Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe is hands down the Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Ever. The perfect soft, fluffy, gooey cinnamon rolls are right at your fingertips. Just like my great-grandmother used to make them! They are sure to be your new family tradition in no time!

Wow! Are you in for a treat today. As long as I can remember, my mom has made these homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. It’s a recipe from my great-grandmother and every holiday we use this roll recipe to make dinner rolls and the base for our homemade cinnamon rolls.

They are truly a family staple. I can’t imagine having Christmas without them, so I make the for my little family now (and share with my in-laws when they come over for brunch). Some affiliate links are used for your convenience.

And the recipe may seem a bit intimidating, but it’s not hard at all. You will need a candy thermometer (a simple one like this), but other than that, you should have everything you need in your pantry!

I’ve set up the recipe two ways today. One is the traditional way that we’ve always cooked it, and the other way uses essential oils and adds a twist to the glaze. It’s delicious either way, but the orange is super yummy!

How to Make Delicious Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

In a saucepan combine the milk, sugar and shortening.

Heat it until the shortening melts, but do not let it boil.

Once heated thoroughly and the shortening has melted, remove from heat, add your candy thermometer (like this one) and let cool to 115 degrees.

In a very large bowl combine 3.5 cups of flour and yeast. Stir and add liquid mixture. It should be the consistency of thick cake batter. Put it in a warm place to let it rise until double in size.

This may take up to 2 hours unless using rapid rise yeast. I just set mine on my daughter’s night stand because the sun was streaming in the window. I closed the door and went and did something else for 2 hours.

See how the dough doubled in size? Once that happens, in a small mixing bowl combine 1 cup flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add this second mixture to the dough after it’s risen, stirring well. I kneaded the dough until it was all combined.

Turn this dough out onto a well-floured surface and work in extra flour until dough is easy to handle. At this point dough can be refrigerated up to 5 days, which is perfect if you need to be prepared for a large hosting event ahead of time.

Once you are ready to make the cinnamon rolls, roll out the dough into a rectangular shape.

Combine softened or melted butter, 1/2 cup of sugar and cinnamon bark vitality. Spread over the the dough.

Or you can spread a thin layer of butter on the roll dough and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on it.

Roll the dough up starting at one of the long sides and rolling is up to the other long side.

Use a piece of thread or floss to cut the slices of cinnamon rolls by sliding the center of the thread under the the roll of dough and bringing the ends up, criss-crossing the thread until it cuts off a uniform piece of the roll.

Place rolls touching one another in a large rectangular dish.
Let rise until double in size in the oven on 110 degrees for 45 minutes.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Remove rolls from oven.
Mix confectioner’s sugar, milk and Orange Vitality™ in small bowl.
Drizzle glaze over the rolls while hot and serve warm, preferably with milk.

YUM!!!

My Great-Grandmother’s Cinnamon Roll Recipe

5 from 3 votes

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Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 3 hours

Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes

Servings 6 -8

Author Laura Nickelson at The Turquoise Home

Ingredients

• 2 cups of milk
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 3/8 cup of shortening
• 5 cups of flour divided
• 1/2 T. dry yeast
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/2 heaping t. salt
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of butter softened
• 5 drops of Young Living's Cinnamon Bark Vitality™
• 1 c. confectioner’s sugar
• 2 T. milk
• 2 drops Young Living's Orange Vitality™ optional

Instructions

1. In a saucepan combine first 3 ingredients.
2. Heat until shortening melts, but do not let it boil.
3. Remove from heat and let cool to 115 degrees.
4. In a very large bowl combine 3.5 cups of flour and yeast.
5. Stir and add liquid mixture. It should be the consistency of thick cake batter.
6. Let rise in a warm place until double in size. May take up to 2 hours unless using rapid rise yeast.
7. In a small mixing bowl combine 1 cup flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
8. Add this second mixture to the dough after it’s risen.
9. Stir well.
10. Turn this dough out onto a well-floured surface and work in extra flour until dough is easy to handle.
11. At this point dough can be refrigerated up to 5 days.
12. Roll out dough in a rectangular shape.
13. Combine softened butter, 1/2 cup of sugar and cinnamon bark vitality. Spread over the the dough.
14. Or you can spread a thin layer of butter on the roll dough and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on it.
15. Roll the dough up starting at one of the long sides and rolling is up to the other long side.
16. Use a piece of thread or floss to cut the slices of cinnamon rolls by sliding the center of the thread under the the roll of dough and bringing the ends up, criss-crossing the thread until it cuts off a uniform piece of the roll.
17. Place rolls touching one another in a large rectangular dish.
18. Let rise until double in size in the oven on 110 degrees for 45 minutes.
19. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
20. Remove rolls from oven.
21. Mix confectioner’s sugar, milk and Orange Vitality™ in small bowl.
22. Drizzle glaze over the rolls while hot and serve warm.