Today I spent a grey and drizzly afternoon whipping up a recipe from In Jennie’s Kitchen that’s been burning a hole in my back pocket for a few weeks now – dense, gooey, mouth-watering no yeast required cinnamon rolls!
I am dying over this recipe! See, I’ve baked with yeast several times in the past year, and the recipes have turned out well, more or less, but sometimes I just don’t have the time or patience to deal with it, ya’ know?
Homemade cinnamon rolls without the hassle of making sure the milk’s the right temperature? The yeast is activating? The dough has doubled in size?
They exists, my friends. They exist! And here’s how you make ’em: Start by combining the cinnamon roll filling ingredients: brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt & butter.
Mix it up.
In a separate, larger bowl, combine flour, more sugar & salt, plus the leavening agents that let us ditch that pesky yeast.
Baking powder and baking soda. Booyah.
Whisk together more butter with buttermilk, then pour the mixture into the dry ingredients.
Stir with a stiff spoon or spatula juuuuuust until the dough comes together. If you over-mix, you will have hard cinnamon rolls. Then, to quote Dave & Sarah, everyone will laugh at you. And we can’t have that.
Gently kneed the dough into a ball, then divide into two halves.
Turn each half onto a flat, floured surface, then press on half the filling mixture.
Roll the dough up like a log, then pinch the top seam shut. This is the part where I noticed the biggest difference between a yeast-required vs. non-yeast-required cinnamon roll dough. This dough is MUCH easier to handle. Not as sticky, and more firm.
Slice, slice, baby!
Oh yeah!
The recipe says to place the cinnamon rolls into a greased 11×8″ pan. I seemed to have misplaced mine sometime in the last month, so I spit the rolls between 8×8″ and 6×4″ pans. MAKE SURE YOU GREASE THEM FIRST! If you don’t, you’ll be sorry! Now pop those puppies in a piping hot oven.
In the quick 15 minutes they take to bake, whip up some cream cheese icing.
Mash together powdered sugar and cream cheese with a fork, then drizzle in buttermilk and whisk until smooth.
Next take those GORGEOUS, bubbly, golden-brown rolls out of the oven, (ahhh!)
and pretend you live in a world where Grandmas still place hot pies on their windowsills to cool. Place yours on a wooden stool in front of the open back-porch door instead…
Then breeeeeathe in the Heavenly, sweet aroma that’s swirling around your kitchen.
Now ice, ice,
BABY!
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No Yeast Required Cinnamon Rolls
Description
No Yeast Required Cinnamon Rolls are pillowy and sweet, and require no yeast to make them!Â
Ingredients
- For the Cinnamon Filling:
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
- For the Cinnamon Roll Dough:
- 2-1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling out dough
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 5 Tablespoons butter, melted and divided
- For the Icing:
- 3oz cream cheese, softened
- 4 Tablespoons buttermilk
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425. Combine filling ingredients in a small bowl, then mix with a fork until well blended.
- In a another, larger bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together buttermilk and 4 Tablespoons melted butter in a separate bowl, then pour into the middle of the dry ingredients. Stir together until dough just comes together (do not overmix.) Kneed slightly with your hands until the dough forms into a ball, then slice it in half.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll each half into a 12x8" rectangle (think slightly longer than a sheet of paper.) Press half the filling mixture into the center, leaving 1/4" of the dough clear on all 4 sides, then roll like a sausage. Pinch together seam, trim ends and cut into 8 slices. Repeat with the other dough half, then place rolls in a non-stick sprayed 11x8" pan, or an 8x8 and 6x4" pan. Brush cinnamon rolls with remaining Tablespoon of melted butter and bake for 15 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.
- Meanwhile, to make the icing, mash together softened cream cheese and powdered sugar with a fork until smooth. Whisk in buttermilk, 1 Tablespoon at a time, until creamy. Drizzle onto hot cinnamon rolls and spread evenly.
Notes
From In Jennie's Kitchen
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about a recipe! I just can’t get over how much easier these were than cinnamon rolls made with yeast-required dough. So rich and scrumptious too!
Here are the differences between yeast-required & no yeast-required cinnamon rolls, in my experience/opinion:
- No yeast dough is much more firm and cooperative than sticky, yeast-required dough – which makes it much easier to handle, roll out and cut.
- The texture of a baked no yeast roll is more dense than a yeast-required roll. Not better or worse, just different. Allllmost like a heavy pancake?!
- I saved HOURS in the kitchen by ditching the yeast!
Ok, ok – bakers – please don’t get angry with me. There is definitely something to be said about baking with yeast. It’s very rewarding, and I’m not giving it up for good (I still need to try and make homemade bread!) it’s just that – if you don’t have a machine or anything, it takes time.
So if you get a craving for warm, fresh cinnamon rolls that needs to be squashed NOW, then you need to make these!
~~~~~
Do you prefer to cook or bake (or just eat!)?
I think I get more tickled about baking – as in seeing something look one way when it goes into the oven and seeing it transformed into something completely different when it comes out – but I love the fun of being able to throw this, that and the other into a pan without having to measure, and calling it dinner!
Lauren 05.13.2011
I’m drooling over these cinnamon rolls. The last time I tried to make homemade cinnamon rolls (mama P’s pumpkin cinnamon rolls to be exact) they were a complete a utter mess. Yeast scares the daylights out of me. I still think this would be a bit of a stretch for me, but much more doable.
PS- I just found Coconut Cream K cups and they rock my world! Hazelnut used to be my favorite until I found these. I think they are a limited edition so if you see them, make sure to grab a few boxes.
Karis' Kitchen 05.13.2011
I’ve heard good things about No Strings Attached but haven’t seen it yet. I really liked Love and Other Drugs, as others said it’s not what I was expecting…definitely not a movie you want to watch with your mom…as my 18 year-old sister found out recently :)
Michelle (The Runner's Plate) 05.13.2011
I love the feeling of accomplishing things off my to-do list!
I never knew there were recipes for cinnamon rolls without yeast–awesome!
ashley 05.13.2011
No Strings Attached was THE best chick movie I have seen in awhile. My girlfriends and I looooved it.
Julie (Food & Other Things) 05.13.2011
Cinnamon rolls are my favorite, the ones you made look delicious! I think I like baking more than cooking, it’s just more fun for me!
Kate 05.13.2011
Those look perfect – and that icing!
I like to cook and bake but baking always yields such delicious, sweet treats and makes the house smell wonderful so I have a slight preference for baking.
Kim 05.13.2011
These look heavenly!
J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) 05.13.2011
Those are mouthwatering! I definitely prefer to eat, but love to cook. Baking… I like it but it’s not my first choice in the kitchen.
Tina @ Faith Fitness Fun 05.13.2011
I was already randomly craving cinnamon rolls before reading this post. You have solidified that craving!
Melanie 05.13.2011
I just had No Strings Attached recommended to me by two reputable sources – my big sis and my hairdresser! :) SO EXCITED to try that recipe – yum! I’m definitely a baker!
Lisa 05.13.2011
Love and other drugs was a great movie! although Green Hornet is supposed to be pretty good to.
vjs 05.13.2011
Baking is not for me…but I love to cook and eat!
Love & Other Drugs is a good movie (not for the modest though!)…and I haven’t seen the others. So my vote goes to Love & Other Drugs!
sarah 05.13.2011
Those cinnamon rolls look relish! And my vote is for love and other drugs…it was good and the storyline was different from what I thought it would be…
sarah 05.13.2011
*delish*
Gina 05.13.2011
agree w/ the pick of love and other drugs!! it was great!!
dmc 05.13.2011
OMGosh, those look amazing.
Haven’t seen any of those movies.
And I still need to see Kings Speech!
Kierstan @ Life {and running} in Iowa 05.13.2011
Cinnamon rolls would be perfect on a dreary day like today!
Love and Other Drugs was great – totally not what I expected though. My husband and I rented it because it was advertised at every single metro station in Paris when we visited around Christmas. Great movie.
Kelli H (Made in Sonoma) 05.13.2011
I prefer baking but I definitely cook more. I would love one of those rolls RIGHT NOW!
PLSayrah 05.13.2011
No Strings Attached wasn’t that good, kinda boring and predictable! Love and Other Drugs is hilarious! A must see!!
Karinda 05.13.2011
love and other drugs was actually ALOT better than I expected it to be…haven’t seen the other two yet.
Tammy 05.13.2011
Oh My Gosh! I am actually salivating right at this moment. Those rolls look delish!
Olivia Z 02.19.2014
Love your no yeast recipe but your Print is not user friendly – printed out 6 pages of comments! Hope you can adjust that! Thanks!
Kristin 02.19.2014
Hey Olivia! If you click the “Print this recipe!” link, you’ll be taken to a page that will just print out the recipe.