thanks Nagi!
These are beyond incredible! So soft, and creamy with the glaze. We recently bought scrolls that are super popular (and super pricy!) in Melbourne at the moment, and we agreed that Nagi’s are as good, if not better. The payoff for such an easy and delicious recipe is well worth the wait time for the rises and cooling. Plus the house smells amazing for the rest of the day!
I have baked these twice. First time I proved on top of a slow cooker l had going for dinner, I just inverted the lid for stability , worked a treat. Second time I realised my Smeg oven had a proving setting.
Super easy and enormously delicious! Loves the dryer tip for making these on a cold day too. Another great recipe, Nagi! Thank you
Keen to make this for Easter. Wondering if I should try this with gluten-free flour so my sister can also enjoy these. Has anyone tried a GF version?
This is a no fail recipe! I accidentally added most the sugar at step 1 with the yeast before realising my mistake. All ended up okay though! I also added some chopped up Pink Lady apple to the scrolls which was delish!
Hi, do you think I can prepare them the night before and cook them in the morning for my Christmas brunch? Thanks
I made these for the first time today and everyone who ate them said ‘wow’. This recipe is a keeper, thanks heaps.
Fantastic recipe Nagi, the whole family is lined up for seconds! I may have to make another batch tomorrow, thank goodness for public holidays! Xxx
Thank you for sharing this recipe. It’s mind blowing that such an easy recipe could produce such perfect cinnamon rolls. I had no cream cheese so the topping was butter and icing sugar softened with a few tablespoons of hot water.
Can this make Vegemite scrolls as well
I’ve made your soft no knead rolls a multitude of times and knew as soon as I saw this recipe I had to make them. They were great!!! Can this be made into a bread using a 9×5 loaf pan? If yes, what temperature and time would I use to ensure baked thoroughly. Would recipe make one or two loafs? Looking forward to hearing from you.
I am going to whisper this comment so the spirits of my Mom and Grandmother don’t hear me. They prided themselves on their amazing cinnamon rolls ummmm… I am going to pack theirs away and keep it for the memories. I am keeping Nagi’s for the utter deliciousness! I just ate 2 for dinner!
Forgot to add, they freeze incredibly well when fully cooked. I reheat in the oven and they come out perfect.
Hi Kris, how long did you bake for? and do you defrost them or cook from frozen?
Off the cooking time, not of.
Claire, I only knocked a few minutes of the cooking time for the 20 rolls.
I don’t defrost them and reheat them frozen for around 15 minutes at 180C, in the middle of the oven. Just keep an eye on them so they don’t burn on reheating.
Have now reheated them from a frozen state 5 times and they are perfect every time.
PLEASE NOTE – I don’t glaze the buns, they are yummy as they are. Don’t think they would reheat with the glaze.
Off the cooking time not of.
Oh Nagi, my taste buds and heart say thank you, my scales don’t.
These are so, so delicious. Have now made them three times in one week. Don’t need the icing, they are perfect without, full of fluffy goodness with a hit of cinnamon. The first time I made 16 following the recipe and found they were very large, the second and third time I cut them into 20 pieces which were a perfect size.
will this work with whole wheat flour?
Yes, but I would add a tbsp or two of extra milk because whole wheat flour makes everything drier
Made these up to the ball stage, covered in cling film in the fridge and put them in the oven this morning for breakfast – wow… so easy and oh so tasty, I love the fact that you melt the butter. I didn’t have brown sugar and couldn’t be bothered going to the shop (again) yesterday so I used palm sugar – is a little sweet but still very very tasty. thanks Nagi for yet again a faultless recipe.
This is another great recipe from this site! I forgot to use lukewarm milk and used cold milk however the rolls turned out fluffy and soft. Will be making these again.