Overnight Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Cinnamon roll topped with icing on a plate with a fork.

5 from 10 votes

Make these Overnight Cinnamon Rolls recipe ahead of time to enjoy on Sunday morning with your family! They are perfectly soft and buttery inside and covered with silky cream cheese icing on top.

Prep Time45

Cook Time25

Total Time15

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 454kcal

Author: Veronika's Kitchen

Ingredients

Dough:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons instant yeast
¼ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup whole milk warm
¼ cup unsalted butter melted
1 large egg room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter softened, for brushing

Filling:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
⅔ cup light brown sugar
1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon

Icing:

4 oz cream cheese room temperature
½ cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup whole milk room temperature

Instructions

Make the Dough.

In a bowl, mix together all-purpose 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ tsp salt, ¼ cup sugar, and 2 ½ tsp instant yeast. Set aside.
In a stand mixer bowl, add ¾ cup warm milk (about 110°F), ¼ cup melted butter, and 1 egg. Give it a stir and add dry ingredients.
Using a dough attachment, mix everything until combined on a low speed, then increase the speed to medium/low and continue kneading for 5 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add a little bit more flour, one tablespoon at a time.

First Proof.

When done, add a tablespoon of olive oil and roll the dough into it until covered on all sides. Cover with a towel and let rise for about 1 ½-2 hours or until doubled in size.

Make Cinnamon Rolls.

Mix ⅔ cup light brown sugar and 1 ½ tbsp cinnamon in a small ball and set aside.
When ready, punch the dough to deflate and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Roll it in a rectangular shape.
Brush with softened butter, then sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon mixture on top.
Tightly roll it into a log and cut into 9 even rolls.

Refrigerate.

Transfer them to a greased baking pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

Bake.

In the morning, take the rolls out of the fridge and let them sit covered on the counter for 1 ½-2 hours or until they get to the room temperature and double in size. Then brush the top with softened butter.
Bake at 350° for about 20-25 minutes or until a beautiful golden color.

Glaze.

While the rolls are baking, we can prepare the glaze.
In a mixing bowl, put room temperature cream cheese, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. Using a mixer, beat for a couple of minutes until light. Gradually add milk until desired consistency.
When the rolls are baked, take them out of the oven and pour the glaze over.

Video

Notes

I make 9 large buns out of this recipe. If you have a bigger party, you can make 12 smaller ones and bake in 9x13-inch baking pan.
If you don’t have a stand mixer with a dough attachment, you can knead the dough with your hands for about 10 minutes.
Make sure you use WHOLE milk and not skim or plant-based variety.
Make sure you grease the baking pan before adding the rolls into it.
Before refrigerating overnight, TIGHTLY cover the rolls with plastic wrap. If you leave any openings, the fridge air will dry out the dough.
If the rolls are browning too fast, you can cover them with a piece of foil half way through baking.
If you decide to use active dry yeast, the results will be the same but the first steps a bit different.
You will need to mix the active dry yeast with warm milk and sugar and wait for 5 minutes until the yeast is activated. Add egg, melted butter and whisk. Then add dry ingredients. The rest of the instructions will be the same.

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