Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls are legendary for a reason: they are incredibly tender, flaky, buttery, sweet, and packed with cinnamon flavor. If you’ve been dreaming of making these iconic treats at home but want to simplify the process, especially the dough making, then using a bread machine might be your perfect solution. While the original recipe wasn’t designed specifically for a bread machine, adapting it is surprisingly easy and yields fantastic results. Get ready to enjoy warm, homemade cinnamon rolls with a delightful maple frosting, made even simpler with the help of your bread machine.
These cinnamon rolls are truly some of the best sweet rolls you’ll ever taste, and the bread machine makes the dough preparation nearly foolproof. Have you ever been intimidated by yeast doughs, or had cinnamon roll recipes fail to rise properly? This adapted recipe takes away that worry. The bread machine handles the kneading and first rise perfectly, allowing you to focus on the fun parts: filling, rolling, and of course, frosting!
Three pans of baking cinnamon rolls, no frosting
Image alt text: Three pans of unbaked Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls rising in foil pans, ready for the oven, showcasing their homemade and shareable quantity.
What makes Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls so incredibly delicious? It’s a combination of factors. The dough is rolled out thinly, creating beautiful spirals and ensuring a generous amount of cinnamon filling in every bite. Speaking of filling, it’s a simple yet perfect blend of melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon. The ratio of filling to dough is truly perfection.
Another standout element is the unique maple frosting. This isn’t your average sweet glaze; it’s elevated with maple extract and a hint of strong brewed coffee. The coffee might sound unusual, but it enhances the maple flavor and adds a wonderful depth that complements the cinnamon rolls perfectly. It’s a game-changer!
Our recipe, adapted for easier home baking and bread machines, makes approximately 30 delicious cinnamon rolls, perfect for sharing (or not!). Be warned: these rolls are addictive. It’s a good idea to have friends, family, or neighbors ready to enjoy them with you, otherwise, you might find yourself devouring them all! You can bake them in three 9-inch cake pans, or use four 8-inch pans or even disposable 7-inch foil pans for gifting.
Three pans of fresh from the oven cinnamon rolls.
Image alt text: Three baking pans filled with freshly baked and golden brown Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls, hot out of the oven, ready to be frosted, highlighting their warm and inviting appearance.
The secret to the soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture of these cinnamon rolls lies in a unique combination of leavening agents. This recipe uses yeast, baking powder, and baking soda – a somewhat unusual trio for a yeast dough. This combination ensures a light and airy texture and a delightful yeasty flavor without a long rising time. In fact, after shaping the rolls, they only need about 30 minutes to rise before baking. A slightly lower oven temperature also helps them rise fully before the tops get too brown, resulting in incredibly soft, puffy, and flaky rolls that are far from chewy.
Freezing and Make-Ahead Tips:
Want to get ahead? The dough for these cinnamon rolls can be made in the bread machine and then refrigerated for up to 3 days. Just keep it well covered and punch it down if it gets too big. For longer storage, you can freeze baked, unfrosted rolls. Simply thaw and then frost them when you’re ready to serve. This makes them perfect for holiday breakfasts or make-ahead brunch gatherings.
Fresh, warm cinnamon rolls on a plate
Image alt text: Close-up of warm Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls on a white plate, generously drizzled with maple frosting, showcasing their gooey texture and irresistible sweetness.
Ready to bake some Pioneer Woman Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls? Here’s how:
Pioneer Woman’s Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes (plus dough making time in bread machine)
Yield: 30 rolls
Course: Bread, Breakfast or Brunch
Author: Adapted from Pioneer Woman
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Tender, flaky, buttery, sweet and loaded with cinnamon, now made easier with a bread machine!
Equipment
- Bread Machine
- Instant read thermometer
- Rolling pin
- 3 (9-inch) cake pans
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Rolls Dough (Bread Machine):
- 2 cups whole milk (16oz)
- ½ cup vegetable oil (4oz)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (110g)
- 1 (.25 ounce) package Active Dry Yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour separated (586g)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder heaping
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the Filling:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted for greasing pans
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter melted (6oz)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar (135g)
- 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
For the Maple Frosting:
- 4 ounces powdered sugar sifted (1 cup or 115g)
- ½ teaspoon maple flavoring
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 1 tablespoon strong brewed coffee
- pinch of salt
Instructions
To make the Dough in the Bread Machine:
- Combine milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a microwave-safe bowl or saucepan. Warm until lukewarm (95-100°F). This is crucial for yeast activation.
- Pour the lukewarm milk mixture into your bread machine pan.
- Add yeast, followed by flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Follow your bread machine manufacturer’s instructions for adding ingredients, but typically liquids go in first, followed by dry ingredients, with yeast last and away from liquids if possible.
- Select the “Dough” cycle on your bread machine. Start the machine.
- Let the bread machine complete the dough cycle. This will typically take around 1 to 1.5 hours and includes kneading and the first rise.
- Once the dough cycle is complete, proceed with the instructions below for making the cinnamon rolls.
To make the Cinnamon Rolls (after Bread Machine Dough Cycle):
- Grease 3 (9-inch) cake pans with melted butter, set aside.
- Heavily flour a large, clean work surface. Lightly punch down the dough and scrape it out onto the countertop.
- Using floured hands and a floured rolling pin, press and roll the dough into a large rectangle, approximately 30-inches wide and 18 to 20-inches deep. The dough should be quite thin.
- Brush 12 tablespoons of melted butter evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the far 30-inch side.
- Sprinkle ⅔ cup of granulated sugar over the butter, followed by 3 tablespoons of ground cinnamon.
- Starting from the 30-inch side closest to you, roll the dough tightly into a log. Pinch the seam to seal.
- Using a ruler as a guide, cut the log into 30 (1-inch) slices. A sharp knife or dental floss works well for clean cuts.
- Place the rolls, cut side down, in the prepared pans.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Let the rolls rise in a warm place for 30-40 minutes, or until puffy.
- Bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
- Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool slightly while you make the frosting.
To make the Maple Frosting:
- In a bowl, combine sifted powdered sugar, maple flavoring, milk, melted butter, strong brewed coffee, and a pinch of salt.
- Mix with an electric mixer or whisk until smooth and pourable.
- Generously drizzle the maple frosting over the warm cinnamon rolls. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman.
- Leftover cinnamon rolls are best stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat gently before serving.
- Unfrosted rolls can be stored at room temperature for a day or two.
- For extra flavor, consider adding a pinch of nutmeg to the cinnamon filling.
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls were originally published on Saving Room for Dessert and adapted for bread machine for this recipe.
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