Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls

These Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls are made with a soft yeast dough, a thick layer of melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon, and topped with a maple coffee frosting. Baked at 375 degrees for about 15 to 18 minutes, they come out golden, gooey, and soft in the center. The recipe makes 40 to 50 rolls and takes about 3 hours including rise time.

Ree heats the milk, oil, and sugar together and lets it cool to just the right temperature before adding the yeast. The dough rises for a full hour before the leaveners go in, which gives it that pillowy, bakery-style texture. She rolls it out to nearly five feet long and just 10 inches wide so the layers stay thin and tight, which is what creates all those spiral rings of butter and cinnamon inside each roll.

Ree says the dough is much easier to handle if you refrigerate it for at least an hour before rolling. She drizzles the maple icing on while the rolls are still hot out of the oven so it melts into the layers and soaks in as they cool. The coffee in the frosting doesn’t make it taste like coffee, it just adds depth and balances out the sweetness so the icing doesn’t taste flat.

Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls

Author: Hamdi Saidani Cooking Method:Baking Cuisine:American Courses:Pioneer Woman Desserts Recipes

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 30 minutesCook time: 40 minutesRest time: 40 minutesTotal time:1 hour 50 minutesServings:40 servings Best Season:Summer

Description

These Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls are soft, buttery, and loaded with cinnamon sugar, topped with a maple coffee frosting that soaks right into every layer.

Ingredients

For the Dough and Filling:

• 1 quart whole milk
  
• 1 cup vegetable oil
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 2 packets (0.25 oz each) active dry yeast
  
• 9 cups all-purpose flour, divided
  
• 1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
  
• 1 scant teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1 heaping tablespoon iodized table salt
  
• 1½ cups melted salted butter
  
• 2 cups sugar
  
• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

For the Maple Frosting:

• 2 pounds powdered sugar, sifted
  
• 2 teaspoons maple flavoring, plus more to taste
  
• ½ cup whole milk, plus more as needed
  
• ¼ cup melted salted butter
  
• ¼ cup strongly brewed coffee or cold brew concentrate
  
• ⅛ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until just below a boil. Set aside and cool to between 105 and 115 degrees F. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit for 1 minute.
   
2. Add 8 cups of flour and stir until just combined. The dough will be very sticky. Cover and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour until puffy and risen.
   
3. Add the remaining 1 cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Fold gently until just combined. Use right away or refrigerate for up to 3 days.
   
4. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 50 to 55 inches long by 10 inches wide. Roll it very thin.
   
5. Pour 1½ cups of melted butter over the entire surface and spread it with your fingers. Sprinkle 1½ to 2 cups of sugar evenly over the butter, then sprinkle with cinnamon.
   
6. Starting from the end farthest from you, roll the dough tightly toward you, working slowly and keeping the roll tight. Pinch the seam closed and flip it seam side down.
   
7. Slice the log into ¾ to 1 inch pieces. You should get 40 to 50 rolls. Pour 1 tablespoon of melted butter into each cake pan and swirl to coat. Place 7 rolls in each pan, 1 in the center and 6 around it.
   
8. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for at least 45 minutes.
   
9. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown but not overly dark.
   
10. While the rolls bake, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, butter, coffee, salt, and maple flavoring until very smooth. The icing should be thick but still pourable.
    
11. Remove the rolls from the oven and immediately drizzle the icing generously over the top, making sure it gets around the edges. The rolls will absorb the moisture as they sit. Serve warm.

FAQs

What other breakfast pastries are worth making from scratch?

Once you’ve pulled off homemade cinnamon rolls, Blueberry Lemon Sweet Rolls are a good next step. They use a similar dough and rise method but the Lemon Curd and berries give you a totally different flavor. Cranberry orange sweet rolls are another solid option if you want something with a little tartness to balance the sugar.

Can I make the dough the night before and bake them in the morning?

Yes, and that’s actually the best way to do it. Make the dough, let it do its first rise, then punch it down and refrigerate it overnight. Cold dough is easier to roll out anyway. In the morning, assemble and slice the rolls, let them rise for 45 minutes on the counter, and bake. Fresh cinnamon rolls with coffee and almost no morning effort.

Why does the frosting have coffee in it?

It sounds strange but it works. The coffee doesn’t make the frosting taste like a latte. It deepens the maple flavor and cuts the sweetness so the icing tastes rich instead of just sugary. Cold brew concentrate is the best option because it’s smooth and strong without any bitterness.

How do I store leftover cinnamon rolls?

Wrap the pan tightly with plastic wrap or foil and keep them at room temperature for up to 2 days. Pop them in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds to warm them back up and the icing will go soft and gooey again. You can also freeze the iced rolls, wrapped individually, for up to 3 months.

My rolls always come out dense and heavy. What am I doing wrong?

The milk was probably too hot when you added the yeast. Anything above 115 degrees kills it and the dough won’t rise properly. Use a thermometer and make sure it’s in that 105 to 115 range. Also don’t skip the 45-minute rise after you put them in the pans. That second rise is what makes them light and fluffy instead of tight and bready.