Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

I love getting in the kitchen to make overnight cinnamon rolls. It’s easy to make the mess and prep work at night, then finish them in the morning with little work to be done.

This cinnamon roll recipe is delicious, and I’ve been using it for years. It’s great to make on holidays, for birthdays and on cold mornings – my children always get excited when they wake up and smell the freshly baked breakfast. I even let them help drizzle on the glaze, so they feel like they’ve helped make them, too!

Ingredients:

For the dough:

1 Tbs. (1 package) active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105°F)
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
4 eggs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar mixed with 1 Tbs. ground cinnamon

For the glaze:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbs. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

For the dough, in the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water, and allow the yeast to bloom for a few minutes, then whisk until smooth. To this, whisk in 1/2 cup of the flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm spot, about 30 minutes. (I like to put this in the microwave, on a window ledge or in front of the stove’s vent.

To the yeast mixture, add the eggs, granulated sugar, salt and the remaining 4 cups flour. Using your mixer’s dough hook, knead on medium speed until smooth, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the stick of room-temperature butter and continue to knead, adding a little flour to reduce stickiness as needed, until the dough is smooth (10 minutes.) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish or a circle casserole dish before transferring the dough to a floured work surface. Roll the dough into a 15×10 inch rectangle. Brush the rectangle with half of the melted butter, leaving a 2-inch-wide strip uncovered on one long side.

Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the butter. Starting at the long side covered with sugar, roll up the rectangle snugly and pinch the seam together. With the seam facing down, cut into 10 equal pieces. Place the pieces, cut side up, in the prepared dish. Brush the rolls with the remaining butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in the refrigerator overnight.

In the morning, remove the rolls from the refrigerator and let rise for 1 hour. Preheat an oven to 350°F.

Bake the rolls until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes.

While the rolls are baking, prepare the glaze: In a small bowl, sift together the confectioners’ sugar and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, milk and vanilla, then stir into the sugar mixture to form a smooth paste. Spread the glaze over the warm rolls and serve immediately. Makes 10 large cinnamon rolls.