Too often I get a huge craving for a fresh, made from scratch, warm out of the oven cinnamon roll but so often I don’t want to wait the 3 – 4 hours it takes to prepare them with all those tedious and lengthy rise times. Yes, I love a good yeast based cinnamon roll, but is the yeast absolutely necessary? Well, I decided to find out for myself.
Recently, I’ve been reading through the “The Quick Recipe” from the Editors of Cook Illustrated Magazine and came upon their recipe for Fastest Cinnamon Buns. I knew I had to try it for a number of reasons. First off I’m yet to be let down by Cook’s Illustrated. If you are looking for a cookbook that you will likely love and cherish for life, I’d recommend any of the Cook’s Illustrated cookbook collections. They are fabulous. And second I’m a cinnamon roll addict so if it can be done in anywhere under the usual 3 hours, then I’m in.
Normally when I try someone else’s recipe I like to make quite a few of my own changes, but this time around I mostly just made minor changes. The changes I made from their recipe were using a little more cinnamon as well as nutmeg instead of cloves (I just like it better), I used light-brown sugar instead of dark-brown sugar (because I rarely have dark brown on hand), I used the buttermilk substitute I listed because I was out of buttermilk, also I used salted butter instead of unsalted (I’m a salted butter baker) and I replaced their glaze recipe with my own because I thought it could use a little butter.
I’m telling you, this recipe is amazing! Not only is it the fastest batch of cinnamon rolls I’ve ever made but they also tasted spectacular. The texture was slightly different from that of a yeast based cinnamon roll. It didn’t have the same stretch you get from using yeast, but other than that not a whole lot of difference. I will definitely continue to make My Favorite Cinnamon Rolls (the other cinnamon roll recipe I’ve posted) but when I don’t want to wait that long I will always turn to these. I should also mention Cook’s illustrated listed the total time to be 55 minutes, which included 5 minutes of cooling in that time. I say they were being generous with the time they allotted I had these prepared and out of the oven in just under 45 minutes. Just be sure to make the glaze while they are baking to save time. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 6 Tbsp granulated sugar, divided
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp + 1/8 tsp salt, divided
- 8 Tbsp salted butter, melted
- 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
- 2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk*
- 1 recipe Cream Cheese Glaze, recipe follows
- 3 oz cream cheese, softened
- 3 Tbsp butter, softened
- 1 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush a 9-inch cake or pie pan with 1 Tbsp melted butter, set aside. In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, 2 Tbsp granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt, set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl whisk together light-brown sugar, remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/8 tsp salt. Add in 1 Tbsp melted butter and blend mixture together with your fingertips or a fork until mixture is well blended and evenly moistened, set aside.
- Measure out buttermilk into a liquid measuring cup and stir in 2 Tbsp melted butter. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms and liquid has been absorbed, then knead mixture in bowl by hand just until smooth, about 30 seconds (dough will be sticky).
- Sprinkle a clean work surface with a fair amount of flour. Pat the dough with your hands into a 12 x 9-inch rectangle. Brush top of dough with 2 Tbsp melted butter then sprinkle evenly with brown sugar mixture, coming within a 1/2 inch of the border on all sides. Press the brown sugar filling into the dough (they stated "firmly press" in their recipe which didn't make sense to me because then you are flattening your dough and releasing some of the rise the baking powder has already given so I only lightly pressed). Starting on the long side, roll dough (using a bench scraper or metal spatula to loosen dough from work surface if necessary. I didn't need one) snugly and gently to opposite end. Pinch the end seam to seal. Roll the log seam side down and cut dough into 8 equal portions.
- Place 1 roll in the center of the prepared baking dish, then place remaining 7 rolls around it. Brush tops of rolls with remaining 2 Tbsp butter. Bake in preheated oven 22 - 25 minutes until edges are golden brown. (After baking you can invert the rolls using a plate onto a wire rack but I just served them without flipping). Serve warm drizzled with Cream Cheese Glaze. Store in an airtight container and reheat in microwave if desired.
- *If you don't have buttermilk you can use 1 cup + 3 Tbsp milk and 1 Tbsp vinegar, whisk it together and let rest 2 minutes. That's actually what I did this time around because I was out of buttermilk.
- In a mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer set on medium speed, blend together cream cheese and butter until well combine and slightly fluffy, about 1 minute. Add in remaining ingredients and mix until well combine. Store in an airtight container.
- Recipe Source: Cinnamon Roll - adapted from The Quick Recipe, By the Editors of Cook's Illustrated. Fastest Cinnamon Buns, pg 375 - 376.
- Cream Cheese Glaze - Cooking Classy
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious: I hate waiting around for yeast so this recipe is perfect for me! Can’t wait to make this close to Christmas time! December 6, 2012 at 6:12am
Samantha: I think I might make this as soon as I get up from the computer. They sound delicious! December 6, 2012 at 8:13am
The Cooking Actress: Gorgeous photos, as always. I love that this is a quicker way to get cinnamon rolls in my belly!! December 6, 2012 at 11:01am
Jessica@AKitchenAddiction: Cinnamon rolls that only take 45 minutes to make?! I need to try these ASAP! December 6, 2012 at 1:38pm
Amanda: Gorgeous Jaclyn!! I need to try these!! :) December 6, 2012 at 2:38pm
Jen: Looks great!! Might be breakfast Sunday!! December 6, 2012 at 3:35pm
sally @ sallys baking addiction: everything about these – perfection. complete and utter perfection Jaclyn. The creamy white drizzle, the ease of the recipe, quickness.. these are the ultimate cinnamon bun in hardly any time at all. Exactly what I am looking for on a lazy weekend morning. Pinning these!!! Yum. December 6, 2012 at 7:28pm
LouLou K: Hi, these look delicious and i will definitely give this recipe a try soon however you forgot to mention the cinnamon and nutmeg in the instructions. Should they be added to the brown sugar mixture.
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
LouLou December 6, 2012 at 8:26pm
Loretta E.: I always use the buttermilk trick because the only time I need buttermilk it’s only 1/2-1 cup’s worth.
You’re killing me. These look way too good! December 6, 2012 at 11:40pm
angela @ anotherbiteplease: wow these look so good…and so quick love that! December 7, 2012 at 11:23am
Averie @ Averie Cooks: I love Cooks Illustrated and have seen this recipe on other sites and in my cookbook and have always been tempted to make it – and you have me convinced.
But your other cinnamon rolls look like the ones to be beat. Nothing will ever compare to yeasted rolls but…these are amazing! December 7, 2012 at 11:49am
MakingVanilla.com: Dang you and merry Christmas all at the same time! December 12, 2012 at 7:51pm
trina: These are SO good! I really don’t like making anything with yeast but love cinnamon rolls, the other recipe I used to use just tasted like cinnamon sugar bicuits. These taste like “really” cinnamon rolls!!! So good, I do have to say that only use 1/2 c brown sugar and the white sugar for the inside and it’s plenty! i also used spray for the pan and then sprayed the tops of the rolls instead of butter before going in the oven, and they were still great! thanks so much!!! December 18, 2012 at 1:44pm
Jaclyn: Trina – I’m so glad to hear you think so =)! Thanks so much for returning to leave a comment! December 18, 2012 at 9:47pm
Ruth: Wonderful recipe -found the recipe last night – decided they would be good for Christmas morning … took me a little longer to put them together but oh was it worth it. Have never made yeast rolls so when I was putting them in the dish could not decide whether the cut side was up or down . Decided it must be up .. that is what I did and wow with a little glaze … no cream cheese so made my own without… they sure hit the spot. A good start to Christmas … Thanks. December 25, 2012 at 4:24pm
Jaclyn: Glad you enjoyed them! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas! Thanks for your comment! December 26, 2012 at 6:34pm
alexandra palacios: Hi i searched for about an hr before i came across your recipe im excited to try it. I told my wee ones wed bake some today to keep the house warm. I dont have buttermilk so i was planning on using your milk option, then i realized i used the last of my vinegar to clean my coffee pot..lol iwll the taste be affected if i dont use the vinegar?? its too cold outside and the store is too far to run out and buy some (ive asked my neighbors also they didnt have any on hand December 30, 2012 at 5:21pm
Jaclyn: You should be fine to do it without the vinegar – just the milk, if you have lemon juice that would also work in place of the vinegar though. I know what you mean about the cold! It is a freezing cold winter out there! I hope you enjoy these! December 30, 2012 at 8:55pm
Dana: Disappointed! We love cinnamon rolls and thought these would be awesome. The term “sticky” was an understatement. I followed the recipe exactly, twice, and both times my “dough” was so runny I couldn’t come anywhere near rolling the dough. January 6, 2013 at 8:16am
Jaclyn: Sorry they didn’t turn out for you I’m yet to try a Cook’s Illustrated recipe that I haven’t loved. I may recommend that you add another 1/4 of flour if you live in a high humidity climate. Also note that I wouldn’t recommend that you “roll” the dough out just pat it with the palms of your hands. January 6, 2013 at 12:12pm
Veronica: I made these last night, and they turned out great! I flipped them over into another pan, like you suggested and they were perfect! thanks! January 12, 2013 at 8:03am
Lindsay: These are AMAZING! I’ve made cinnamon rolls from scratch that took hours but, these are so much easier & far more delicious. The recipe works perfectly. It took me 1.5 hrs from opening the recipe to serving but they are a wonderful way to start a Saturday. Thank you! January 12, 2013 at 8:38am
45 Minute Cinnamon Rolls (Without Yeast): [...] terms of looks, this is one of those, but the taste is a win. The orginal recipe is found over at Cooking Classy. Her pictures [...] February 5, 2013 at 9:03am
Lauren: Wow! These look great. I hate how long it takes for yeast dough, and yeast is so tricky and unpredictable! And wow, 45 minutes sounds preettttty good for me. I will have to try these………. February 20, 2013 at 5:56pm
Sunday Cinnamon Rolls | The Parti-Colored Fleur: [...] through some of the other recipes on the Cooking Classy blog the other day, I found this one for 45 Minute Cinnamon Rolls. We’re both cinnamon roll lovers here, perhaps a bit too much, so we don’t have them [...] February 24, 2013 at 11:29am
Jo Romero: One of the things that always puts me off making cinnamon rolls is waiting for them to rise… this recipe sounds perfect, especially for a lazy Sunday breakfast – thanks for sharing. March 18, 2013 at 2:47pm
Jaclyn: You’re welcome Jo! I hope you enjoy! March 18, 2013 at 6:58pm
Sara B: My daughter signed us up to bring the homemade cinnamon rolls for the youth group’s sunrise Easter breakfast and I was absolutely dreading spending my entire day today making and waiting for cinnamon rolls to rise. I am going to try these. I will let you know how they turn out, but based on what I’ve read, I’m not worried!! March 29, 2013 at 9:49am
Jaclyn: Hope they turn out fabulously for you! March 30, 2013 at 8:56pm
No-Yeast Cinnamon Rolls | wiskt: [...] Cinnamon Rolls (adapted from Cooking Classy) Yield: 8 cinnamon [...] April 10, 2013 at 11:45am
luke: what could i use in stead of the butter milk April 13, 2013 at 9:35am
Jaclyn: 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar plus enough low fat milk to equal 1 1/4 cups (so about 1 cup plus 3 Tbsp milk plus the 1 tbsp 1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar), mix together and let rest 3 minutes. April 13, 2013 at 8:43pm
debra: I made these yesterday, I agree was too sticky but will try suggestion to add 1/4 cup more flour. The other comment from husband was not sweet enough, and looked like bisquits. I am going to try to add more sugar, and egg, and vanilla to add more texture and flavor, but overall I think I will definitely try these agaiin April 25, 2013 at 10:00am
Jaclyn: I hope you do and thanks for the suggestions for others Debra! April 30, 2013 at 8:08pm
Blessy: Lovely … They turned out so well. but I had a lot of extra brown sugar mixture. I made a glaze out of it and used it instead of the cream cheese glaze. My question is should I have used the entire brown sugar mixture as filling. I wasn’t sure if it would be too sweet. April 27, 2013 at 9:39pm
Jaclyn: Yes the entire brown sugar mixture is meant for the filling, but you can always adjust it to your desired preference since is just the filling it wouldn’t matter if it is reduced. I like your idea to use the extra you had for a glaze, good thinking :). April 29, 2013 at 12:05am
Breakfast in Bed | October Moon: [...] 11. 45-Minute Cinnamon Rolls by Jaclyn (Cooking Classy) [...] May 2, 2013 at 12:37pm
T Fox: I was thrilled to find a cinnamon roll recipe that did not use yeast but sadly that is what makes them so good. No one in my family thought these compared to my homemade yeast cinnamon rolls. May 17, 2013 at 5:29am