Cinnamon Rolls Without Yeast Recipe: No-Yeast Cinnamon Rolls
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Sep 16, 2023 • 3 min read
It’s possible to make cinnamon rolls without yeast that are still light, fluffy, and sweet. Read on for a recipe for these sugary, yeast-less baked goods.
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What Are Cinnamon Rolls Without Yeast?
Cinnamon rolls without yeast are cinnamon rolls that use a leavening agent other than yeast. Homemade cinnamon rolls traditionally use yeast to make the dough light and airy, a process involving about two hours of total proofing time. In contrast, no-yeast cinnamon rolls require about thirty minutes of resting time, making a yeast-less cinnamon roll recipe a good choice for a weekend brunch when you are short on time.
3 Tips for Making Cinnamon Rolls Without Yeast
Cinnamon rolls without yeast can be easy cinnamon rolls for beginner bakers because they skip the process of proofing that traditional recipes require. Yeast-less cinnamon roll recipes typically use baking powder as an alternative leavening agent. Here are three tips to follow when making no-yeast cinnamon rolls, regardless of your baking experience:
- 1. Test your baking powder. It’s a good idea to test baking powder before you start a no-yeast cinnamon rolls recipe to make sure it’s still active. To do this, mix one cup of hot water with two teaspoons of baking powder. If it bubbles and fizzes immediately, the baking powder is still good. If it fails to bubble, it’s likely gone bad and will not leaven your rolls.
- 2. Avoid resting the dough for too long. Baking powder begins to react as soon as the wet ingredients meet the dry ingredients. Resting the dough too long risks allowing the baking powder to use too much leavening power during the resting stage rather than the baking stage. No-yeast cinnamon rolls need leavening to occur while they bake to have a good lift to them.
- 3. Use a gooey filling. Baking powder dough is light and fluffy, but it lacks the same chewy texture as a yeasted dough. To replicate the texture of traditional cinnamon buns, create a gooey cinnamon-sugar filling of melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and honey to create a soft center with a satisfying chew to it.
Cinnamon Rolls Without Yeast Recipe
makes
9 cinnamon rollsprep time
20 mintotal time
50 mincook time
30 minIngredients
For the dough
For the cinnamon filling
For the cream cheese frosting
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 2
Grease a rectangle baking dish or sheet cake pan with cooking spray or additional softened butter.
- 3
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, add the flour, white sugar, salt, and baking powder. Mix to combine the ingredients, about 1 minute.
- 4
In a small saucepan (or the microwave), heat up the whole milk and melt the butter.
- 5
Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture slowly, and mix the ingredients with your hands until a shaggy dough forms.
- 6
Dust some extra all-purpose flour onto a clean work surface and turn the dough out onto the floured surface. Knead the dough for 1–2 minutes.
- 7
Place the dough ball back into the large bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a clean, damp dish towel, and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
- 8
While the dough rests, make the cinnamon-sugar filling. In a small bowl, mix together the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Mix the ingredients together with a fork until they are all combined.
- 9
Place the rested dough back onto a floured work surface. Roll it out with a rolling pin into a 10-inch-by-14-inch rectangle. The dough should be about ½-inch thick. Spread the cinnamon-sugar mixture in an even layer all over the surface of the dough.
- 10
Roll the dough, starting with the edge closest to you, working your way up the dough.
- 11
Trim off the edges, then cut the cinnamon rolls into 9 equal-sized pieces.
- 12
Place the rolls in the prepared baking dish, spacing them evenly from one another.
- 13
Bake the cinnamon rolls for 30 minutes or until they are golden and baked through fully.
- 14
While the cinnamon rolls bake, make the cream cheese frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, whip the cream cheese and softened butter together. Then add vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Add the milk slowly until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- 15
Remove the cinnamon rolls from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes before applying as much cream cheese frosting as you like.
- 16
Serve the cinnamon rolls warm or at room temperature.
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