Knowing this was going to be the first Easter in a decade that I wouldn’t be traveling, I spent a few weeks trying to come up with simple ways to make it a special and memorable long weekend at home. All in all, I had a wonderful Easter, it involved sleeping in, slow leisurely mornings and baking projects that included warm gooey baked cinnamon treats.

We started making these overnight cinnamon rolls back in January, and we’ve been pretty much enamoured with them for the ease at which they come together and the soft, delicious and gooey buns we get to enjoy with our lattes. We even tried something different with the dough last weekend and made a braided cinnamon raisin loaf instead of regular rolls; it added a special touch to Easter Sunday brunch.

Making these cinnamon rolls feel like a bit of an adventure to me, just because it requires preparing the dough in advance and letting it rise overnight. However, it’s also one of the easiest baking projects you’ll take on. The dough for starters is simple – you make it by mixing flour, yeast, salt, a pinch of nutmeg for warmth with milk.

With no kneading required, these rolls get another point for ease of preparation and simplicity. Unlike other yeasted dough, this dough rises slowly overnight, which gives the gluten time to develop; this eliminates the need for the use of machine or elbow grease for kneading. After that effortless dump and mix exercise, and a good night’s sleep, you’ll wake up as excited as ever to make your cinnamon rolls. The dough develops boozy aroma from rising overnight, which helps build that wonderful flavour in the rolls.

The rolls bake up so beautifully; buttery, gooey and soft on the inside, I don’t really bother with frosting. They are delicious and just sweet enough on their own.
I love mine plain with a nice large mug of latte, made with perfectly steamed oat milk and a double shot of espresso.
Frosting is still an option, so feel free to slather your rolls with your favourite frosting or try this simple icing recipe.

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Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Yield: 12 cinnamon rolls

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 12 hours

Total Time: 12 hours 50 minutes

Soft, gooey, delicious and time saving cinnamon rolls. Mix dough the night before, let it slowly rise, wake up and bake this fluffiest, buttery and decadent rolls for breakfast!

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Ingredients

For dough

• 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 2/3 cup unsweetened oat milk or other plant milk, warmed

For filling

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• Pinch of fine sea salt
• 3 tablespoons non-dairy butter, melted and cooled (plus more for brushing)
• Turbinado sugar for sprinkling (or more brown sugar)

Instructions

Make dough – [The night before]

1. In a very large bowl (big enough for when dough doubles in size), combine flour, yeast, nutmeg and sea salt
2. Add milk and mix (using rubber spatula) until flour comes together and a shaggy dough forms
3. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and keep overnight (or for 10 – 12 hrs) in a warm place

 

Prepare rolls – [Next day]

1. Line a large (or 2) deep baking sheet(s) with parchment paper
2. Combine sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and salt in a small bowl and mix
3. Turn dough on to a lightly floured work-surface, shape and smooth dough roughly until round
4. Roll dough out evenly to about 14”x11” rectangular in shape, roughly
5. Brush dough surface with melted butter
6. Sprinkle brown sugar mix evenly over dough and pat down with your fingers
7. Starting gently from the long edge, roll dough down tightly to the bottom edge, making a log
8. Use a sharp knife to slice dough into 12 even rolls
9. Arrange rolls on a prepared baking sheet, placing them about 2 – 3 inches apart
10. Brush tops with more melted butter and sprinkle with sugar
11. Cover loosely with a towel and put in a warm place and let rolls rise, about 45 minutes to an hour, until about doubled in size
12. While dough proofs, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
13. Bake rolls for 18 – 20 minutes or until lightly golden brown
14. Serve warm and enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 234Total Fat: 3.7gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 146mgCarbohydrates: 45.1gFiber: 2gSugar: 11.6gProtein: 5.1g

The nutritional labels are a product of online calculators such as verywellfit. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimates.

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