Easy Cinnamon Rolls with Frozen Bread Dough
These easy cinnamon rolls start with a loaf of frozen bread dough, which lets you skip mixing and kneading the dough entirely. You roll it out, fill it with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, let the rolls puff up in the pan and finish them with a cream cheese icing that melts right down the sides.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
- Serves: 18
- Main Ingredients: loaf frozen white bread dough, Filling, softened butter or margarine, packed brown sugar, ground cinnamon, Icing, softened cream cheese, softened butter or margarine
- Why You'll Love It: The only thing better than homemade cinnamon rolls with that delicious cream cheese glaze is easy homemade cinnamon rolls made with a shortcut so you can enjoy them sooner!
I’ve been making cinnamon rolls for years, but only in the last few have I started using this shortcut. Making the dough from scratch is fun, but it takes a good while and it’s not easy on your hands, and a loaf of store-bought bread dough gives you soft, homemade-tasting rolls that anybody can pull off. If you’d still like to go fully from scratch, my dough recipe is in the FAQ below.
Why Frozen Bread Dough Works for Cinnamon Rolls
A loaf of frozen white bread dough is a plain yeast dough, so it rises and bakes up soft and fluffy just like a scratch dough would. You get to skip the measuring and kneading, but you still need to plan for the waiting, about an hour for the loaf to thaw and two to four hours for the rolls to rise, depending on how warm your kitchen is.
One loaf rolls out to about 9 by 16 inches. My from-scratch version rolls out to about 16 by 21, so these have a few less spirals, but they taste just the same.
Ingredients for Easy Cinnamon Rolls
- Frozen white bread dough: One loaf of a brand like Rhodes or your grocery store’s version works. It needs to be completely thawed before you roll it.
- Butter: Half goes on the dough under the filling and half goes into the icing, so soften the whole amount at once.
- Brown sugar and cinnamon: Light or dark brown sugar both work, or use a mix of brown and granulated sugar.
- Cream cheese: Let it soften so the icing beats up smooth. If you’re feeling ambitious, here’s how to make cream cheese at home with 2 ingredients.
You’ll find the exact amounts in the recipe card below.
Helpful Tips Before You Start
- Give the loaf about an hour on a plate at room temperature, and poke the center now and then to make sure it’s thawed all the way through before you roll it.
- I always roll the dough out on a sheet of waxed paper because cleanup is so much easier.
- Stop the filling about half an inch from the edges so the log seals when you roll it up.
- A serrated knife cuts clean one-inch slices without squashing the spirals.
- For a warm spot to rise in winter, heat the oven to 150°F, turn it off and set the covered rolls inside with the door cracked for about 30 minutes, then close it until they’ve doubled.
How to Make Easy Cinnamon Rolls
1Thaw the Dough
Set the loaf of frozen bread dough on a plate at room temperature until it’s completely thawed, about an hour.
2Mix the Filling
In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon.
3Roll Out the Dough
On a floured surface, roll the thawed dough into a rectangle about 9 by 16 inches.
4Butter and Fill
Spread half of the softened butter over the dough, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over it and pat it down lightly, leaving a half-inch border.
5Roll Into a Log
Starting at a long side, roll the dough up into a log and press the seam lightly to seal it.
6Slice the Rolls
Use a serrated knife to cut one-inch slices and set them in a greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
7Let Them Rise
Cover the dish with plastic wrap and set it in a warm spot until the rolls double in size, two to four hours. In summer mine have risen on the deck in about an hour and a half, and in winter I set them on top of the washing machine while the dryer runs.
8Bake
Remove the plastic wrap and bake at 400°F for about 15 minutes, until golden brown.
9Make the Icing
Beat the cream cheese, the rest of the butter, the powdered sugar and a little cinnamon until smooth and creamy. That pinch of cinnamon gives the icing a bit of oomph.
10Ice and Serve
Spread the icing over the warm rolls. When I’m serving them straight from the oven, I let everybody ice their own.
Making Cinnamon Rolls Ahead
For a slow morning, let the covered rolls rise overnight in the fridge instead of on the counter. They rise more slowly in the cold, so take them out about an hour before you want to bake and let them finish rising on the counter while the oven heats.
They heat up well, too, so a pan baked for dessert after supper makes a fine breakfast the next morning. For a holiday brunch, they’re right at home next to a bacon breakfast casserole or a pan of Cracker Barrel-style hash brown casserole.
More Sweet Rolls and Cinnamon Treats
Easy Cinnamon Rolls FAQs
How do I make cinnamon roll dough from scratch?
This dough replaces the loaf of frozen bread dough, and everything else stays the same, except you’ll roll it out to about 16 by 21 inches.
- 1 cup lukewarm milk
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, cut up
- 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons instant or bread machine yeast
Add everything to a bread machine in the order listed and run the dough cycle, checking after about 10 minutes and adding a little flour or water until it’s smooth, not too sticky and not too dry. Without a bread machine, stir everything together in a large bowl, knead on a lightly oiled surface for five to eight minutes until smooth, then let it rise in an oiled, covered bowl in a warm place for about an hour, until it’s nearly doubled.
Why didn’t my cinnamon rolls rise?
A cool kitchen is almost always the reason, since frozen bread dough rises slowly when it’s cold. Give them more time, or use the warm oven trick in the tips above.
Can I use store-bought frosting?
Store-bought frosting works in a pinch. For a change from cream cheese icing, whisk 1 cup of powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of strong coffee for a quick coffee glaze.
Easy Cinnamon Rolls with Frozen Bread Dough
Ingredients
- 1 loaf frozen white bread dough such as Rhode’s
Filling
- 1/4 cup softened butter or margarine
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 tbsp ground cinnamon
Icing
- 3 ounces softened cream cheese
- 1/4 cup softened butter or margarine
- 1.5 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, optional
Instructions
- Place the loaf of dough on a plate and let sit at room temperature until thawed. Once thawed, roll out onto a floured surface to the size of about nine inches by sixteen inches. Spread butter/margarine over the dough.1 loaf frozen white bread dough, 1/4 cup softened butter or margarine
- In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top of the dough, stopping about 1/2 an inch away from the sides so it will seal. Carefully roll up the cinnamon roll dough into a log and press lightly to seal. Slice into one-inch slices with a serrated knife.1 cup packed brown sugar, 3 tbsp ground cinnamon
- Place in a greased 9×13 baking dish and cover with cling wrap. Place in a warm spot and allow to rise until doubled in size. Remove cling wrap and bake at 400 for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Mix all icing ingredients together and beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Spread over cinnamon rolls.3 ounces softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup softened butter or margarine, 1.5 cups confectioner’s sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, optional
So good!.Is it possible to freeze these before they fully rise? Id like to pop them in when company comes. Please let me know, thanks!
If you make them with the frozen bread dough, can they be refrozen before cooking for later use? I’m worried about how the dough would hold up to thawing, refreezing, and rethawing before letting them rise. I would love to make a bunch up to take to Beach Week.
Does anybody know if you can use Rhodes white dinner rolls? My local Wal-Mart does not have the frozen Rhodes loaf bread. I was so disappointed! My heart was set on making them. Any advice???? TIA
YES! I’ve used them before. I just thawed out about…oh let me think. I think I used an entire package but it was the smaller package (not the 36 count) and I thawed them all out and them mooshed them together and just pretended it was a loaf!
Is it possible to freeze them before they rise for later use?
Very important step “remove cling wrap” — I overlooked this step because my toddler was “helping”. Oops. Trying again tonight! Should be much better without a plastic casing!
Rachael, I couldn’t help but laugh. I have had so many crazy incidents when the kids help. We just laugh and either go on or start over.
hi christy…love all your recipes! i have been making cinnamon rolls like this for years using my friends mothers homemade starter….when i make out my rolls i let them rise uncovered in a oven with just the light on. the light gives out just the right amount of heat….i’m going to try the cinnamon in the icing…what a great idea!!
Hi Christy, If I use the From Scratch Dough, the dough needs to be left to rise. After spreading the cinnamon/sugar mixture, do I still need to leave it to rise again? Tks!
These are amazing! To make them even gooier, I melt a cup of vanilla ice cream and drizzle it over the top of the dough before wrapping the pan up and refrigerating them overnight. The ice cream soaks into the dough or something – you can’t tell it’s there after baking but it sure gives a nice texture and flavor. I was told to make sure to use a decent quality ice cream, though. I imagine a scummy layer of gum arabic wouldn’t be too appetizing!
LOL! You are too funny Rebecca, but the ice cream part does sound good!