Bakery-Style Cinnamon Rolls That Melt in Your Mouth

My bakery-style cinnamon rolls are soft, fluffy, and pillowy, layered with a rich buttery brown sugar and cinnamon filling. Baked until golden and finished with a simple glaze, they’re warm, gooey, and the ultimate homemade cinnamon roll.

Baked cinnamon rolls topped with glaze. — Bakery-style cinnamon rolls: tall, tender, and loaded with buttery cinnamon filling.

As a baker, cookbook author, and lover of breakfast pastries, I’ve spent years perfecting sweet breads and pastries. To me, a true cinnamon roll must be soft and pillow-like—so inviting that the first instinct is to gently press it before taking a bite.

Cinnamon babka can be tender and delicious, but cinnamon rolls are the full package: comforting, flavorful, and uncompromisingly fluffy. This recipe delivers exactly that—classic bakery-style cinnamon rolls you can make at home.

The Secret to Extra Fluffy Rolls

The key is warming the milk with the sugar and butter at the start. This simple step creates a warm, enriched liquid that, once combined with flour, yields a smooth elastic dough that comes together quickly. The butter makes the dough tender but, because the liquid is warm and the wet ingredients come together fast, you avoid overmixing and ending up with a tight, dense crumb.

A few more tips I use every time I bake these cinnamon rolls:

Weigh your flour with a kitchen scale. Too much flour produces a dry, dense dough; too little and the dough becomes overly sticky and hard to handle.
Cool the milk-butter-sugar mixture to about 90–100°F (32–38°C) before adding the yeast and eggs. If it’s too hot, the yeast could be damaged and the dough won’t rise properly.

Do not overmix the dough. Once there is no visible dry flour and the dough is smooth and slightly tacky, stop mixing. I usually give it an extra minute after the flour has hydrated—about 3–4 minutes total after adding the flour.

A mixing bowl with milk, flour, egg and yeast next to an empty cup and a bowl with flour. — To the warm milk-butter mixture add flour, yeast, an egg, and an egg yolk.

A hand sprinkling flour into a mixer bowl full of flour. — With the mixer on low, add the remaining flour and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.

A large bowl with dough at the center. — Transfer the dough to a large bowl to rest and rise.

A proofed dough in a bowl and a kitchen towel. — Allow the dough to double in size before shaping.

Spreading cinnamon filling over a rolled dough rectangle. — Roll the dough into a rectangle and spread the cinnamon filling evenly.

Unbaked rolls over a pan with parchment paper. — Slice the log and place the rolls in a prepared pan, swirl side up.

Unbaked cinnamon rolls. — Let the arranged rolls rest for their final rise.

Make Them the Night Before

For fresh, oven-warm rolls in the morning, prepare the dough and assemble the rolls the night before. After placing the sliced rolls in the pan, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8–10 hours. In the morning, remove the pan from the fridge while the oven preheats, brush the tops with cream, and bake until golden.

A hand breaking a baked cinnamon roll. — Warm, gooey cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven.

Bakery-Style Cinnamon Rolls (OMG, So Fluffy)

These bakery-style cinnamon rolls are soft, fluffy, and pillowy with a rich buttery brown sugar and cinnamon filling swirled through every layer. Baked until golden and finished with a simple glaze, they are the ultimate homemade cinnamon roll.

Prep Time: 35 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins | Total: 2 hrs 30 mins

Servings: 12 large rolls | Author: Dikla Levy Frances

Ingredients

Cinnamon Rolls Dough

1 1/2 Cups (360g) milk
6 TBS (85g) unsalted butter
1/3 Cup (70g) sugar
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 large egg, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
5 1/4 Cups (630g) all-purpose flour (start with 3 cups / 360g, then add more as needed)
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 Cup (120ml) heavy cream (for brushing)

Cinnamon Filling

1 1/2 Cups (300g) light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon potato starch
2–3 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 Cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened

Frosting

1 Cup powdered sugar
1–3 TBS water (to reach desired consistency)

Instructions

In a large saucepan, heat the milk (360ml), butter (85g), and sugar (70g) until the butter is melted and the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and cool to about 100°F (38°C).
Pour the warm mixture into a mixing bowl. Add 2 cups (240g) of flour, the egg, egg yolk, yeast, and salt. Mix briefly to combine.
With the dough hook on low, sprinkle in the remaining flour (about 390g total, but I often find 360g is enough). Knead until the dough is smooth and there’s no dry flour. The dough may be slightly sticky—don’t add too much flour.
Transfer the dough to a large bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 75–90 minutes.
While the dough rises, make the filling: beat light brown sugar (300g), softened butter (170g), potato starch (1 tbsp), and cinnamon (2 tsp) until smooth.
Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper. Deflate the dough and roll it on a lightly floured surface to a 16×18-inch rectangle.
Spread the cinnamon filling evenly over the dough with an offset spatula, then tightly roll the dough into a log from the long edge.
Use a serrated knife to slice the log into 12 pieces about 1.5 inches thick. Arrange the rolls in the prepared pan, swirl side up.
Cover with a kitchen towel and let the rolls rest for another 60–75 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) about 20 minutes before baking.
Brush the tops with heavy cream and pour any remaining cream into gaps between rolls. Bake on the middle rack for 25–30 minutes, until medium golden and the center roll reaches 180°F (82°C).
While the rolls bake, whisk the powdered sugar with water to make a smooth frosting.
Remove the rolls from the oven, drizzle with frosting, and serve warm. Store leftover rolls at room temperature, covered, for up to three days. To reheat, place on parchment and warm in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10–15 minutes.