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Brioche Cinnamon Rolls

Brioche Cinnamon Rolls_top It has taken me far too long to get these fluffy brioche cinnamon rolls on the blog. I made them in late August and now it’s nearly November. Where does the time go? I considered skipping it and moving on, but then you’d never get to experience these glorious buns. And that would be a great loss.

My dad loves cinnamon rolls, so I’ve baked many in my lifetime, from the classic to the unconventional (think peanut butter in the dough or roasted bananas in the filling). Some recipes were keepers and others I’d never make again, but none have hit the spot quite like this one. And it all starts with a simple no-knead dough.

Brioche Cinnamon Rolls That’s right. There’s absolutely no kneading involved in making these soft, buttery buns. You literally dump brioche ingredients in a bowl, give it a few stirs and let the mixture rest for two hours. Then you pop the dough in the fridge for another two hours to firm up.

Brioche Cinnamon Rolls_close The rest of the steps are a breeze – it’s just like making any other kind of cinnamon roll. Once baked, they’re perfect as is. Frost them at your own risk.

Brioche Cinnamon Rolls_side Recipe adapted from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

4.5 from 2 reviews
Brioche Cinnamon Rolls
 
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Makes 6 giant rolls
Ingredients
Brioche dough:
  • 3¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1½ teaspoons sea salt
  • 1½ teaspoons active dry yeast
  • ¾ cup lukewarm water
  • 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon orange zest
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
Make the brioche dough:
  1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and yeast.
  2. Add water, eggs, honey and melted butter to the flour mixture, stirring everything until it comes together to form a shaggy ball. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and put it in a warm place to rise for 2 hours. At this point, the dough will be very sticky; transfer it to the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours or up to 5 days so it will be easier to handle.
Make the filling:
  1. In a small bowl, combine the sugars, cinnamon and orange zest. Set aside.
Shape and bake the rolls:
  1. Once the dough has chilled and is easier to handle, transfer it to a floured work surface. Fold the dough over 3-4 times to develop the gluten. Then let it rest for 15-20 minutes.
  2. Roll out dough into a ½"-thick rectangle. Brush the entire surface with the melted butter. Sprinkle filling in an even layer over the top of the dough and then roll it up lengthwise into a long log. Use a serrated knife to cut the dough into 6 equal segments.
  3. Butter 6 jumbo muffin cups. Place the segments into the muffin cups, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until the dough is puffed, 1-2 hours.
  4. When the dough has almost finished rising, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  5. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden. Remove the rolls from the muffin cups and let cool completely.

Comments

  1. These are absolutely beautiful! Perfect for brunch during the upcoming holiday season when my family stays over! Thanks for sharing.

  3. I’d love to make individual rolls, each cooked in a small aluminium ‘ramekin’ for my work Christmas party. I HOPE to be able to make around 16.
    so I guess I have 2 questions…
    1. How do you define a ‘giant’ roll?
    2. how would you adjust cooking time, do you think??

    thank so much!!!

    • Hi Claire – I used a jumbo muffin pan and imagine the recipe would yield 12 standard muffin-size rolls. The smaller the roll, the faster they will cook. I’d check your rolls after 15 minutes and continue to cook them until they are golden brown.

  5. I found your site after googling brioche rolls. I’m so happy I ended up here. You have some beautiful photos for what looks like delicious recipes. I can’t wait to give these a try. Now excuse me while I peruse your site some more… 🙂

      • Hi Ratheal – Yes! After the dough has risen, you can keep it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

          • I’ve never tried freezing the dough after the first rise; I typically bake and then freeze the rolls (and defrost and enjoy them as needed). Feel free to cut the dough log into 12 segments and bake them in a 9″x13″ baking dish.

  7. Would you recommend a glaze for these? If so could you provide a small recipe for it?

    • Hi Suzanne – For a simple glaze, you can combine 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk and 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract in a small bowl. Or you can make a thicker cream cheese icing.

  8. Hi
    I made these for Easter and they were delicious. I made them in the 12 smaller muffin tins, but they turned out huge, do have any suggestions on what might have happened and how to change it?
    Also have you made them with a savoury filling?
    Thanks

    • Hi Kathryn – You may have let the dough rise too long in the pan. If you make the rolls again, try popping them in the oven before they double in size. I’ve never tried making a savory version of this recipe, but I bet it would be delicious!

  9. Hi there, if I get to the stage where they’re rolled up and ready to rise for a couple of hours, can I refrigerate until next day?

    • Hi Renee – Yes! You can let the shaped rolls rise overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning, let them sit at room temperature for about an hour before baking.

  10. These were amazing! I halved it, made three rolls and tucked them in a loaf pan to bake. Turned out HUGE! So good though, not too sweet, and great texture. Thanks for the recipe.

  11. Instead of putting them in a muffin tin, can I put them in a 9X13 inch pan according to how many will fit in it comfortably?

  13. These tasted amazing but I seem to lose a lot of the filling it all went to the bottom and they stuck in the bottom ( I did use separate metal ramekins and I lined them with butter and coconut sugar😋) any ideas why? Maybe I kverproved them? The sugar seemed to be melting as they were rising 😬

    • Hi Frea – It’s natural for some of the filling to ooze out and sink to the bottom while the rolls are baking versus rising. Not sure what went wrong … did you brush on the melted butter before sprinkling on the sugar during assembly?

  14. I’ve made these twice now! I make 12 smaller instead of 6 large and they are always demolished!
    Such a great recipe 😊😊

    • Hi Katie – So glad you enjoyed the recipe! This reminds me to make them again soon. 🙂

  16. Hi! My dough never made it to the shaggy ball stage…I used a stand mixer, and the dough did get doughy, pulled from the bowl a bit…but was definitely not shaggy. What could have caused that?

    • Hi Maranda – The dough is quite wet, and chilling it in the refrigerator is a must. If the chilled dough is too difficult to roll out, you can try adding more flour and letting it rest. Hope this helps!

  17. SO sad – first time making and my oven obviously is hotter than yours. 25min. (less actually) at 350 and so so dark brown. *sobs dramatically* oh well – now I have to make again and see if I can play with oven temp.

  18. This is an excellent recipe! My family loves it! I sometimes add cardamom to give it a little different taste but it’s an excellent recipe! Also make it on Thanksgiving morning so everyone has a special treat before the big dinner! Thanks.

  19. Are the butter butter quantities correct, are they possibly switched? 3Tbs for the dough and 12Tbsp for the filling?

    • Hi Jordan – The quantities are correct. It’s a very rich dough that needs to chill, so it will be easier to handle.

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