Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Icing
The kids, grandchildren, and neighbors come running when they know I am making Amish Cinnamon Rolls! The smell will make your mouth start watering and your stomach growl in anticipation of their gooey goodness.
My house smells like an Amish bakery when I make these cinnamon rolls, and the taste is by-far the best cinnamon roll recipe I have ever made.
This recipe does take some time from start to finish, so I always plan on making these the day before I want to serve them.
Step-by-Step Cinnamon Roll instructions:
Step #1
Mix 2 teaspoons of sugar and yeast in the warm water. Let sit for 5 minutes or until the yeast starts to bubble. If your yeast never bubbles, that is a good sign your yeast is dead and your rolls will not rise properly.
Step #2
In a large bowl, or in your stand mixer bowl with the dough hook attached, add eggs, mashed potatoes, melted butter, sugar, salt and bread flour. Mix until smooth, about 5 minutes. Place dough ball in a greased bowl and cover. Your dough should look like the picture below, smooth and well blended.
Step #3
Let the dough rise until doubled in size. It should take about 2 hours if place in a warm location. If my house is chilly, I place the covered bowl in my oven with the door closed and the oven light on. The warmth from the oven light will help the dough warm enough to rise nicely.
Step #4
You will know when your dough has risen enough when you can poke your fingers in it and it leaves an indention. Your dough is now ready to be punched down. To punch down your dough, curl your hand in a fist and lightly punch the dough in the center. Punching down your dough removes the gas bubbles formed by the yeast during rising.
Step #5
Turn your dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a long rectangle. Spread melted butter on the rectangle and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar mixture.
Step #6
Tightly roll your rectangle into a long log shape. Cut the log into 1-inch slices.
Step #7
On a greased baking pan or in round cake pans, place your 1-inch slices, slightly touching.
Step #8
Let sit in a warm place or back in your oven with the oven light on until doubled in size. Once they have doubled, bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Step #9
While the rolls are cooling for 30 minutes make the icing. Heat butter, salt, and brown sugar in a saucepan over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until creamy. Generously spread icing over cooled cinnamon rolls.
These are a favorite holiday treat for my family and I hope you give them a try.
- 2 teaspoons sugar plus 2/3 cup, divided
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
- 4 eggs
- 2/3 cup melted butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup mashed potatoes
- 6 cups bread flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- In a glass measuring cup add warm water, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and the yeast.
- Let stand for 5 minutes until it forms bubbles.
- Add all other roll ingredients in large bowl, and add the yeast mixture slowly.
- Mix until well blended and knead for five minutes.
- Cover dough and let rise until doubled. (About 2 hours.)
- Punch down dough and roll out in a rectangular shape. Spread with melted butter, and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar to cover.
- Roll up and cut into 1 inch slices.
- Place slices on a greased baking sheet or 8" cake pan.
- Let rise again until doubled in size.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
- While the rolls are baking melt butter for icing and blend in the brown sugar and salt.
- Cook over low heat until sugar is dissolved.
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla and mix well.
- Allow the rolls to cool for 30 minutes before spreading a thin layer of icing on top.
Thanks for stopping by!
Tracy Lynn
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Sounds wonderful, Tracy! Are the mashed potatoes leftover regular mashed (with butter and milk but no salt and pepper), or instant flakes? Hope to try this recipe soon. I really enjoy your blog, reading of your homesteading adventures and clever ideas.
Carol (western NC)
Carol I have used both. The recipe calls for plain mashed potatoes but I have used leftovers…and it made no difference. They are yummy and my family loves them!
Oh my, these look and sound divine! I have a recipe I always use for cinnamon rolls, but I may have to set that one aside and try yours 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
Have a great week. Hugs!
They are yummy and the extra calories are sooooo worth it!
Oh wow! These look so delicious! My husband has been obsessed with Cinnamon Rolls lately so I think he’s going to love these. Thanks for sharing!
They are to die for! You cannot eat just one, so if your hubby is like mine he will down a few before he knows what hit him!
Oh dear, these would be great with my morning coffee RIGHT NOW! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe with us Tracy!
Hope your new year is off to a good start!
~ The Art of Home-Making Mondays ~
They are really good. They take a little bit of time to make but so worth it!
These look so good that I am going to need to give these a try! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Oh my word, these look delectable! I should have eaten something for breakfast before reading this because now I want…no need these cinnamon rolls!! Haha, thank you for sharing!
Fantastic, these look great, thanks for sharing at Good Morning Mondays. Blessings
How long and wide do I make the rectangular? How many rolls do these make?
Diana,
They make about 24 rolls. I would say I rolled it out in a 2 foot section and cut them in one inch pieces.
Once again are the mashed potatoes 1 cup of mashed ready to eat or dry potatoe flakes? It would make quite a difference here.
I have always made them with fresh mashed potatoes. I have even used leftover potatoes but not instant or dry potato flakes.
I made these this evening. Husband came back for seconds and would have probably done thirds if it wasn’t so late. Sending a pan to share at work tomorrow. Probably the best cinnamon rolls that I have ever tasted.
My hubby cannot eat just one! They are addictive…
Recipe looks delish so im trying it out… however I did run into an issue with the roll section. 🙁 I noticed one difference in the step by step vs the printed instructions; butter..
So after manually kneading, it didn’t look like yours above. I let it raise an hour before I read your step by step and noticed that you added butter.. I added butter and kneaded again… lets see how it turns out…
Also, can we make the bread part ahead of time and store in fridge?
Melissa,
I have never tried making the dough and storing it in the fridge before hand…I am not sure if it will continue to raise too much. If you try it please let me know how it works out so I can let everyone know.
Tracey, wait no more.
The step by step instructions call for adding melted butter along with the eggs and mashed potatoes, but doesn’t mention them in the ingredient list till you get to the filling. It’s not mentioned in the instructions either. Could you specify how much butter is to be added to the flour mixture?
Cindy so sorry for the confusion. That was a typo on my part. There is no melted butter mixed in the dough. The only melted butter in the recipe is in the filling.
Thank you for the clarification. I made these up and my family enjoyed them very much!
I bet everyone comes running–I would too! Delicious recipe!
Mashed potatoes?!! What is the reason for this? Lol! I would have never ever ever thought of this!! 🙂
I think the potatoes give them a hearty texture…all I know is they are wonderful and is how my Mennonite friends all make them.
I’ll have to try it out! Thanks for the recipe!! 😀 I love your blog!
Thank you for the cinnamon roll recipe. And best of all that your christian and don’t hide your faith. I’ve been reading Joel Osteens new book the Power of I AM and I think you would enjoy it. Also at this time of year Pumpkin Muffins from Katie Lee Joel the Comfort table are delicious I also mix cream cheese with a little vanilla icing and cut the tops off and put inside or you could be classy and use those cupcake cut out holes and place it in there Penzy spices are the best.
Good luck in your endeavors.
May God Bless
Hi Tracy haven’t tried your rolls yet but I am asking can you play e orders.?
Just to clarify, there isn’t any butter, oil, or shortening added to the dough ingredients? That’s unusual….
Kim thanks for catching that! Yes there was suppose to be 2/3 cup melted butter added with the roll ingredients.
is it dry yeast, self rising or the cube fresh yeast?
It is dry yeast.
So glad I stopped by to visit today! I just pinned the recipe. Yummy! Wish I had one now with a cup of coffee. Hugs and blessings, Cindy
I can almost taste these amazing rolls! Thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with us at Full Plate Thursday and come back soon!
Miz Helen
Wow these cinnamon rolls look so good.
Thanks for sharing them at C&C with J&J.
The cinnamon rolls look delicious! I love making breakfast bread and sweet rolls on the weekends. I look forward to trying your recipe and just in time for the holidays! Thank you for sharing!
Yum, yum! You had me at Amish, lol. I love their cooking. Thanks for sharing on Sunday’s Best.
These sound amazing thanks for sharing!
Love these cinnamon rolls, only change I make is I add half milk half water in roll recipe, they are delicious and super moist.
Perfect recipe as is, thank you.