Overnight Cinnamon Rolls Are So Worth the Wait!

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Overnight Cinnamon Rolls are so worth the wait and effort! These Overnight Cinnamon Rolls are light, fluffy and full of cinnamon goodness.

Who doesn’t love cinnamon rolls? Seriously. I haven’t found anyone who doesn’t suddenly become your best friend when you start talking about making cinnamon rolls. The real question is two-fold or maybe three-fold. One, do you want pecans or walnuts with your cinnamon rolls (duh). Two, do you want to use brown or white sugar. And, three, do you want to use an overnight recipe.

If you answered yes to the pecans or walnuts, yes to the brown sugar and yes to using the overnight recipe so you can experience the best cinnamon rolls ever, then I’ve got the recipe for you!

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

These Overnight Cinnamon Rolls require a little extra preparation (thus the reason for calling them “overnight” cinnamon rolls), but the results are on-so-worth-it! Just ask my boys. In fact, just ask anyone in our family who has ever eaten my homemade cinnamon rolls, complete with cream cheese frosting (a must in my family).

Again, when I was looking to find the perfect recipe for cinnamon rolls, I turned to my favorite food science source – Alton Brown. The science behind the texture of a perfectly fluffy cinnamon roll lies in the yeast. There is nothing quite as disappointing as biting into a cinnamon roll expecting airy delicate pastry spirals oozing with cinnamon and sugary goodness, only to be jolted away from your fond childhood memories with a rock hard spiral bite of disappointment. Life has enough disappointments and cinnamon rolls should not be on that list.

This Overnight Cinnamon Rolls is adapted from Alton Brown’s recipe.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

PREPARE THE DOUGH {Overnight Cinnamon Rolls}

Combine the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter and buttermilk in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk at medium speed.

As the mixture comes together add 1-1/4 cups of the flour, along with the yeast and salt and continue whisking until combined.

Remove the whisk attachment and replace it with a dough hook. Add another ½ cup of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes. At this point the dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky. If it is sticky, add a bit more flour (one tablespoon at a time). Knead on low for another 5 minutes or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; and form the dough into a smooth ball.

Transfer to a large bowl that has been lightly lubed with the vegetable oil. Rotate the bowl so that the dough ball is evenly covered. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside until the dough doubles in volume, about 3 hours. (Exact times will vary depending on the temperature of the room and the temperature of the ingredients.)

PREPARE THE FILLING {Overnight Cinnamon Rolls}

Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

ASSEMBLE {Overnight Cinnamon Rolls}

Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish with the cold butter.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently shape into a rectangle with the long side nearest you. Then use a rolling pin to shape into 18 by 12-inch rectangle.

Brush the dough with the melted butter, leaving a 1-inch border along the top edge.

Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the dough, also avoiding the top border.

Gently press the filling into the dough. (If your hands are hot, you may want to cover the filling with a layer of plastic wrap first.)

Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough away from you 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, gently cut the cylinder into 2-inch rolls; yielding 8 pieces.

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.

TO BAKE

Heat the oven to 200 degrees F.

When the oven has reached 200 degrees F, turn it off and place the rolls in the turned-off oven. Let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy, about 30 minutes.

Without taking the rolls out of the oven, increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and let the rolls continue to bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F. Remove the rolls and let cool while you make the icing.

FOR THE ICING

Whisk 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.

Like I said, my family LOVES cinnamon rolls. They even like cheap store-bought cinnamon rolls. My husband tells me it’s just a waste of my time to make homemade Overnight Cinnamon Rolls because the kids don’t care whether the rolls are actually good or not.  So, I save the good stuff for special occasions or when I really want Lenny and I to have a special homemade full of cinnamon goodness treat.

Do you have a go-to cinnamon roll recipe? Have you tried the overnight cinnamon rolls before? I’d love to hear about all your cinnamon-goodness experiences.

Til next time…

P.S. If your family loves cinnamon, you may want to check out my Cinnamon Honey Butter recipe. It’s another family favorite! Or this recipe for “Best Ever Cinnamon Rolls” (you be the judge!).

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