These classic Amish cinnamon rolls may just be the BEST cinnamon rolls you’ll ever try! A sneaky secret ingredient makes them so soft & tender–and it’s probably already in your kitchen.
Print the Recipe: https://sugarspunrun.com/amish-cinnamon-rolls/
Ingredients
Cinnamon Rolls
For activating the yeast
½ cup whole milk (120ml)
¼ cup water (60ml)
2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
For the rest of the dough
⅓ cup granulated sugar (67g)
1 cup mashed russet potato (210g) (unseasoned/unsalted, room temperature or slightly warm)
2 large eggs, room temperature preferred
1 ½ teaspoons table salt
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into Tablespoon-sized pieces (85g)
4 cups bread flour + additional as needed (500g)
Filling
½ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed (100g)
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon table salt
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (56g)
Icing (Alternative Icing: https://sugarspunrun.com/cinnamon-roll-icing/)
2 oz cream cheese, softened (56g)
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (28g)
1 cup powdered sugar (125g)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon milk
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Instructions
Activate the yeast. Combine milk and water in a small microwave-safe bowl and warm to 115F (46C) (stir before checking the temperature).
Pour warmed liquid into a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, and sprinkle yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar into the warmed milk mixture. Stir to combine, and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, until yeast is foamy (if yeast doesn’t foam, the liquid may have been too hot or the yeast may be expired, you will need to start over).
Make the dough. Add the sugar, mashed potato, eggs, salt, and about 3 cups (375g) of the flour. Stir until combined.
Add the butter. Add butter, 1 Tablespoon at a time, stirring after each addition and not adding the next until the first is fully incorporated.
Switch to the dough hook attachment if using a stand mixer and gradually add the remaining flour. Stir until dough starts to pull away from the bowl while mixing (note that you may not need all the flour, or you may need more than indicated. Dough should be soft and slightly tacky, but not sticky)
Knead the dough:
If using your stand mixer: Knead with a dough hook attachment until dough is smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes).
If kneading by hand: Transfer dough to a clean lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour if necessary (this will take about 10 minutes).
First rise: Lightly grease a large bowl, transfer dough to bowl and turn all over to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free place to rise until doubled in size (about 1-2 hours, will vary depending on the warmth of your kitchen). While the dough is rising, you can prepare your filling.
Prepare the filling: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
Butter should be soft enough to easily spread, if it’s not you can briefly microwave it to make it softer. Set aside.
Lightly grease the sides and bottom of a 13×9” (33×23) baking dish, set aside.
Assemble the rolls: Punch down your dough to deflate and transfer to a clean, lightly floured surface. Roll out to a 20×8” (50x20cm) rectangle.
Spread the softened butter evenly over the surface, leaving a ½” (1.5cm) perimeter. Sprinkle the filling evenly over the surface, gently pressing into the butter.
Roll into a log: Start with a longer end and roll the dough tightly into a log, then use your fingers to pinch a seam at the end (helps prevent unraveling). Use a sharp knife to cut the log into 12 even slices, then transfer the slices to prepared 13×9” (33x23cm) baking dish into four even rows of three, spacing rolls evenly.
Second rise: Cover dish with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place until puffed, about 30 minutes. While rolls are rising, preheat oven to 350F (175C).
Bake. Once rolls have puffed, transfer to 350F (175C) preheated oven and bake for 27-30 minutes, until top begins to turn a very light golden brown and the internal temperature of a center, second-row cinnamon roll reaches 180-185F (84C).
Make the icing: Combine cream cheese and butter in a medium-sized bowl and stir until smooth and creamy, then gradually stir in the powdered sugar until completely combined. Stir in vanilla extract and milk until creamy and fully combined.
Allow cinnamon rolls to cool for at least several minutes in their pan before spreading icing over each roll (I add the frosting while they’re still warm, but it will be thicker if you allow the rolls to cool completely first). Enjoy!
37 Comments
There are also hand dough mixing tools that are awesome!
What’s a smidge?🤣🤣🤣
Why do u have 2 stand mixers? Just curious?
You know the lid of vanilla is 1 tsp?
Interesting.
My opinion only…never use a microwave. It kills your food and liquids
Well…im a connoisseur of fine cinnamon rolls…and these look absolutely amazing!❤
The recipe Ive been looking for , definetly going to make these!!
I've always been intimidated to make cinnamon rolls.
WOW, thank you so much for all of the information you shared. It is super helpful to get an explanation and a visual of what to look for as baking can vary (ie, how much flour to add and why). Can’t wait to make this, it is my favourite desert. ❤
i use potato flakes or instant mashed potatoes found in box. Found them in scallop potato section of grocery store. You can also use potato starch ; i bought mine in bulk store. Game changer people !
Made this Today follow the recipe without missing a number 😅
The Best Recipe Ever!!! My Family Loved It! I was AMAZED on how good they turn out for someone like me who is not a great baker!!!!!Sooo Yummy 😋
looks awesome!!!
The coolest thing about cooking or baking is that taste is in the eye of the eater. Making small tweeks is where its at. I rarely follow a recipe exactly. Even in baking it doesnt have to be exact like they claim. It does have limitations, which is why little tweeks are where its at. Nice video
I made this recipe, the best cinnamon rolls ever. better than Cinnabon!! thank you
Great video, I appreciate how you explain in detail, I’ll have to try it out 😁
One other little tip, I only use the organic Grass Fed Milk & Butter. Makes the flavor pop! Our eggs come from a local farmer who doesn’t feed corn and the chickens are out running around in their farm. My flour is organic King Arthur Bread or Costco org flour. Our dog groomer asked for these once instead of pay with tip! They are that good! I made them for her and paid her she is that great a groomer. 😊
Use dental floss to cut and it is a clean noncrush roll.
For the icing I use Vanilla Butter flavoring not extract. Has a lovely smooth flavor.
Weird question…I make a lot of treats for our Master Gardener meetings, but i make them bite/mini-muffin pan-sized. Is there a way to make these bite-sized??
You lost me at the eggs. The last thing I want in my cinnamon rolls is a pastry dough feel. No thanks.
groetjes vanuit België , heel lekker dank u voor dit recept!
My secret ingredient is starch. I think this is doing the same thing as the potatoes. 1 cup of cornstarch or 1/3 cup of arrowroot added to the dough makes it so tender and fluffy.
Looks amazing. Can the dough be done is a bread machine by chance?
My mom's recipe from the late 40's uses mashed potatoes in the dough, so yummy
Wow I can’t wait to try this out. I just love your secret tips and tricks! Keep them coming.
Lol – just found you and love your videos “I said don’t embarrass me.” Lolol
You speak too fast. Sounds like you're in a hurry. Great receipe.
My new favorite YouTube channel!
Ouch, those aren't 'dark', they are past done. I'll still try the recipe, but while I appreciate you leaving in the 'oops', I would've preferred you showing us what they should look like. Surely, you could've made another batch to dhow us? Also, it was difficult to see what you were talking about when you started using the mixer.
Great recipe!! I’m adding potatoes in both cinnamon rolls and bread
You can make your own bread flour Just add 1-Teaspoon of baking powder to 1 cup of flour. Mix well You’re welcome
I made one batch of cinnamon rolls about a month ago using potato and they knocked my socks off.
Yesterday, I made a different batch using potato again and for some reason after mixing all the potato into the dough, clumps of potato came out as my mixer was mixing. I had to throw it out. Any idea why that happened?
Edit to add: both times, I mashed the potatoes to completely mushed, they were cold.
I love the helpful comments on these type of posts! This is the way we all used to be with one another, and it is just so wholesome! People who cook from scratch are the best!!!
I know it’s not as technically inspired or hands on, but I put all ingredients in my bread machine on dough cycle and it was my best cinnamon rolls to date.
My grandmother used mashed potato too!!! SHE was an amazing baker. I had ALL her recioes… until my mother and suster decided to help themselves to them… we werecSUPPOSED ti swap off when we copid them all but they never would. Mom gave my sister all she took… and they refused to share with me.
Sis no longer soeaks to either me or my brither… she is a recluse in Vt. .
Love your recipes! They never disappoint and I recommend your site to everyone💙
From being afraid of yeast dough to a real yeast dough scientist and educator. What a decade of experimenting with new stuff and pushing your boundaries can lead to 😃
far to much butter