Homemade cinnamon buns that are deliciously sweet and sticky, thanks to a secret ingredient! You can make perfect cinnamon buns at home every time with this Homemade Cinnamon Buns recipe and Top 5 Pro Tips!
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I grew up on the Canadian prairies and went to high school in a small town which meant weekly early-morning study sessions with my chemistry and biology classmates at our favourite local hole-in-the-wall diners. One of my favourites was this place that served some of the best poutine I’ve ever tried and the most amazing ooey gooey cinnamon buns toasted to perfection and slathered in butter. My friends and I ate breakfast there every week while we buried our noses in textbooks (or pretended to) and we consumed an embarrassing number of those toasted cinnamon buns.
Ever since then I’ve been on the hunt for a cinnamon bun recipe that would compare and believe me, I tried many! Then one day a few years ago I stumbled across Chef Anna Olson’s Sticky Buns recipe and with a few minor adaptations, I had my recipe!
Seriously, this homemade cinnamon buns recipe is simply amazing. With a secret ingredient that creates a sticky-sweet topping, and a soft, sweet dough, these cinnamon buns turn out perfectly every single time! I originally posted this recipe in April 2015, and now I’ve updated it with new photos and my Top 5 Pro-Tips to help you make the perfect cinnamon buns too!
5 Pro Tips for Making Perfect Homemade Cinnamon Buns
- Pro Tip #1: Avoid a Temperature Tantrum
In order to achieve a fluffy dough that rises well, the temperature of the wet ingredients when they hit the yeast is critical: too cold, and the yeast won’t be able to grow; too hot and the liquid will kill the yeast. Both of these situations will cause your dough to be tough and dry, and you’ll be lucky if it rises at all.
- Pro Tip #2: Always Be Tacky
Cinnamon bun dough should be tacky to the touch, but not so sticky that it’s very messy. It should pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl easily and the bowl should appear fairly clean. If the dough appears too sticky, continue kneading and add flour one tablespoon at a time until the dough reaches that tacky texture. Too little flour and the dough will be too sticky and will result in dense buns. Too much flour and the dough will be tough, resulting in dry, crumbly buns.
- Pro Tip #3: Sticky to the Subject
The maple syrup in this recipe is a fantastic secret ingredient that creates the beautiful golden, sticky bottom to these cinnamon buns. If you’re looking for a diner-style cinnamon bun, this is exactly how to do it at home! Pour the maple syrup into the pan, tilting the pan if necessary to make sure the syrup coats the bottom completely. If you want to add a little extra syrup, go ahead. You’ll get no judgment from me!
- Pro Tip #4: Forget the Flour – Grease is Great
Turn the dough out onto a very lightly greased work surface rather than flouring the work surface. This makes the dough easy to roll out and it helps the surface of the dough to remain soft instead of drying it out like adding more flour would do. I like to spritz my counter top with a little bit of vegetable oil to make sure the dough doesn’t stick and it works like a charm!
- Pro Tip #5: Don’t Be a High Riser
You’ll probably notice there is some space left between the rolls. This is exactly what you want to see because you’re about to let the rolls rise again for about 20 minutes. For these rolls, a shorter second rise helps to maintain a super soft-textured dough that’s fluffy but not too airy. The key here is not to over-rise; the heat of the oven will cause them to puff up even more and if they’ve risen too much before going in the oven they can actually lose their height and lose their beautiful texture. When large air pockets develop in the dough it creates rolls that are misshapen, which causes them to brown unevenly when baking. Over rising is a recipe for disaster, so if you want uniform cinnamon buns that stay in the pan while baking, only rise for 20 minutes the second time.
Looking for more pro tips? Check out my recipe for The Perfect Pavlova or this Cranberry Apple Pie and my top tips for the perfect homemade pie!
Homemade Cinnamon Buns Recipe Tips
- If you can resist the temptation, let the buns cool in their pan for about 15 minutes before cutting into them. As always, they’ll continue baking on the inside even after they’ve been removed from the oven. Allowing them to cool slightly will allow the baking process to stop naturally and help the buns maintain their texture.
- The best way to serve these buns is inverted (upside down). You can actually invert the whole pan onto a tray or platter if you’re serving these at a brunch, for example. Or, you can cut into them and serve individually. It’s up to you!
- These cinnamon buns are best served on the day they’re made, but they store well in an airtight container for a few days and can be reheated for serving.
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I hope you enjoy this recipe! Let me know in the comments below, do you make homemade cinnamon buns?
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RECIPE VIDEO
Watch the video below to see exactly how I make this delicious recipe. You can find more delicious recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
Perfect Sweet and Sticky Homemade Cinnamon Buns
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup butter
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 1/4 tsp instant dry yeast
For the filling:
- 1/3 cup butter melted
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 - 1 tbsp cinnamon to taste
- 1/2 cup real maple syrup
Also Needed:
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water for brushing on before baking
- 1-2 tsp vegetable oil for rolling out dough
- Butter for greasing the pan
Instructions
- Into the bowl of your stand mixer, measure out the 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour and the yeast. Mix these two together for a few seconds, just until they're combined.
- Next, melt 1/3 cup butter in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat. If you're thinking to cut a corner here and melt your butter in the microwave instead, don't do it! If the liquid is too hot, it will kill the yeast. Once it's melted and starts to bubble, remove it from the heat and stir in the 1/3 cup sugar and the salt until you can see and feel the grains beginning to dissolve in the hot butter. Add the milk slowly, stirring constantly. You're looking for the milk and butter mixture to be about 105 degrees Fahrenheit, but if it feels only slightly warm to the touch (slightly above room temperature) you're good to go.
- When your wet ingredients have reached the ideal temperature, add in an egg and break it up with a fork into the mixture.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Make sure your stand mixer is fitted with the dough hook attachment.
- Turn your mixer on low and watch the ingredients combine. After about a minute you should see a sticky dough starting to come together. If you need to turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, now's your chance.
- Turn up the mixer speed slightly and allow the mixture to knead the dough for about 3 minutes. The dough should be tacky to the touch, but not so sticky that it's very messy. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl easily and the bowl should appear fairly clean. If the dough appears too sticky, continue kneading and add flour, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough reaches that tacky texture.
- If you don't have a stand mixer, you can knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured work surface for 5 minutes after the wet and dry ingredients are combined. If you're at all serious about cooking and baking, a stand mixer is a great investment. I have had my KitchenAid stand mixer for 10 years and it has paid for itself a few times over I'm sure!
- Cover the bowl with some plastic wrap and move it to a warm place in your kitchen to rise for about 2 hours. It should have doubled in size after about 2 hours.
- Once you notice your dough has risen fully, and before you do anything with it, grease a large rectangular pan (at least 9x13 in size) with some butter. Pour the maple syrup into the pan, tilting the pan if necessary to make sure the syrup coats the bottom completely.
- Turn the dough out onto a work surface that's been very lightly greased with vegetable oil. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough evenly until you have a rectangle that's approximately 18 inches wide and 12 inches deep. Brush the dough with the melted butter.
- In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar and the cinnamon. I use 1 tbsp of cinnamon, but feel free to use a little less if you'd prefer a more subtle taste. Spread the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture evenly over the dough.
- Roll up the dough from the long side until you've got one long roll. Cut the long roll in half, then in half again, and then each of those sections into 3 pieces until you have 12 cinnamon rolls. Try to cut the rolls to an even thickness as this promotes even baking. You don't want some rolls to be overdone and others to be raw in the middle.
- Arrange the 12 pieces in the pan you've greased and nestle them into the maple syrup in the bottom. An arrangement of 3 rows of 4 works well in a rectangular pan.
- Cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel and set them aside to rise. It's a good idea to preheat your oven at this time, too. Set temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Once the rolls have risen for 20 minutes (no longer), very lightly brush the tops with some egg wash (beat one egg with 1 tablespoon of water) and place them in the oven to bake for about 40 minutes, or until they're a nice even golden brown.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let the buns cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before cutting into them.
Lucy @ Globe Scoffers says
This is just perfect! ?
The Busy Baker says
Thanks!
Sam says
I just tried it wawo taste better then the store love you
The Busy Baker says
Oh Sam, thanks so much! Glad you liked them!!
Vivian | stayaliveandcooking says
I love a good cinnamon bun!!
The Busy Baker says
We love them too!!😍
Michelle Nahom says
My oldest son really loves cinnamon rolls…I'm going to have to make these for him when he comes home from college!
The Busy Baker says
We love them a lot too!!
Dessert for Two says
These are so pretty and perfect!
The Busy Baker says
Thank you!!😊
Megan @ MegUnprocessed says
Cinnamon buns are my favorite! These look great
The Busy Baker says
Thanks!
bmorecupcake says
These were the best I cinnamon buns I ever made. (We call them sticky buns. Cinnamon buns have icing here. Not sure if that’s just an East Coast thing.)
Thank you for treating cinnamon buns as first class citizen; not as a way to use leftover brioche dough. Also, I really appreciate that you go back and revisit and update older posts with updated tips and photos. No one else does that and it makes me feel like you really care that your readers are successful.
Chrissie says
Thanks so much for your feedback! I really appreciate it! And I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe so much! 🙂 It always makes me happy to know my readers enjoy my recipes in their own kitchens!!
Thel says
Made these, they came out perfectly! I do not have a Stand mixer so l kneaded with my hands and they still came out looking and tasting great.. Thank you for this recipe!.
Chrissie says
Thanks so much for the feedback! I’ve made these by hand too and they really are perfect! So glad you liked them!
Ruby Osman says
Yummiest ever..thanks for sharing 🙂
Chrissie says
Thanks so much for sharing that feedback! So glad you like the recipe!
Pat Broussard says
The recipe looks delicious. Will be trying it very soon. I would like to add raisans to the filling is that possible?
Chrissie says
Absolutely! Add in raisins, chopped nuts, or whatever your heart desires!
Cocoadva says
I hope someone answers🙏 do i have to put the egg wash on top
Chrissie says
egg wash is always optional, but it gives a gorgeous finish 🙂
Rachelle says
These were delish! Though I did find that the amount of filling was excessive – more than 1/3 cup of the filling came out one side when I rolled the buns. Overall, the rest of the recipe worked very well, and I would defiantly recommend it.
Chrissie says
Hmm, interesting! I’ve never heard of that happening before. Perhaps you didn’t roll them out quite enough? Glad you still loved them though!! 🙂
Melanie Exner says
I’ve been searching all the recipes trying to perfect the perfect bun. One suggested adding a tsp or 2 of corn starch to the brown sugar cinnamon mix stuff. It works great and keeps the stuff from leaking out so much. This is by far the most detailed and best recipie I’ve found on the internet for making sticky buns. I also swapped out maple syrup with Mrs Butterworths syrup. Just as awesome but not so pricy. Also suggest not rolling too thin or too tight. Make sure to follow measurements on this recipie and use a measuring tape to make sure they are all 2 inches apart when cutting into your roll. Hope that helps.
Jo says
I’ve made these numerous times and they’re the best. Can I nake these the day before though and store in the fridge overnight? Other recipes say to hold in fridge for second proof but as it’s only supposed to be a 20 minute rise I think this may not work. What about putting in the fridge for the first rise? I have so many requests for these but don’t want to have to get up at 6am!
Chrissie says
You can rise these overnight the second time, yes. As long as your fridge isn’t too warm. I have done this, and it works well. Just be sure to add the baking pan to the oven when the oven is cold, and let it heat up with the oven. This will prevent your pan from cracking.
Stephanie says
this looks like a great recipe. Our Christmas morning tradition is to have cinnamon buns christmas morning but I was hoping to make them the night before.
another comment said that you have to put them into a cold oven does that mean while its preheating? do you let them rise them place into the fridge?
Chrissie says
If you form the buns the night before and store them in the fridge, place them in a cold oven and then turn the oven on. Once the oven comes to temperature, start the timer and bake as directed.
Andrea Carson says
Delicious. My man loves cinnamon buns and he loves this recipe. One I will continue to use.
Chrissie says
So glad you like it! 🙂
Marlene says
These are in the oven and the kitchen smells amazing. I’ve made cinnamon buns from many different recipes and I have to say that you explain everything so thoroughly that I can’t imagine anyone not having good results. Amazing.
The Busy Baker says
Thank you so much Marlene! I hope they turn out just perfect!
Marlene Cassidy says
They did. I made them again today.
Lisa says
Question about the yeast… it calls for instant dry yeast. Can I substitute active dry? Would I need to make other modifications? Thank you!! I can’t wait to try these!
Chrissie says
yes! You can use instant or active dry yeast.
Mel says
Hey Chrissie! I cant wait to try this… do you think i can use fresh yeast for this recipe?