Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls

5 from 7 votes

Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls

Gooey and delicious, these Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls have the perfect tang and are so light and fluffy thanks to the use of buttermilk. Smothered in cream cheese frosting, these are the best treat to wake up to! Easy to make overnight so that they can be baked in the morning.

Prep Time30

Cook Time25

Rise Time2

Total Time2 55

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: cinnamon rolls

Author: Lorie Yarro

Ingredients

For the Dough:

1 c buttermilk warmed to 90°F
1 pack instant active yeast, (.25 oz or 2 ¼ tsp) (also called "rapid rise)
1/2 c salted butter very soft or somewhat melted
1/3 c white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
4 c all purpose flour more as needed
¼ c heavy cream, for brushing the tops or whole milk

For the Filling:

1/2 c salted butter very soft
1 1/4 c brown sugar
2 T cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting:

5 T salted butter softened
4 oz cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ - 2 c powdered sugar

Instructions

Prepare the Dough:

To start warm the buttermilk slightly. Warm it on low over the stove until it hits about 85°F and then remove it from the heat so it doesn't go over 90°F when it curdles. You may also microwave in about 20 second increments at 50% power level.
Transfer the warmed buttermilk to the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the instant yeast over and whisk together. Allow it to sit for about 7-10 minutes. It will become slightly frothy and bubbly which will let you know it is activated.
Add the room temperature eggs, soft butter and sugar to the yeast mixture and beat with the paddle attachment on medium until smooth and incorporated. (**If you see small clumps, don't be worried. Sometimes the butter will clump slightly from the variance in temperatures)
Add the 4 cups of flour and salt and beat until incorporated. Remove the paddle attachment from the mixer and replace it with the dough hook. Knead the dough for about 5-7 minutes on low speed. If the dough seems to be very sticky and sticking to the sides of the bowl, add more flour, about 1-2 tablespoons at a time. The dough should form a nice smooth ball and be tacky and pliable, but not sticky when it is ready. If you don't have a stand mixer, you can knead the dough by hand instead.
Transfer dough to a large bowl that has been sprayed with oil. Cover with a towel and set in a warm place to let the dough rise. It should double in size. (You can set your oven to preheat to 350°F and allow it to warm up for about 2-3 minutes and then turn the oven off. Then allow the dough to sit in the warm oven to rise.)

Assemble the Cinnamon Rolls:

Mix together the very softened butter, cinnamon and brown sugar for the filling.
Place the risen dough on a lightly floured surface. You can start to form it in a slightly rectangular shape to help when rolling it out. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to about 24 inches long and about 16 inches wide. It does not have to perfect.
Use a rubber spatula to spread the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon mixture over the dough leaving about 1/2 inch border.
Start to roll the dough from the 24 inch side and roll to form a tight log. Try to roll the dough tight, but not overly tight or the centers can pop up when baking. Trim the ends off if desired.
Use unflavored dental floss or a sharp knife to cut the cinnamon rolls about 1 3/4 inches (if you trimmed the ends or 2 inches if not). I like to place an indentation where that is by measuring before cutting.
Place the cut cinnamon rolls in a greased 9x13 inch metal or glass baking pan. (If doing an overnight version, seal and refrigerate here). Cover the rolls and allow them to sit in a warm spot until they about double in size. This can take about 1 hour. You can speed it up by turning on the oven for about 2 minutes and then shutting it off. Place the rolls in the oven and they should rise in about 30 minutes.

Bake:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. While the oven preheats brush the tops and sides of the rolls with heavy cream (or whole milk).
Bake the buttermilk cinnamon rolls for approximately 25 minutes, checking at 20 minutes and then adjusting as needed. Cinnamon rolls are done when tops are golden brown and the internal temperature of the center roll reads about 190°F - 200°F. You can also pull out the center cinnamon roll and make sure it is not undone or overly wet and gooey, as in not baked, to test doneness.

Prepare Cream Cheese Icing:

Cream the softened butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add in the vanilla and beat to combine. Slowly add the powdered sugar until desired consistency.
Allow baked cinnamon rolls to cool for about 5-10 minutes. Then spoon equal amounts of cream cheese icing over top of each cinnamon roll. Allow it to sit for about a minute or two. This will make it so easy to spread.Once icing is warmed up a bit use an offset spatula or knife to spread over top of the rolls and allow it to spill over to the sides.
Serve cinnamon rolls immediately.
Store leftover cinnamon rolls for 1-2 days sealed at room temperature or refrigerated for up to 5 days.

Notes

Storage:

You can technically keep these buttermilk cinnamon rolls at room temperature for 1-2 days but I find it best to refrigerate them sealed well in an airtight container for about 4-5 days and then reheating before eating.

You can freeze baked and iced cinnamon rolls as well. Allow the cinnamon rolls to cool completely. Arrange in a single layer in a pan or on a plate and freeze for about 1-2 hours before transferring them to a freezer safe airtight container. Separate layers with wax paper for best results.

Do not worry if the mixture of buttermilk, butter and eggs looks curdled. This scared me the first few times making these cinnamon rolls. While the mixture may look slightly curdled, it is more likely just the butter clumping up slightly from the difference in temperature between the buttermilk and butter. Your dough will still look smooth in the end.

You can make this cinnamon roll dough without a stand mixer. It will take a bit more effort as you will have to knead the dough, but it is still perfectly doable. Knead the cinnamon roll dough until smooth and you can poke your finger into it without dough sticking to it. It should be a little tacky but not super sticky.

You can tent the cinnamon rolls with aluminum foil to avoid the tops getting too dark while baking. If you don't want the tops of your rolls to be too browned, after about 12 minutes of baking, loosely tent a piece of foil over the cinnamon rolls and bake until done.

Depending on how cool your home is, the rise time for your dough may vary. Try to find a very warm spot in your house. A spot near a vent, in a warm (but not on) oven, or another cozy spot for the quickest time.

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