Soft Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

How many times have you tried (and failed) to make a gooey soft homemade cinnamon roll? Too many to count, probably. And instead of trying again you went for a can or something frozen and that works, sure. But if you want to try again, I’ve got just the thing you need here–secret ingredient included. 

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Freezer Friendly, Make Ahead, Big Batch

I love these things.  They are truly soft homemade cinnamon rolls–in fact, they are so soft that I left the pan sitting out on the stove all night without any plastic wrap on them–I know–I am such a rebel.

And they were still soft in the morning. I’m a rebel or a genius, I’m not sure which. You can decide.

And speaking of genius, let’s talk about what makes this recipe so good.

Don’t pass out.

They have mashed potatoes in them, and a cup of the water you cooked them in.

Now before you start up a protest, let me tell you why this works: it’s the starch in the potatoes that helps keep things moist, not to mention that this is a very wet dough. The wetter you can keep it without adding too much flour, the better off your soft cinnamon rolls will be.

You can use leftover potatoes from dinner the night before as long as they aren’t loaded down in odd stuff like chicken broth, cheese or pepper. I have used leftover ones that had just butter and salt in them and I’ve made them plain-oh-plain just mashed straight from the pot. I couldn’t tell a difference. Try to puree your potatoes very smooth with a mixer. Cook them all the way through and avoid any big lumps. That wouldn’t be too good.

If for some reason you forget to save the water from your potatoes it’s perfectly fine.  I’ve done that too, and you can just add a cup of regular water, they will be fine.

This recipe makes two 9×13 pans of rolls. It’s a HUGE recipe. If you don’t want to make that many, just cut this recipe in half or freeze the other half before their second rise and you can make them later.

For the icing, you can make something from scratch, but WHY? I use a can of cream cheese cake icing and it’s still awesome. Shortcuts where you can people.

If you’re gonna spend 3 hours making cinnamon rolls, I say make SOMETHING easy. I mean–what do you think I am?  A workaholic bread-baking, farming mom and writer?

Oh.

Yeah. Gotcha.

Let’s make rolls.

Soft Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Always soft and light, these cinnamon rolls are made with mashed potatoes in the dough--but don't worry, you won't ever know it. All you'll taste is yum.

5 from 12 votes

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Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours

Servings: 24 people

Calories: 150kcal

Author: Rachel Ballard

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Ingredients

For the dough:

• 1 cup lump free mashed potatoes
• 1 cup reserved potato water or plain water is fine
• 1 cup tap water
• 12 tablespoons butter or margarine melted and cooled slightly
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 envelopes yeast
• 1/2 cup WARM water
• 4 eggs
• 8 1/2 cups bread flour

For the filling:

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

For the icing

• 8 ounces cream cheese softened
• 4 tablespoons butter softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk optional

Instructions

• Combine the yeast and 1/2 cup warm water in a small bowl. Let rest 5 minutes.
• Combine the potatoes, potato water, butter, sugar, salt and tap water in a very large bowl.
• Mix well, then add eggs, yeast, and 2 cups of the flour to the potato mixture. Blend well with a wooden spoon. 
• Add flour, 1 cup at a time until a soft dough forms and all 8 1/2 cups are incorporated. 
• Once everything is mixed, spray with non stick spray or pat with oil and cover with plastic wrap until doubled in size--2 hours or so. 
• Once doubled, divide dough in half and gently knead on a floured surface sprinkling with flour as you go just to keep it from sticking, about 5 to 7 minutes until the dough is smoother and more elastic.  Roll one into a 12x18 inch rectangle.
• Mix the sugars, cinnamon, and vanilla in a bowl. 
• Spread half the butter on the dough and sprinkle on half the sugar mixture, reserving the rest for the other half of your dough. 
• Roll from the long side and cut slices about 2 inches thick or use dental floss or string to cut slices. 
• Place in a greased 9x13 pan.
• Repeat with other half of dough. (You can freeze rolls at this point if you want to).
• Cover with greased plastic wrap and rise in a warm place 30-45 minutes until doubled. You can also place the rolls in the refrigerator overnight and bake them in the morning (they will not need any more rising if you have them in the fridge overnight). 
• Bake in 350 degree oven 30 to 35 minutes. Tent with foil halfway through if they get too dark.
• Cool 15 minutes and the drizzle with icing.

To make the icing

• In a large bowl, blend the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth with a hand mixer. Slowly add the powdered sugar until incorporated. Thin with milk if the frosting is too thick. Spread over the warm cinnamon rolls so it soaks in. 

Nutrition

Calories: 150kcal