Classic Einkorn Cinnamon Rolls

Close up shot of a homemade cinnamon roll on a white plate. Covered with cream cheese icing. A mason jar of red berries in the background.

Make these delicious homemade cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing. Serve them for breakfast or brunch and watch them disappear! Can be made with einkorn or any wheat. Yields 15 large rolls and can be cut in half if needed.

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cinnamon roll recipe, cinnamon rolls, classic homemade cinnamon rolls, einkorn cinnamon rolls, homemade cinnamon rolls

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Rising Time 1 55

Total Time 2 45

Servings large rolls

Calories 669kcal

Cost $15

Ingredients

Roll Dough

9 1/3 cups all-purpose einkorn flour (1120 g) 8 1/2 cups if using non-einkorn wheat
2 packets instant yeast 18g
2 cups liquid of preference (see notes) at 115°F we prefer orange juice
5 tbsp butter room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1.5 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla we use homemade

Filling

3/4 cup butter room temperature
1 2/3 cups white sugar
1 tbsp molasses
4 tbsp cinnamon

Icing

6 oz cream cheese
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2-4 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract we use homemade

Instructions

In a saucepan, heat the desired liquid to 115°F.
Add the remaining ingredients for the dough to the bowl of an electric mixer. You can knead the dough by hand if needed. But the process will be easier in an electric mixer.
Add the heated liquid and knead with a dough hook on low for 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth, should bounce back when pressed, and not stick to your finger.
Remove the dough hook and cover the bowl with a plate or cling wrap. Allow to rise in a warm place for 25 minutes.
After first rising, form the dough into a ball and roll it out into a long rectangle. Try to keep the dough between 1/4 and 1/2 an inch thick.
Combine filling ingredients into a bowl and mix until well combined. Spread over dough in an even layer. You can use a spatula for this step, but the back of a large spoon also works well!
Roll the dough the skinny way if you want smaller rolls, and the thick way if you want fewer, larger rolls. Try to keep the roll as tight as you can.
Slice the roll into 1 ½ inch sections and place them into a greased 9x13 pan. Let rise for an hour and a half.
Add a little milk or cream to the pan, in all the spaces between the rolls.
Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown with an internal temperature of 185°F. Once baked, allow to cool slightly (if you can).
Mix powdered sugar, cream cheese, milk, and vanilla together until smooth. Drizzle over rolls and serve warm.

Notes

If You Want To Make Them In Advance

Making these cinnamon rolls in advance is a great way to make this a quick breakfast option! Let's walk through that process!

Shape and Rise - Follow the instructions above and stop just before baking (after the second rise). At this point, you can freeze them, or place them in the fridge for baking the next day.
Thaw - Thaw them if they were frozen, by placing them in the fridge the night before you want to bake them.
Bake - In the morning, let the rolls sit at room temperature for about 30-45 minutes before baking. Bake and ice as normal.

Ingredients

Let's talk about what goes into making these delicious cinnamon rolls as there are several substitutions you might enjoy!

Flour - We use all-purpose einkorn flour, but you can use any modern all-purpose wheat. If you'd like to use whole wheat, or freshly milled flour, reduce the liquid to 1.75 cups, instead of 2 cups.
Liquid for the Dough - You can use milk of any kind, water, or orange juice for the liquid in this recipe. I prefer orange juice as it gives the rolls an incredibly light and fluffy texture! If you can't use orange juice, water with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, or milk will work as well.
Milk - Just before baking, I like to add a little milk or cream to the pan, in between the rolls. You can use any type of milk that you prefer as the goal is to add moisture during the baking process.
Sweetener - We like to use panela sugar, but you can use white sugar or even maple syrup! If using maple syrup, use just 1/2 cup instead of a 3/4 cup in the dough. The filling will need to be a non-liquid sweetener.
Butter - While this can be omitted from the dough, it is needed for the filling. If desired, ghee can be used instead.
Molasses - If you're using panela or maple syrup, you can skip this if needed. However, for white sugar, molasses is needed in the filling to bring out that deep, rich, flavor.
Cinnamon - I prefer Saigon Cinnamon, but use what you prefer!
Yeast - We use instant yeast, however, dry active yeast can be used as well. Just follow the directions to activate the yeast, and remove the amount of liquid used to activate from the total used in the recipe.
Salt - This enhances the texture of the dough! We use pink Himalayan sea salt, but use what you have on hand.
Cream Cheese - Used in the icing, but you can omit it completely if needed.
Powdered Sugar - Used to thicken the icing, but can be used on its own to create a dairy-free icing if needed. Just mix the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk (any type) until you reach the desired thickness.
Vanilla - Used to enhance the flavor of the filling and the icing! Don't skip this!

Nutrition