Freeze-and-Bake Cinnamon Rolls for Christmas Morning
These cinnamon rolls bake up soft, fluffy, and perfectly gooey, with buttery cinnamon sugar swirled through every bite. The maple cream cheese frosting melts into the warm spirals and turns them into the dreamiest holiday breakfast.
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups whole milk 16 oz
- ½ cup coconut oil softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar 110 g
- 1 package active dry yeast 2 ¼ tsp
- 4 ½ cups freshly milled whole wheat flour divided (approx. 586 g)
- ½ tsp baking powder heaping
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
Filling
- 12 tbsp unsalted butter melted (6 oz)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar 135 g
- 3 tbsp ground cinnamon
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
- Makes enough for one tray of rolls
- 1.5 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp maple flavoring
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- ⅛ tsp salt
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Warm the milk, coconut oil, and sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture reaches about 95 to 100 F. If the temp is higher, be sure to let it cool down until it's warm to the touch and not above 100 F.
- Sprinkle in the yeast and let it sit 5 to 10 minutes until it looks foamy.
- Stir in 4 cups of freshly milled flour. Cover and let it rise for about an hour until puffy.
- Mix the remaining half cup of flour with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add this to the dough and stir to combine.
- Cover again and chill overnight or up to two days. If the dough rises high, just punch it down.
Assemble the Rolls
- Line two 9×13 freezer safe casserole trays with parchment.
- Flour your counter and roll the dough into a big rectangle about 30 inches wide and 12 inches tall.
- Brush the melted butter over the dough, leaving a small border at the far edge.
- Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon evenly.
- Roll the dough into a tight log and pinch the seam.
- Slice into roughly 20 rolls and arrange about 10 in each tray, leaving a bit of space for them to expand.
- Let the trays proof for 40 minutes.
Baking Fresh
- After proofing, bake at 375 F for about 20 minutes until lightly golden.
- Ice while warm.
Baking From Frozen
- Bake the rolls almost completely before freezing. Try to pull them out of the oven when they look slightly underbaked. Let them cool, cover with plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze. You can freeze them without baking, but par baking is my preference. Remove trays from the freezer and take off the plastic and foil.
- Let them thaw on the counter 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Bake about 15 minutes, until the rolls are lightly golden and warmed through.
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
- Whisk together powdered sugar, maple flavoring, butter, cream cheese, and salt until smooth.
- Spread generously over warm cinnamon rolls.
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