by 
Mini Cinnamon Rolls
As much as I love a fresh American-style Cinnamon Roll alongside a hot mug of coffee, sometimes I don’t feel like eating a gigantic sweet and sticky bun – sometimes just a small bite will do. And, sometimes, eating several small buns feels less indulgent than one large bun 😉 Hence, my recipe for Mini Cinnamon Rolls!
I tend to bake Cinnamon Rolls in the colder months, which also happens to be a time of year when we entertain more often. In the past, whenever I have made Cinnamon Rolls for guests, I often found myself slicing them in half when serving because the original sizes were too large to eat on their own, or simply too much to eat if we had had, say, brunch beforehand.
I think these Mini Cinnamon Rolls are the perfect size and I am actually more inclined to make them this size than the original recipe. Plus they look so cute!
Mini Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
My recipe for Mini Cinnamon Rolls is a naturally based on my recipe for normal-sized Cinnamon Rolls which makes 9 buns. But in order to create 24 smaller rolls from the same recipe, you simply divide the dough into two, and create two logs of mini-sized cinnamon rolls to produce smaller-sized buns, each about the size of a small dinner roll.
I find these Mini Cinnamon Rolls to be the perfect size for large gatherings as people can eat as much or as little as they like. And honestly, these Mini Cinnamon Rolls are so cute that it is easy to help yourself to two or more in one sitting ????
Baking Cinnamon Rolls in a Ceramic Baking Dish
If you are making these Mini Cinnamon Rolls for guests, you might want to use a nice ceramic baking dish for serving.
In the past, I have tried baking these buns directly in the baking dish, but I always had problems with the buns either sticking to the dish (even when the dish was greased beforehand), or going soggy on the bottom because they hadn’t had a chance to cool on a wire rack.
So what I do now is line the ceramic baking dish with baking paper, which means the buns can be removed easily for cooling on a wire rack. And once the buns have cooled completely and have been iced (also over a wire rack), I then transfer the buns back to the nice ceramic baking dish for serving. If you use a nicely shaped dish like I have in the photos, one advantage is being able to keep the shape which the buns have formed in the pan.
How to Make Cinnamon Rolls
Step 1
Measure the flour, sugar, yeast and salt into the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Lightly mix the ingredients together.
Step 2
Slowly add the warm milk (you may not need all of it), and lightly beat everything with the dough hook until it comes together into a large ball of dough. Only add as much milk as you need to bring the ingredients together into a dough.
Step 3
Slowly incorporate the butter, one tablespoon at a time, until all of the butter has been used.
Then increase the speed to medium and continue kneading with the dough hook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Step 4
Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, and place the dough into the bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave it somewhere warm for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
Step 5
Once the dough has doubled in size, gently remove the dough from the bowl. The dough will deflate as you handle it.
Divide the dough into two even pieces (I use a digital scale for this task).
Roll out each piece of dough into a rectangle shape measuring approximately 20 x 35 cm/8 x 14 inches.
Step 6
Make the filling by beating together the ingredients. Divide the filling into two portions.
Use a small palette knife to evenly spread the filling all over each piece of dough. Be sure to spread the filling right to the edges of the dough so that you have maximum cinnamon-sugar in each bun.
Step 7
Roll up the dough tightly from the long end, so that you have a log of dough measuring 35 cm/14 inches long.
Cut each log of dough into 12 even pieces. You will have 24 pieces in total. I find it easiest to do so using a long piece of unflavoured dental floss, which will allow you to slice through the dough cleanly and sharply, and without flattening the dough. Simply slide the floss under the dough, then pull both ends of the floss across each other, which will cut through the dough as you pull.
Line a 30 x 20cm/12 x 8 inches baking pan or similar with baking paper.
Step 8
Arrange the slices of dough in the baking pan, leaving some space between each bun to allow them to room to rise.
If you plan to make these Mini Cinnamon Rolls the night before, stop here, cover the pan with some plastic wrap, and leave the pan overnight in the fridge. Please also see below my tips for making the buns ahead of time.
Otherwise, place the pan somewhere warm for about 15 minutes, or until the buns have risen and puffed up slightly.
Step 9
Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F with a metal baking tray on the middle shelf. Bake the buns for 10 minutes.
Reduce the heat to 180°C/356°F and bake for another 20 minutes, or until the buns are lightly golden. Check the buns at about 10 minutes, and if they are browning too quickly, cover them with a loose sheet of foil for the rest of the baking time. The buns are cooked if an internal thermometer reads 85°C (185°F).
If the centre of the buns have popped up during baking, simply push them down with a teaspoon while the dough is still hot.
Leave the buns to cool in the baking dish for about 5 minutes.
Gently remove the buns (intact) to a wire rack, and leave them to cool completely. I also recommend removing the baking paper so that the bottom of the buns do not steam and become soggy.
Step 10
Make the icing by whisking together the ingredients until you have a thick, but runny, consistency.
Place a baking pan under the wire rack of buns, or a sheet of baking paper, to catch the icing drips.
Generously drizzle the icing over the buns, as much or as little as you like.
Allow the icing to set before serving.
Tips for Making Bread Dough Ahead of Time
I love baking bread, but I don’t love getting up extra early to get started on the dough. So I typically make the dough the night before and allow it to rise slowly in the fridge overnight. The longer proofing time has the added benefit of allowing the dough to develop more flavour and a better texture. Come the morning, the dough will have at least doubled in size, and it will be ready for shaping as per the recipe.
To make the dough the night before:
- Make the dough as per the recipe.
- Place the dough into a large oiled bowl.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a reusable bowl cover.
- Place the bowl into the fridge.
- Let the dough rise overnight, or for at least 8-10 hours.
- The next morning, the dough should have at least doubled in size.
- Gently remove the dough from the bowl.
- The dough is ready for shaping and the second proof as per the recipe.
- As the dough will be cold from the fridge, the second proof may take slightly longer.
Mini Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 400 g (2 ⅔ cups) white bread flour
- 75 g (⅓ cup) caster sugar, (superfine sugar)
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 9 g (3 tsp) instant dried yeast, see Kitchen Notes below
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 250 ml (1 cups) milk, warmed to 37°C/98°F
- 45 g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
For the Cinnamon-Sugar Filling
- 100 g (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 100 g (½ cup plus 1 tablespoon) light muscovado sugar, or light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
For the Icing
- 135 g (1 cup) icing sugar, (powdered sugar)
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 15 g (1 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
For the Dough
- Measure the flour, sugar, salt and yeast into the bowl of an electric stand mixer.
- Lightly mix the ingredients together using the dough hook.
- Add the egg to the bowl.
- Slowly pour in the warm milk, and continue mixing until everything comes together into a rough dough.
- Add the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Once the butter has been fully incorporated into the dough, add the next tablespoon of butter.
- Once all of the butter has been added, continue kneading the dough on medium speed for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- The dough is ready when it is soft and smooth, and no longer sticks to the side of the bowl. The dough will be somewhat sticky from the butter and egg.
For the First Proofing Session
- Lightly oil a large mixing bowl.
- Place the dough inside the bowl.
- Cover the dough with a clean tea towel, plastic wrap, or a reusable bowl cover.
- Leave the dough somewhere warm for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size (see Kitchen Notes below).
For the Cinnamon-Sugar Filling
- Just before the dough is ready, make the filling by beating together the ingredients.
- Divide the filling into two portions.
To Shape the Cinnamon Rolls
- Line a baking pan with baking paper. For this recipe, I have used a ceramic baking dish measuring approximately 30 x 20cm/12 x 8 inches. To make it easier to line the baking pan, scrunch up the baking paper and then unfold it again. The baking paper will then be easier to mould to line your baking pan.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, gently remove the dough from the bowl. The dough will deflate as you handle it.
- Divide the dough into two even-sized pieces (I use a digital scale for this task).
- Roll out one piece of dough into a rectangle shape measuring approximately 20 x 35 cm/8 x 14 inches.
- Use a small palette knife to evenly spread one portion of the filling all over the dough.
- Roll up the dough tightly from the long end, i.e. to produce a log that is 35 cm/14 inches long.
- Cut the dough into 12 even pieces. I find it easiest to do so using a long piece of unflavoured dental floss, which will allow you to slice through the dough cleanly and sharply, and without flattening the dough. Simply slide the floss under the dough, then pull both ends of the floss across each other, which will cut through the dough as you pull.
- Arrange the slices of dough in the baking pan with a bit of space in between each roll to allow them to rise and puff a little.
- Repeat Steps 4 to 8 with the other piece of dough so that you end up with a total of 24 pieces.
For the Second Proofing Session
- Place the pan somewhere warm for about 15 minutes, or until the buns have risen and puffed up slightly. At this stage, the buns should be touching with no space in between.
To Bake the Mini Cinnamon Rolls
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F (without fan) with a metal baking tray on the middle shelf.
- Place the pan of buns on the preheated baking tray.
- Bake the buns for 10 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to 180°C/356°F and bake for another 20 minutes, or until the buns are lightly golden. Check the buns at about 10 minutes, and if they are browning too quickly, cover them with a loose sheet of foil for the rest of the baking time.
- The buns are cooked if an internal thermometer reads 85°C/185°F.
- If the centre of the buns pop up during baking, simply push them down with a teaspoon whilst the buns are still hot.
- Leave the buns to cool in the baking pan for about 5 minutes.
- Gently remove the buns (intact) to a wire rack, and leave them to cool completely. I also recommend removing the baking paper so that the bottom of the buns do not steam and become soggy.
To Ice the Mini Cinnamon Rolls
- Make the icing by whisking together the ingredients. Add the milk gradually until the icing is a thick, but runny, consistency.
- Place the wire rack of buns over a baking pan or a sheet of baking paper to catch the icing drips.
- Drizzle the icing all over the cooled Mini Cinnamon Rolls.
- If you wish, you can return the iced Mini Cinnamon Rolls to the same baking dish which you used to bake them.
- The Mini Cinnamon Rolls can be served immediately or once the icing has set. They are best eaten the same day they are baked.
Kitchen Notes
- MAKE AHEAD TIPS
To make the Mini Cinnamon Rolls the night before:
* Make the dough as per the recipe.
* Place the bowl of dough (covered) in the fridge to proof overnight, or for at least 8 to 10 hours. During this time, it should have at least doubled in size.
* The next day, proceed with the rest of the recipe. As the dough will be cold, it may require a bit more time for the second proofing period. - DIFFERENT TYPES OF FLOUR
For Swiss readers: I use Zopfmehl (or farine pour tresse) when making bread and enriched dough. - DIFFERENT TYPES OF YEAST
* Please note that there is a difference between instant yeast (also called instant dried yeast or fast-action dried yeast) and dried yeast (also called active dry yeast). If you are not sure what type of yeast you have, please check the packaging for instructions on how to use the yeast.
* With instant yeast, you can add it directly to the flour mixture without having to activate it first.
* With dried yeast, you will need to activate it first (usually in some warm liquid). - PROOFING THE DOUGH
Dough needs a warm environment for the yeast to activate and cause the dough to rise. If you don’t have a warm place in your home, try one of the following ideas:
* In the oven with the oven light switched on (works only for some ovens).
* In the oven with a tray of boiling water on the bottom shelf.
* In the oven or a steamer oven at a low temperature of about 25-40°C (77-104°F). - OVEN TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website state temperatures for a regular oven (i.e. a conventional oven without fan). If you have a convection oven with a fan, please consult the manufacturer’s handbook on how to adjust the temperature and baking time accordingly. - CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.
Wonderful recipe! I have made your normal cinnamon rolls numerous times but I have also always wanted to make the rolls a bit smaller. These are just perfect!
Hi Susan,
That’s great to hear! Glad you enjoyed this recipe too.
Amazing recipe! I think I will only make this recipe from here on. The mini size is actually perfect.
Hi Monica,
I rather agree! 😀 I prefer this mini size to the regular sized buns. I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe.