Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

a close up image of an overnight cinnamon roll, with a fork beside it, on a blue plate

5 from 10 votes

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Soft, sticky and packed with cinnamon, these rolls are simple to mix up. Make and assemble in the afternoon or evening, do the second prove in the fridge overnight and bake in the morning for the most amazing indulgent breakfast.

Prep Time30

Cook Time25

proofing time1 10

Total Time2 5

Course: Afternoon Tea, Breakfast, Dessert, Morning Tea, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cinnamon rolls, overnight cinnamon rolls, steam oven cinnamon rolls

Servings: rolls

Calories: 449kcal

Ingredients

For the dough

1 cup whole milk full cream milk, slightly warmed
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp active dry yeast or instant yeast, see note
2 eggs room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, very soft
4 cups all-purpose flour plain flour, scant cups
1 tsp salt

For the filling

1/2 cup brown sugar loosely packed
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp allspice
1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, very soft

For the cream cheese frosting

4 oz cream cheese room temperature
1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
1 cup confectioners sugar icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp milk

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Regular Oven Method

Make the dough: put the milk and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, then sprinkle the yeast over the top and leave to sit until it begins to look foamy, about 5 minutes.
1 cup whole milk, 1 Tbsp granulated sugar, 2 tsp active dry yeast
When the yeast is foamy, add the eggs, butter, flour and salt to the mixer bowl. Attach the dough hook and mix on low speed to combine everything, then increase the speed to medium and mix until smooth and glossy, about 6-8 minutes. The dough will be very soft, don’t worry if it doesn’t pull away from the sides of the bowl easily.
2 eggs, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 4 cups all-purpose flour
Do the first prove: cover the bowl with a damp cloth and set it in a warm place (somewhere that’s around 75°F/25°C is ideal) until doubled in size. Depending on the temperature this should take an hour or two.
Make filling: while the dough proves, make the cinnamon filling by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.
1 tsp salt, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon, 2 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp allspice, 1/2 cup unsalted butter
Assemble the rolls: when the dough has finished the first prove, scrape it out of the bowl onto a floured bench. Gently press to knock out any large air bubbles, then roll it into a rectangle about 16 inches/40cm wide and 12 inches/30cm long. Using your fingers, very gently spread the filling over the dough, squashing it out so there’s a thin, even layer.
Roll the dough up tightly from the long side, so you have a 40cm/16 inch long spiral log. Put the entire log on a tray in the freezer for 20-30 minutes (cut it in half if it fits more easily), to make it cleaner and neater to slice. When it's chilled, cut the log into 12 even pieces with a serrated knife. Arrange the rolls in a 9x12 inch (23x30cm) rectangular or 12 inch (30cm) round baking dish.
Second prove: if you want to hold off baking these for up to 12 hours, cover loosely with a plastic bag or cling wrap and pop them in the fridge. Otherwise, cover with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place again to double in size.
Bake the rolls: If you did the fridge proving method, remove the dish about an hour before you’d like to bake so the rolls can come up to room temperature. Set oven to 375ºF/190ºC, fan forced/convection setting. Bake the rolls until deep golden brown and risen, about 30 minutes. If they’re browning too quickly, cover the dish with foil partway through cooking. Remove from oven and spread the cream cheese frosting (see below) over the hot rolls – it will melt in slightly and form a glaze as they cool.

Combi Steam Method

Make the dough: put the milk and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, then sprinkle the yeast over the top and leave to sit until it begins to look foamy, about 5 minutes.
1 cup whole milk, 1 Tbsp granulated sugar, 2 tsp active dry yeast
When the yeast is foamy, add the eggs, butter, flour and salt to the mixer bowl. Attach the dough hook and mix on low speed to combine everything, then increase the speed to medium and mix until smooth and glossy, about 6-8 minutes. The dough will be very soft, don’t worry if it doesn’t pull away from the sides of the bowl easily.
2 eggs, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp salt
Do the first prove: set your oven to dough proving, 85°F/30°C (or use a low temperature steam setting if you don't have a dough proving setting). Put the uncovered bowl in the oven for 40-50 minutes, after which the dough should have doubled in size.
Make filling: while the dough proves, make the cinnamon filling by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.
1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon, 2 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp allspice, 1/2 cup unsalted butter
Assemble the rolls: when the dough has finished the first prove, scrape it out of the bowl onto a floured bench. Gently press to knock out any large air bubbles, then roll it into a rectangle about 16 inches/40cm wide and 12 inches/30cm long. Using your fingers, very gently spread the filling over the dough, squashing it out so there’s a thin, even layer.
Roll the dough up tightly from the long side, so you have a 40cm/16 inch long spiral log. Put the entire log on a tray in the freezer for 20-30 minutes (cut it in half if it fits more easily), to make it cleaner and neater to slice. When it's chilled, cut the log into 12 even pieces with a serrated knife. Arrange the rolls in a 9x12 inch (23x30cm) rectangular or 12 inch (30cm) round baking dish.
Second prove: if you want to hold off baking these for up to 12 hours, cover loosely with a plastic bag or cling wrap and pop them in the fridge. Otherwise, set oven to dough proving, 85°F/30°C (or use a low temperature steam setting if you don't have a dough proving setting). Put the pan in, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until the rolls look puffy and start to fill out the baking dish.
Bake the rolls: if you’ve proved your rolls in the oven, you can leave them in there while it heats up. If you did the fridge proving method, remove them about an hour before you’d like to bake so they come up to room temperature. Set oven to Combi Steam, 350ºF/180ºC, 30% (low) steam. Bake the rolls until deep golden brown and risen, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and spread the cream cheese frosting (see below) over the hot rolls – it will melt in slightly and form a glaze as they cool.

Cream cheese frosting

Mix this up while your cinnamon rolls are baking. Put all the ingredients except the milk into the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on low speed until smooth and creamy. Add the milk with the mixer running, then increase the speed to medium and mix until the frosting is light and fluffy.
4 oz cream cheese, 1/4 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup confectioners sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 Tbsp milk

Notes

This makes 12 generous rolls. You could, if you want them to be smaller, cut into 16 pieces instead.
You’ll need a wide, shallow dish for baking these. I use my favourite round 30cm/12 inch low cast iron pan, but a 23x30cm (9x12 inch) baking tray or ceramic dish will work too.
Although I call these overnight rolls, you can definitely do the whole process in a single session. I’ve provided options for both in the method.
A note on yeast: I use active dried yeast. If you’re using instant, you can skip the first step and just mix the yeast, milk and sugar straight in with the dough. Instant yeast might take a little longer to complete the first prove, so allow anywhere up to 60 minutes.

Nutrition