Easy No-Yeast Cinnamon Rolls
Servings: 12 small rolls
Ingredients
Cinnamon filling
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
Rolls
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
- 2/3 cup milk, (or half-and-half, or buttermilk)
Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 4 Tbsp milk or cream to thin
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F and butter an 11 inch oval baker. See notes for alternatives.
- To make the filling, melt the butter in a small saucepan or in the microwave. Remove from the heat, add the sugar and the cinnamon and mix together. You should have a sandy, clumpy mixture. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and butter. Pulse until the mixture is evenly crumbly. You can also do this by hand using a pastry cutter to combine the butter with the dry ingredients.
- Add the milk to the food processor (or by hand to to the flour mixture), and continue to mix until a soft dough forms.
- Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and briefly knead it. It should feel soft and pliable, but not too sticky.
- Divide the dough in half, and roll out one half into a rectangle about 9 x 12 inches (or just a little larger than a sheet of paper). Add more flour if needed to keep the dough from sticking.
- Sprinkle one half of the cinnamon sugar filling over the entire rectangle, and pat it down lightly. Sprinkle it as evenly as you can but don't worry about perfectly covering every square millimeter--it will be fine.
- Roll up the dough from one of the short sides of the rectangle to form a log. Using a sharp knife or a piece of clean dental floss, cut the dough into 6 rolls about 1 1/2 inches long. Place them into your prepared baker.
- Repeat for the 2nd half of the dough.
- Decrease the oven temperature to 375F, and place the rolls in the oven.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until starting to turn golden brown on top and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze by whisking the powdered sugar with the melted butter, salt, vanilla extract and milk, until smooth.
- Remove the rolls from the oven, and while still warm, brush or spoon the glaze over them.
Notes
You can also make these rolls in a 9 inch skillet, round, or square baking dish. Any baking dish you have that fits the 12 rolls comfortably should work -- you want about 1/2 inch to an inch between the rolls to leave room for them to expand as they bake.