Pizza Dough Cinnamon Rolls

Refrigerated pizza dough makes these cinnamon rolls easy to prepare in just 15 minutes! Let the sweet smell of homemade cinnamon rolls fill your kitchen this weekend.

How do I make cinnamon rolls?

It’s simple – you’ll start with my no knead pizza dough recipe! And it could not be easier to make. Stir together yeast, flour, oil, salt and water and let it rise overnight.

If you’re short on time, feel free to use one lb. of store bought pizza dough in place of my no knead pizza dough recipe.

Making Cinnamon Rolls – Step by Step

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to gently roll dough into a large rectangle.

Spread a thick layer of softened butter across the dough and sprinkle on a bunch of brown sugar and cinnamon.

Roll it tightly into a large log.

Gently push the ends of the log inwards, so that it’s the same thickness throughout. Use a knife to score the log into three equal parts.

Use a knife to score each of those sections into 3 equal sections. Use floss to cut along the scored lines, creating 9 rolls.

Place rolls into a greased 8×8 baking dish and let rise for 30 minutes.

Bake for 30 minutes. While the rolls are baking, get that frosting made! You’ll combine butter and cream cheese, then add powdered sugar and just a pinch of salt.

Loosen it up with a bit of vanilla and heavy cream until you reach the your desired consistency. I’m a thick and creamy gal myself.

Generously frost freshly baked cinnamon rolls and serve warm!

How do I cut cinnamon rolls?

The easiest way to cut cinnamon rolls is using floss.

Just shimmy the floss underneath the log, using your scored lines as a guide. Cross the ends of the floss over each other in a straight line and pull in opposite directions. This will give you a perfect, clean cut.

Even the sharpest of knives will typically smash the dough and cause the filling to spill out everywhere. Unflavored floss is preferable, but I’ve used mint flavor and you can’t taste it at all.

How do I make cream cheese frosting?

The frosting for these cinnamon rolls is made by mixing mainly cream cheese, a little bit of butter a whole lot of powdered sugar. A splash of vanilla and a couple tablespoons of cream loosen it up perfectly and give you a rich, velvety, decadent cream cheese frosting.

The warmth from the cinnamon rolls will melt the frosting and make it perfectly oeey gooey. If you’re into a lot of frosting, feel free to double the frosting portion of the recipe as well.

Can I make these cinnamon rolls ahead of time?

Oh yeah, you definitely can!

Follow the recipe below and just before letting the cinnamon rolls rise, cover them with saran wrap and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Then, about an hour before you’re ready to bake, take them out of the fridge and let them rise on the counter (for an hour). I like to prep these during the week and then bake them on Saturday or Sunday morning when we have time to relax and enjoy them!

Do I need a mixer to make these cinnamon rolls?

For the dough, no, you don’t need a mixer. For the cream cheese frosting, yes, you will need at least a hand held mixer.

I haven’t met a rich, creamy frosting that didn’t require a mixer in fact! I lost a pin to my handy dandy stand mixer so I just use a cheapo hand mixer to make all my frosting now and it works great. With the butter and cream cheese at room temperature, this frosting comes together in just minutes!

Tips for making the best homemade cinnamon rolls:

• Pizza dough makes the perfect cinnamon roll dough! My no knead pizza dough is really best in this recipe, but store bought pizza dough will work just fine also!
• Use floss to slice the cinnamon rolls. It might seem crazy but it totally works! You’ll get even, perfectly sliced rolls every time.
• Always let the cinnamon rolls rise in the pan before baking. After slicing the rolls and placing them in your pan, make sure you let them rise for 30 minutes. This step is very crucial. It will make your cinnamon rolls big and puffy and ensure that they are cooked on the outside but tender on the inside.
• Double the frosting recipe if your family loves lots of that ooey gooey cream cheese frosting!

Other breakfast favorites your family will love:

• No Bake Chewy Granola Bars
• Meal Prep Oatmeal Breakfast Bowl
• Mexican Breakfast Tostadas
• 5 Minute Vegan Granola

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? LEAVE A REVIEW!

If you made this recipe I’d love to hear how it turned out! Feel free to leave a rating and comment below. I love hearing from you guys and respond to each and every comment that I receive! Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for the all latest recipes and a sneak peek at the behind the scenes adventures on Midwest Foodie!

Easy Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

★★★★★ 5 from 10 reviews

• Author: Midwest Foodie
• Prep Time: 45 minutes (30 minutes of this is the dough rising)
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: 9 large cinnamon rolls 1x
• Category: Brunch
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Refrigerated pizza dough makes these cinnamon rolls easy to prepare in just 15 minutes! Let the sweet smell of homemade cinnamon rolls fill your kitchen this weekend!

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

For the cinnamon rolls:

• one recipe of my favorite no knead pizza dough (or 1 lb. refrigerated store bought dough)
• 1 stick softened butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons cinnamon
• pinch of Kosher salt

For the frosting:

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoon butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1–2 tablespoons heavy cream
• pinch of Kosher salt

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Instructions

1. Transfer pizza dough to a lightly floured work surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large rectangle about 12″x18″.
2. Spread butter across the dough in an even layer all the way out to the edges.
3. In a small bowl combine brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Sprinkle mixture across the butter in an even layer.
4. Roll dough tightly forming a log from the short end of the rectangle (so the 12 inch side is going to be the side you start rolling). Then gently pat the ends so that the is the same thickness throughout. You’ll end up with a cinnamon roll log about 12-13 inches long.
5. Use a sharp knife to score the log into thirds. Then score each of those sections into thirds, giving you a guide to slice the dough into 9 cinnamon rolls.
6. Use a length of floss to cut each roll by shimmying the floss under the log, lining the floss up with the score lines, then pulling the floss in opposite directions.
7. Transfer cinnamon rolls to a lightly greased 8×8 baking dish.
8. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise for 30 minutes.
9. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake cinnamon rolls uncovered for 30-35 minutes. Ovens vary, so be sure to check the cinnamon rolls after 20 minutes or so and go from there.
10. While the rolls are baking, use a mixer to whip cream cheese and butter together in a large bowl. Add powdered sugar and whip until combined.
11. Add vanilla and a tablespoon of cream along with a pinch of salt.
12. Whip until the frosting is thick and creamy. Add more cream as needed to loosen up the frosting.
13. Spread the frosting over the fresh-from-the-oven cinnamon rolls in an even layer and enjoy!

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Notes

Pizza dough makes the perfect cinnamon roll dough! My no knead pizza dough is really best in this recipe, but store bought pizza dough will work just fine also!

Use floss to slice the cinnamon rolls. It might seem crazy but it totally works! You’ll get even, perfectly sliced rolls every time.

Always let the cinnamon rolls rise in the pan before baking. After slicing the rolls and placing them in your pan, make sure you let them rise for 30 minutes. This step is very crucial. It will make your cinnamon rolls big and puffy and ensure that they are cooked on the outside but tender on the inside.

Double the frosting recipe if your family loves lots of that ooey gooey cream cheese frosting!

Keywords: homemade cinnamon rolls, cream cheese frosting, scratch made cinnamon rolls, cinnamon buns

This post was originally published in November of 2018. It was updated in March of 2019 to include process shots and tips for making the perfect cinnamon rolls every single time!