Brioche Cinnamon Rolls

Fragrant and full of flavor, these melt-in-your-mouth brioche cinnamon rolls are the best thing in the morning! Made with buttery brioche dough rolled up with a sweet cinnamon sugar filling and topped with a creamy homemade cream cheese frosting, you'll want to have them for breakfast as well as dessert!

Best Brioche Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

When it comes to finding the best sweet bread, these brioche cinnamon rolls take the win! This easy recipe takes my French brioche bread to the next level. It contains extra butter, giving it an irresistible buttery flavor and moist texture. It is then rolled up with a sweet cinnamon sugar filling, baked to golden brown perfection, and slathered with homemade cream cheese icing as a finishing touch!

Although these overnight brioche cinnamon rolls take time and planning due to the lengthy proofing process, they are still very easy to make. You likely already have most of the ingredients at home (or can easily find them in your neighborhood grocery store). I also provide detailed instructions and tips on achieving the best results, as well as various substitutions and flavor variations.

Katalin's Key Take on why use bread flour (high protein flour) to make cinnamon roll

The most delicious sweet breads have a light, fluffy, texture that your teeth easily sink into. However, you can't achieve that perfect texture with just any flour. Different flours have different protein levels, meaning they form different amounts of gluten. Low-protein flour (typically used for cake) has less, weaker gluten, whereas high-protein flour has a strong gluten structure that is perfect for bread.

Since cinnamon rolls are sweet bread, you will need high-protein flour such as bread flour to make them. While you can use all-purpose flour instead, it won't provide the mouthwatering texture and flavor that make these rolls so delicious. For more on the different types of flour and their best uses in baking, check out my helpful flour guide!

Make the dough

First, ensure your kitchen is nice and warm (above 68F / 20C). Then, mix half of your granulated sugar with the lukewarm milk and sprinkle the fresh yeast over the top. In about 10 minutes, you will see the yeast start to foam. If it does not bubble, it is possible that it was outside of the expiration date or that the yeast was not at the right temperature to activate properly.

Move the yeast to the bowl of your stand mixer. Then, mix the yeast with the room-temperature eggs using the knead dough hook attachment.

Next, pour in your dry ingredients (bread flour, second half of the sugar, salt) and knead for a minute or two until the dough comes together. Do not skip the salt; it is an essential ingredient that balances the bread's sweetness.

Slowly add the softened butter to the dough, piece by piece.

Once you have incorporated all the butter, knead for 10 minutes on medium-high speed until the dough is elastic and shiny and no longer sticks to your fingers. 

When kneading dough, the goal is for it to pass the "windowpane test." If it breaks when you slowly stretch a small piece of dough between your fingers, it needs to be kneaded more. It is good to go if it stretches to the point where it allows light to pass through like a window!

Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest in the fridge overnight for 12 hours to chill and rise. Do not skip this step! Alternatively, you let it rise at room temperature in a warm place (avoiding direct heat) for 1-2 hours. However, the dough will not be as cold or easy to work with.

Make the cinnamon sugar filling

To make the cinnamon sugar filling for your brioche dough cinnamon rolls, ensure your unsalted butter is at room temperature. Then, cream the butter and sugar with the cinnamon for a few minutes until it slightly increases in volume.

You can use 100% granulated sugar or brown sugar (light brown sugar or dark brown sugar) or a 50% combination of both. Once creamed, add a pinch of salt and set it aside.

Assemble & Bake

Cold dough is necessary for easy-to-roll brioche cinnamon rolls that don't tear or stick. Therefore, it's important to move very quickly and have everything you need nearby: a lightly floured work surface, rolling pin, measuring tape, a 9x13-inch (23x33cm) baking pan prepared with parchment paper, and the cinnamon sugar filling.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and punch the air out of it. Then, place the dough on your lightly floured surface or silicone baking mat and use a rolling pin to roll it into a 12x24-inch (30x60cm) rectangle.

Use an offset spatula to spread the cinnamon sugar filling evenly over the top. Then, roll up the dough from the shorter end, just tightly enough so that there are no air bubbles but not so tight that the rolls pop out. At the end of the roll, press the dough to seal it. 

Cut the dough roll into 12 equally sized pieces, then place them in the pan, leaving some space between each to give them room to rise. For perfect, clean slices, instead of a knife, you can wrap waxed, unflavored dental floss under the dough and pull each end in opposite directions to slice it.

Cover the tray with a kitchen towel and let it proof at room temperature for 1-2 hours (the time can vary depending on your kitchen's temperature). During the second proofing, the dough should double in size.

Once you near the end of the second proofing time, preheat your oven to 375 F / 190 C (do not use a fan). Once the dough has doubled in size and the oven is preheated, bake the rolls for approximately 30 minutes, or until they are golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. 

If the rolls start to brown too quickly in the oven, place a piece of aluminum foil over the top toward the end of the baking time.

Make the cream cheese frosting

Use the stand mixer to whip the cold cream cheese and sifted powdered sugar together for 2-3 minutes until the texture is nice and creamy. Avoid overwhipping, as it will cause the frosting to become too soft and runny.

Once the brioche cinnamon rolls cool completely to room temperature, apply the cream cheese icing over the top.

Storing and freezing

While brioche cinnamon rolls are best when you serve them fresh, you can store iced leftovers in the refrigerator or uniced leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.

To freeze, wrap them in plastic or a zippered plastic bag, place them in an airtight container, and freeze until you are ready to enjoy them. I recommend only freezing them without icing. Thaw at room temperature.

To reheat, put them in the oven for a few minutes until warm throughout.

Flavor variations

Once you have gotten the hang of this brioche cinnamon roll recipe, you can try experimenting with other flavors and add-ins to make them even more delicious:

Instead of cinnamon buns, you can use other spices in the filling, such as cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, or pumpkin spice. You can also flavor the dough with cocoa powder, matcha, or grated orange or lemon zest to enhance the flavor. 

Add chocolate chips, as in my chocolate chip brioche bread recipe, or crushed nuts, as in my walnut babka recipe, to give your bread extra texture and flavor.

You can also flavor the cream cheese frosting with vanilla extract (or other extracts), cocoa powder, cinnamon, or pumpkin spice.

Ingredient substitutions

Yeasted dough recipes are very precise, which makes ingredient substitutions challenging. While I can't offer modifications for every diet, you can try the following alternatives:

To make this brioche dairy-free, you can substitute butter with vegan butter. Though some egg substitutes may work to make vegan brioche cinnamon rolls, they might alter the taste or texture. 

As explained earlier, a high-protein content flour is best for this recipe. However, you can use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour. Refer to my flour guide for gluten-free options. 

Fresh yeast works best, but you can also use instant yeast or dry yeast. For more details on substituting and working with yeast, see my guide on baking with yeast.

For more details on making substitutions in baking, check my baking guides.

What Equipment To Use

Always use a digital scale for the most precise ingredient measurements. Likewise, a digital oven thermometer will help ensure your oven is at the right temperature.

A stand mixer will save you time and effort when kneading brioche dough for cinnamon rolls. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. A silicone baking mat will help prevent sticking when rolling the dough to prevent sticking.

An offset spatula is helpful for spreading the filling evenly and neatly over the dough. You will also need a 9x13 (23x33cm) baking pan.

Expert tips to make brioche cinnamon rolls

1. Always use high-fat, high-quality ingredients to achieve the best flavor and texture. I recommend using whole milk with at least 3% fat, 82% European-style butter, and full-fat cream cheese. Always use unsalted butter to avoid adding more salt to the recipe.
2. Before starting the dough, your milk, eggs, and butter must be at room temperature to emulsify correctly. I recommend removing the milk from the fridge an hour before starting the recipe. See my guide on softening butter quickly for tips on doing so without using a microwave (you want to avoid melted butter). To quickly bring your eggs to room temperature, stick them in a bowl of hot water for five minutes.
3. Because of the high butter content, the dough will become sticky while warm. If at any point the dough is too warm and sticky to work with, stick it in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes. Avoid adding too much flour, which can make the dough too hard. You can spray non-stick cooking spray on your hands to help keep the dough from sticking.
4. Assuming you use good-quality flour, the kneaded dough should come together in about 10 minutes without adding more flour. However, if it is still very sticky after 10-15 minutes, you may need to add a tiny bit more flour. 
5. Press the dough gently with your finger to test whether it has been proofed enough. If it leaves an indent or bounces back halfway, it is done. If it bounces straight back, it needs more time to proof. If it deflates completely, it has been over-proofed.

Try some of my other sweet bread recipes

If you enjoyed the sweet flavor of these cinnamon brioche rolls, you will love my other easy sweet bread recipes:

• Nutella Babka
• Pumpkin Streusel Bread
• Banana Bread
• Chocolate Brioche
• German Bee Sting Cake

For even more delicious sweet bread recipes, check out my roundup of the Top 35 Sweet Bread Recipes.

Have you tried this recipe?

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