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Homemade Cinnamon Buns (The Best You Will Ever Taste)

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Homemade cinnamon buns are exquisitely delicious. They have the soft texture you would expect from a cinnamon bun, and are filled with butter and sugar and cinnamon and all the unhealthy stuff.

Post originally published in September 2018; updated July 2019 with more accurate ingredients and nutrition info & better pictures.

Great news, everyone! Today we are going to be discussing cinnamon buns. And not just any cinnamon buns, but homemade cinnamon buns. What could be better? Tbh I actually can’t think of anything right now. I mean, cinnamon buns. What else is there to say?

(Besides for Zuh! Bunzuh! Cinnamon bunzuh!)

(any other Animorphs fans here? Anyone else who used to randomly go up to a friend and start saying zuh! Zuh!?)

(No? Just me? I’ll see myself out)

(But I’ll take the homemade cinnamon buns with me)

Ahem. Where were we.

Right. Cinnamon buns.

I’ve always loved cinnamon buns. Soft, fluffy dough, sweet, cinnamony filling, oozy vanilla icing… just yum.

via GIPHY

When I was in camp (over a decade ago; when did that happen????) they would sometimes give out cinnamon buns for snack. They came in a huge tray and were covered with what was basically a sheet of white icing over the entire thing, and oh my gosh they were so good. Any cinnamon buns I’ve had since then have been judged by that standard and, for the most part, found lacking.

In my experience, homemade cinnamon buns were never that good. I’d see them in different places and by different people’s houses, and always had to try them, because cinnamon buns. But they just didn’t cut it. The dough was usually too hard and more cookie-like than bun-like. I want soft homemade cinnamon buns. Is that too much to ask for? (Apparently it is.)

So when a coworker of mine (hi Tanya!) told me that her grandmother makes the best homemade cinnamon buns, I was more than a bit skeptical. But she insisted that no, they really are good, and I had to try them.

So I tried them.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

(Don’t you just love clichés?)

 

Homemade Cinnamon Buns Recipe

Recipe courtesy of Tanya’s grandmother, slightly tweaked by me

INGREDIENTS

Dough:
3.5 teaspoons yeast
1 cup warm water
Pinch of sugar
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
½ cup oil

Filling:
Melted butter
Sugar
Cinnamon

Icing:
Confectioners sugar
milk

METHOD

Put the yeast and pinch of sugar in the warm water and allow to sit until bubbly and frothy.

Meanwhile, mix the other dough ingredients.

Add the yeast/water mixture and knead until a smooth dough forms.

Cover and let rise until doubled in size (around three hours, if you are just leaving it out. To speed up the rising process, turn your oven onto its highest temperature for a minute or two until it gets warm, and then turn the oven off. Put the dough into an oven safe dish and put it in the warm oven.)

Homemade cinnamon buns dough in a bowl before rising.
Homemade cinnamon buns dough, before rising

 

Homemade cinnamon buns dough in a bowl after rising.
Homemade cinnamon buns dough, after rising

Once the dough has risen, roll it out into a large rectangle. I usually use a rolling pin for this, but last time I made these, I actually just spread the dough out with my hands, and it was soft and pliable enough for me to get it to the right size.

Layer the dough generously with melted butter and then a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.

Roll it up and cut into slices.

Homemade cinnamon buns slices lying on parchment paper.
Homemade cinnamon buns slices

Allow the slices to sit for at least 15 minutes. This is very important, as it lets the dough continue rising and will make your cinnamon bun layers fluffier.

Bake at 350. These can overcook really quickly, so keep an eye on them.

When cooled, glaze with a mixture of confectionary sugar and a drop of milk. To prevent clumps of confectioners sugar in the glaze, mix it with a whisk.

baked homemade cinnamon buns ~ bitesnpieces.co
Homemade cinnamon buns, all ready for eating

These can get stale really quickly but freeze very well. When I make them, I don’t even leave them out overnight. They go right in the freezer in a Ziploc bag and then I take a few out to defrost as needed. You can defrost them by either leaving them out for a bit (it won’t take that long) or putting them in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute, depending on the size of the cinnamon bun and the strength of your microwave.

Enjoy!!

Recipe grade: A+

 

Check out some other delicious dessert recipes:

Donut Holes
One Bowl Brownies
Easy Lemon Curd
Double peanut butter sandwich cookies
Oatmeal Cookies with Oil, not Butter

Baked cinnamon rolls on a plate.

Homemade Cinnamon Buns

Yield: 30 buns
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Rising time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 28 minutes

Homemade cinnamon buns are exquisitely delicious. They have the soft texture you would expect from a cinnamon bun, and are filled with butter and sugar and cinnamon and all the unhealthy stuff.

Ingredients

Dough:

  • 3.5 teaspoons yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 pinch sugar
  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup oil

Filling:

  • 1/4 cup butter, melted, 1/2 stick
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon

Icing:

  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp milk

Instructions

  1. Put the yeast and pinch of sugar in the warm water and allow to sit until bubbly and frothy.
  2. Meanwhile, mix the other dough ingredients.
  3. Add the yeast/water mixture and knead until a smooth dough forms.
  4. Cover and let rise until doubled in size (around three hours, if you are just leaving it out. To speed up the rising process, turn your oven onto its highest temperature for a minute or two until it gets warm, and then turn the oven off. Put the dough into an oven safe dish and put it in the warm oven.)
  5. Once the dough has risen, roll it out into a large rectangle. I usually use a rolling pin for this, but last time I made these, I actually just spread the dough out with my hands, and it was soft and pliable enough for me to get it to the right size.
  6. Layer the dough generously with melted butter and then a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.
  7. Roll it up and cut into slices. Allow the slices to sit for at least 15 minutes. This is very important, as it lets the dough continue rising and will make your cinnamon bun layers fluffier.
  8. Bake at 350. These can overcook really quickly, so keep an eye on them. Mine take around 8 minutes - take them out when they are just barely browned.
  9. When cooled, glaze with a mixture of confectioners sugar and a drop of milk. To prevent clumps of confectioners sugar in the glaze, mix it with a whisk.

Notes

These can get stale really quickly but freeze very well. When I make them, I don’t even leave them out overnight. They go right in the freezer in a Ziploc bag and then I take a few out to defrost as needed. You can defrost them by either leaving them out for a bit (it won’t take that long) or putting them in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute, depending on the size of the cinnamon bun and the strength of your microwave.

Recommended Products

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 30 Serving Size: 30 buns
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 151Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 89mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 2g

Nutrition information was calculated by a third party calculator.

Pin this recipe for later!

cinnamon rolls Pinterest image.
cinnamon buns pinterest graphic 2.

This Post Has 43 Comments

  1. Emma Harrel

    These look perfect, I never realised how easy the topping is to make with just icing sugar and milk! That would probably be really nice as a cake topping too.

  2. Heather Ritchie

    Oh yum! I love cinnamon rolls. My only problem is I’m not a good baker because I hate to measure! I might have to break my rule and actually bake these because they look to die for!

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      Yup, you definitely do!

  3. Tee

    those bun-zuhs……….this popped up on my twitter and suddenly i, too, am reminded of summer camp and those sheets of cinnamon buns. what an absolute treat :’)

  4. Coral Almog

    That’s looks so good! thank you for the recipe 🙂

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      You’re welcome! Enjoy!

  5. Erin

    These look amazing! My kids love cinnamon buns so we will have to try this recipe!

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      I hope they love it!

  6. Jeremy Life

    Good read, informative and well written. Love this cinnamon buns recipes. Thanks for this recipe.

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      You’re very welcome!

  7. jenn Polo

    seriously…I never make anything with yeast because it never turns out! These look amazing! My kids would wonder what was wrong with me if they saw me making home made cinnamon buns. LOL

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      Don’t be scared of yeast. I’m sure you can do it!

  8. Tamra

    Yes, I think I will need to try these! They look so good!!

  9. Janet Rose

    They look delicious. I must give this a try. Thank you for sharing your recipe.

  10. T.M. Brown

    I grew up on homemade cinnamon buns that my aunt would make whenever we would visit. Yum! I really need to find the time to do this for my kids before they are up and out of the house!

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      I make them with my kids. It’s a whole afternoon activity, so it’s perfect for an off day!

  11. Erica (The Prepping Wife)

    How did you know cinnamon rolls were something I’ve been looking to try making at home?! These look amazing. My husband is a huge fan, which is why I’ve been trying to find the perfect recipe to make them for him.

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      I hope your husband enjoys them!

  12. Kate

    These look awesome! I’ve always wanted to give these a shot at home, maybe now I will!

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      Thanks! You should definitely try them 🙂

  13. Karie

    These look yummy! I love making cinnamon rolls but I still haven’t figured out how to make them gooey in the middle like Cinnabuns. I have tried and tried but they never have that thick gooey cinnamon texture.

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      I can’t promise you that these are gooey like Cinnabon but they are soft and sweet and cinnamony so they probably come pretty close

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      Enjoy!

  14. Michelle

    OOOh, this had my mouth watering. I have to try these!

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      Glad you enjoyed the post 🙂

  15. Catherine

    This is definitely a recipe I will try out on the Grandkids. They look amazing.

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      I’m sure your grandkids will love them!

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      You’re very welcome! Enjoy!

  16. Carli G

    Ah I love cinnamon buns! Thanks for the recipe!

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      You’re very welcome!

  17. Tony

    Oohh.. I can across these (or something very similar) when I was in living in Finland. They are very popular there and the mother of the family that I lived with made them fairly often.

    Unfortunately, I was never able to get the cake soft and roll-able. For me, it just breaks up 🙁 I’ll stick with making bread for now!

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      I know the frustration of having dough not turn out the way you want it to! However, I don’t think you’ll have that problem if you try this recipe. It really is pretty foolproof, and the cinnamon buns come out amazing.

  18. Mansi

    These look so yummy?

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      They really are 🙂 I’m sure you’ll love them as much as I do!

  19. Alexandra

    Delicious! I am so beyond excited to try this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing.

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      You’re very welcome! Enjoy them, they really are delicious 🙂

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