These no knead twisted cinnamon rolls are fluffy, gooey, and have so many layers! They're actually pretty easy to put together and look extremely impressive. These are baked in a muffin tin and topped with a simple glaze.
The secret to how these twisted cinnamon rolls are so gooey and fluffy is heavy cream poured on top right before baking. The cream steams the dough as it bakes creating airy buns and will also mix with the cinnamon sugar to create super gooey bottoms and middles. I do this will all of my cinnamon rolls because no one wants dry rolls!
This no knead dough is my go to for all my cinnamon rolls. It's literally so easy to make. You just throw everything together into a bowl and wait for it to rise then you roll out and fill. It turns out super soft and fluffy every time. If you're a beginner baker, you don't have to be scared of yeasted dough ever again!
Do you prefer a cream cheese glaze over your cinnamon rolls? Check out this cinnamon bundt cake recipe for the perfect cream cheese glaze.
Key Ingredients
Full ingredients and recipe are in the recipe card below. Read through this section for all the ingredient substitutions and baking tips!
Active dry yeast: You could use instant dry yeast but I prefer the flavour of active dry yeast. You only need 1 packet or 7 grams.
All purpose flour: Weigh the flour to get the most accurate results. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.
Butter: Use a good quality real better for the best flavour and results. You want it to be very soft - almost melted for both the dough and filling.
Large egg: Have the egg at room temperature so that the dough rises better.
Milk: Use your milk of choice for the dough and glaze. I’ve tried all kinds of milks and they all work great! Make sure that the milk is slightly warmed.
Heavy cream: Heavy cream is essential for creating cinnamon rolls that are gooey on the bottom and fluffy inside. Whipping cream works great! Do not use anything with less fat content, it just won’t work. You'll end up with soggy rolls that aren't gooey. If you don't do well with dairy you can use full fat coconut milk instead.
Icing sugar: These rolls are dusted with powdered sugar and it also goes into the glaze. Powdered sugar is the same as icing sugar.
Brown sugar: Brown sugar goes into the filling to make the perfect gooey cinnamon filling. I use an old fashioned, medium brown sugar for the best flavour (not too mild, not too dark). Do not replace it with granulated sugar, it just doesn’t work the same.
Cinnamon: The star of the show! Don’t use very old cinnamon because it won’t give these twisted rolls that same burst of flavour.
The no knead dough
- Combine warm water, 1 teaspoon sugar, and yeast in a small bowl. Stir until yeast dissolves. Let it sit for about 5 minutes so that a foam starts to form on top. If a foam doesn’t form in 10 minutes, discard and try again with another packet of yeast.
- In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, salt, and stir. Make a well in the middle and add the butter, eggs, vanilla, milk, and yeast mixture.
- Mix until a cohesive dough forms. Don’t worry if not all of the butter is incorporated. Cover the bowl with a dish cloth and place in a warm place (see notes) to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Butter a muffin tin while it rises and prepare the cinnamon filling.
- Punch down the dough and transfer onto a floured surface. Roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 16” by 20”.
- Spread the cinnamon filling on top of the dough, all the way to the edges.
- Fold the dough into thirds starting by pulling the top long edge ⅔ of the way down and the bottom edge ⅔ of the way up to get a long strip of dough.
- Trim the uneven ends off the strip. Mark and cut the dough into 12 equal strips. Cut each strip of dough into three strands, leaving the top ½” of the strip attached. Braid the strands of each strip. Roll the braid into a roll, starting with the end of the braid. Place each braided roll into the muffin tin with the pretty side up.
- Let rise until the rolls fill out the muffin tin (double in size), about 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Pour 1 tablespoon of heavy cream over each roll. Bake for 18-25 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown on top. Let cool for 5 minutes inside the muffin tin. Use a spatula to help lift them out and let cool on a cooling rack. You want to remove them from the muffin tin while they are still warm so that they don't stick. Make the glaze while they cool. Sift icing sugar over the twisted cinnamon rolls and drizzle glaze before serving.
Filling + glaze
- I like to make the filling as the dough rises to save on time. Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well to combine. Have the butter very soft, almost melted to blend easier. Set aside to use later.
- For the glaze, combine sifted powdered sugar and milk in a large bowl. Add enough milk to get it to the desired consistency. I made it pretty thin. Drizzle over warm twisted cinnamon rolls and serve.
FAQ
The most important step to getting buttery, light, and fluffy cinnamon rolls is making sure the flour is properly measured. I use a scale to weigh the flour for the most accurate results. A cheap kitchen scale works wonders.If you don’t have a scale on hand, you can measure the flour properly using dry measuring cups. Mix up your flour with a spoon, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level off the top with the flat edge of a knife without packing in the flour. It isn’t as accurate as using a scale but is the next best option!
My favourite tip however, is to handle the dough as little as possible. The less effort I put into the roll dough, the fluffier they turn out – every time!
The heavy cream poured onto the rolls before baking really make a huge difference! They turn the filling into a beautiful gooey mess and steam the dough into puffs of clouds.
The dough is supposed to be pretty sticky and wet. If it is way too gloopy and not cohesive at all, then add a bit of flour until it looks a little bit more like a dough.
My trick to getting gooey cinnamon rolls each time is to not skimp on the brown sugar and pour heavy cream over the rolls before baking. The cream combines with the brown sugar to form a caramel-like cinnamon sauce. I used whipping cream in this recipe. If you don't do well with dairy you can try using full fat coconut cream.
This usually happens because the dough was over proofed. Only let the dough rise until it is doubled in volume – not more! You can let them rise a little bit less than double in size. Don't overbake because that could also make them shrink.
Check out my other cinnamon roll recipes:
- Funfetti Cinnamon Rolls – No Knead
- Cinnamon Bundt Cake with Easy Cinnamon Swirl
- Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls – No Knead
Happy baking! xx
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Twisted Cinnamon Rolls No Knead
Equipment
- 12 hole regular size muffin tin
Ingredients
Dough
- ¼ cup water warm
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 packet active dry yeast 7g
- 3 ½ cup all purpose flour 425g
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅔ cup butter softened
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ⅓ cup milk warm
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 12 tablespoon heavy cream or whipping cream
- 2 tablespoon icing sugar for dusting
Filling
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup butter softened
- 2 tablespoon cinnamon ground
Glaze (optional)
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 2-5 tablespoon milk
Instructions
Dough
- Combine warm water, 1 teaspoon sugar, and yeast in a small bowl. Stir until yeast dissolves. Let it sit for about 5 minutes so that a foam starts to form on top. If a foam doesn’t form in 10 minutes, discard and try again with another packet of yeast.¼ cup water, ½ teaspoon granulated sugar, 1 packet active dry yeast
- In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, salt, and stir. Make a well in the middle and add the butter, eggs, vanilla, milk, and yeast mixture.3 ½ cup all purpose flour, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ⅛ teaspoon sea salt, ⅔ cup butter, 1 large egg, ⅓ cup milk, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Mix until a sticky cohesive dough forms. Don’t worry if not all of the butter is incorporated. Cover the bowl with a dish cloth and place in a warm place (see notes) to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Butter a muffin tin while it rises and prepare the cinnamon filling.
- Punch down the dough and transfer onto a floured surface. Roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 16” by 20”.
- Spread the cinnamon filling on top of the dough, all the way to the edges.
- Fold the dough into thirds starting by pulling the top long edge ⅔ of the way down and the bottom edge ⅔ of the way up to get a long strip of dough.
- Trim the uneven ends off the strip. Mark and cut the dough into 12 equal strips. Cut each strip of dough into three strands, leaving the top ½” of the strip attached. Braid the strands of each strip. Roll the braid into a roll, starting with the end of the braid. Place each braided roll into the muffin tin with the pretty side up.
- Let rise until the rolls fill out the muffin tin (double in size), about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Pour 1 tablespoon of heavy cream over each roll. Bake for 18-25 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown on top. Let cool for 5 minutes inside the muffin tin. Use a spatula to help lift them out and let cool on a cooling rack. Make the glaze while they cool. Sift icing sugar over the cinnamon rolls and drizzle glaze before serving.2 tablespoon icing sugar
Filling
- I like to make the filling as the dough rises to save on time. Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well to combine. Have the butter very soft, almost melted to blend easier. Set aside to use later.½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup butter, 2 tablespoon cinnamon
Glaze (optional)
- Combine sifted icing sugar and milk in a large bowl. Add enough milk to get it to the desired consistency. I made it pretty thin. Drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls and serve.1 cup icing sugar, 2-5 tablespoon milk
Karina
These were so delicious and incredibly soft! Definitely a keeper! Can’t wait to make them again.
Maria
Soft, fluffy, and delicious! Easy to make on those cold fall days 🙂 I also really like that they are not too too sweet (like some other recipes out there).
Mary
Thank you so much for leaving a review! I'm so happy you liked them 😀
Susan Hajdik
I just made these and they are incredible!!!! My first ever homemade cinnamon rolls. 🙂
Mary
I'm so happy you loved the recipe! Thank you so much for making them 😀