Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Giant cinnamon rolls drizzled with a sweet glaze – perfect for a lazy weekend morning with a large cup of coffee.

Start these rolls the night before you want them. The long, slow rise gives the dough more time to develop flavor. If you don’t want to wait until the next day to enjoy these, do the second rise in a warm location for an hour or so. But if you can, have patience.

Also, I prefer to make these cinnamon rolls on the larger side. This gives the outside a chance to get a slightly crisp outside (especially those corner pieces) while still staying soft and moist on the inside. If you choose to make smaller rolls, cut the rolls into 12 pieces and bake for about 20 – 25 minutes.

To make the dough, combine a cup of warm buttermilk and a stick of melted and cooled butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add in 1 packet of yeast, 3 large eggs, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and a little cinnamon, orange zest, and vanilla extract. Add in the flour half a cup at a time (you will add about 4 1/2 cups in total) as the stand mixer is running, until the dough forms a ball that starts to pull away from the sides.

Cover the dough and let it rise until doubled in size. This can take about 1.5 to 2.5 hours depending on how warm your kitchen is. You can always speed up the process by moving the dough to a warm location like an oven that has warmed a little then turned off, or even on top of the drier if you happen to be doing laundry at the same time.

When the dough is ready to go, place on a very lightly floured surface and roll out into a large rectangle about 18 inches by 14 inches. Keep the long edge towards you.

Make the filling by combining a stick of melted and cooled butter, 3/4 cup of packed brown sugar, and some cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, vanilla, and a bit of salt. Spread the mixture over the rectangle leaving about half an inch border around the edge.

Starting from the long edge closest to you, roll the dough into a tight log. Slice it into 8 equal portions and place spiral side up on a lightly greased 9 by 13 inch baking dish.

Cover the dish tightly and place it in the refrigerator overnight or for about 8 hours.

Remove the rolls about an hour before you plan on baking them to allow them to come back to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees about 20 minutes before baking time. The rolls may still look small after the cold rise (middle picture below), but they will really puff up in the oven (bottom picture below).

Bake for about 30 – 35 minutes until the outside is a light golden brown and the inside is cooked through but still very soft. While the rolls are baking, make the glaze. Combine 1 cup of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk or buttermilk, and a little bit of cinnamon, vanilla, and salt and whisk until there are no lumps left.

Let the rolls cool for a bit before topping with the glaze, otherwise, the glaze will soak right into the rolls.

When cooled slightly, drizzle the glaze over the cinnamon rolls. Pour a large cup of coffee, dig in, and enjoy!

Print Recipe

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Sweet cinnamon rolls with a sticky glaze – perfect for a lazy morning with a large cup of coffee.

The long prep time includes the rest time for the rolls for both rises. But, most of that time is completely hands-off.

Prep Time10 hrs 30 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Servings: 8 jumbo cinnamon rolls

Author: Rachel at Fridge Two Table

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 cup buttermilk, warmed
• 2¼ tsp yeast (1 packet)
• ½ cup butter (1 stick), melted and cooled
• 3 large eggs
• ¼ cup sugar
• 4 ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp orange zest
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Filling

• ½ cup butter (1 stick), melted and cooled
• ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp cardamom
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp allspice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp kosher salt

Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp milk or buttermilk
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Instructions

• In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the warm buttermilk and melted butter. Next, add the eggs, sugar, and yeast. Add the flour, half a cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl and forms a ball. Knead for about 3 minutes on medium speed.
• Cover the dough and let it rise until it has doubled in size. This could take about 1.5 – 2.5 hours depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
• When the dough is ready, very lightly flour a surface and roll the dough out to a rectangle about 18 inches by 14 inches with the long edge towards you.
• To make the filling, combine the melted butter, sugar, spices, vanilla, and salt. Spread over the rectangle leaving about a half-inch border around the edge.
• Roll the dough, starting from the long edge nearest to you, into a tight log. Cut into 8 equal pieces.
• Place the rolls spiral side up on a lightly greased 9 inch by 13 inch baking dish. Cover tightly and let rise overnight in the refrigerator (about 8 hours).
• Remove the rolls about an hour before placing in the oven to give the rolls time to come back to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350° F for about 20 minutes before baking time.
• Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes until the outside is starting to turn a light golden brown and the inside is cooked through but still very soft.
• While the rolls are in the oven, make the glaze. Combine the powdered sugar, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt and whisk until the lumps are gone.
• Let the rolls cool slightly before topping them with the glaze so the glaze doesn't soak right into the rolls.
• Drizzle the glaze over the cinnamon rolls and enjoy!