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–+ servings
closeup of icing covered cinnamon rolls.

Gooey, Soft Brioche Cinnamon Rolls with Heavy Cream

Rebecca Eisenberg
Get ready to sink your teeth into these amazing soft brioche cinnamon rolls; they're super fluffy and drenched in heavy cream before they hit the oven. The vanilla bean icing is generously poured over the top while they're still warm, melting into the soft dough as a sweet finishing touch. These cinnamon buns are the ultimate brunch or dessert treat — a cozy sweet cinnamon hug for your taste buds.
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Resting Time (Minimum) 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours 25 minutes
Servings 16 cinnamon rolls

Ingredients
  

Brioche Cinnamon Roll Dough

  • 350 grams all-purpose flour
  • 6 grams instant yeast (see notes for active dry yeast)
  • 5 grams diamond crystal kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 158 grams whole milk (90°F)
  • 1 large egg (room temperature)
  • 30 grams honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
  • 85 grams soft room temperature unsalted butter (6 tablespoons)
  • 120 grams heavy cream (½ cup)

Cinnamon Sugar Filling

Vanilla Bean Icing

  • 130 grams powdered sugar
  • 14 grams melted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
  • 4-6 teaspoons whole milk

Instructions
 

Make the Dough

  • Mix. Combine flour, salt, yeast, and cinnamon in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. In a separate bowl, whisk together warm milk, honey, egg, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together in a shaggy messy ball on the dough hook, about 3-5 minutes. The dough will look dry at first but will hydrate as it mixes. Be patient!
  • Knead. Increase speed to medium-low and knead the dough for 5-7 minutes or until it passes the windowpane test.
  • Add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time. With the mixer running on medium-low, add the softened butter one tablespoon at a time. Let each piece fully incorporate before adding more. The dough will look like it is falling apart each time you add more butter, but it will come back together. Pause the mixer to gather the dough around the hook or scrape the butter down into the bowl occasionally as needed. This can take 8-10 minutes. Be patient!
  • Knead again. Increase speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth, shiny, and passes the windowpane test again, about 5-7 minutes.
  • Rise. Place the dough ball in a lightly greased bowl or container. Cover and let rise 1 hour at room temperature (72-75°F) until doubled in size, then 1 hour in the fridge to chill the butter and firm up the dough OR place the dough in the fridge immediately for a minimum of 3 hours.

Cinnamon Sugar Filling

  • Melt butter in the microwave in 10-15 second bursts until it is half melted. Stir with a whisk or spatula until the remaining pieces of butter melt completely.
  • Mix the rest of the filling ingredients with the melted butter and set aside.

Assembly and Shaping

  • Roll out the dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour the top of the dough. Press a rolling pin across the surface of the dough a few times to flatten it out, then roll the dough into a 16x11" rectangle, pressing with a bench scraper at the edges to square off the dough as you roll. You can also tug gently at the corners to pull it into a squared-off shape.
  • Cinnamon sugar filling. Spread the cinnamon sugar filling across the surface of the dough leaving a 1" strip along one of the long edges clean. Bring it all the way to the edges of the other sides.
  • Roll it up. Starting with the long edge that has filling on it, fold the edge up to begin the roll. Continue rolling the dough up into a log, being careful not to pull the dough too tight. Finish by rolling the dough log onto the clean 1" strip of dough to help seal the roll shut.
  • Chill. Place the log of dough on a sheet pan and chill in the fridge uncovered for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
  • Cut the cinnamon rolls. Use a sharp serrated knife to trim the ends off the log of dough. Cut the log in half, then cut each half in half, then cut each half in half again so you have 16 cinnamon rolls about 1 inch thick. Basically, divide the log into quarters, then divide each quarter into quarters.
    Use the knife in clean, single-direction strokes, pulling the knife fully out of the dough between each cut instead of sawing back and forth or pressing straight down with the blade to avoid collapsing the cinnamon rolls or smearing the cinnamon sugar filling.
  • Final rise. Arrange the cinnamon rolls in slightly offset rows of two in a parchment-lined 13x9" baking pan, leaving room for them to expand. Cover the pan and let them rise somewhere warm for another hour to double in size.

Baking

  • During the last 30 minutes of the cinnamon rolls rising, preheat the oven to 375°F.
  • Heavy cream. Immediately before baking, pour the heavy cream over the cinnamon rolls (about ½ tablespoon per cinnamon roll).
  • Bake & make icing. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown on top. Remove the pan to a rack to cool slightly while you make the icing.
  • Icing. Whisk together powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon milk. Add more milk 1 teaspoon at a time, whisking in between additions, until a thick icing forms. Spread the icing over the still warm cinnamon rolls, so that the heat melts the icing and allows it to spread easily.
  • Serve. Use the parchment paper to lift the cinnamon rolls out of the baking pan and onto a cooling rack or cutting board. Separate the cinnamon rolls and serve warm!

RECIPE NOTES

  • If you don't reach a perfect windowpane before adding the butter and it's been at least 10 minutes of kneading that's okay — you can go ahead and start adding butter. It won't be a technically perfect brioche, but it will still be delicious!
  • Once the dough is in the fridge it will be fine for up to 24 hours.
  • Prep time includes shaping and cutting the cinnamon rolls. 
  • If using active dry yeast, mix it with the warm milk before adding the egg and honey and let sit for 5 minutes. 
  • If any of the cinnamon roll centers pop up in the middle during baking, just use a spatula to pop them back down when you pull them out of the oven.
  • These soft cinnamon rolls will last for 3-4 days at room temperature in an airtight container. I like to keep mine in one of these layered dumpling storage containers which are nice and flat. Once the cinnamon rolls are fully cooled or to enjoy leftover cinnamon rolls, microwave them for about 10 seconds before serving. Any longer than 10 seconds and the cinnamon sugar filling can get hot enough to burn. Be careful! The microwave doesn't just warm them up, it also softens the butter in the dough again, giving the cinnamon buns a better texture. Even slightly dry cinnamon buns can be revived this way.