Cinnamon Sugar Butterflake Rolls
Put a sweet spin on the classic dinner roll with a batch of these Cinnamon Sugar Butterflake Rolls. They’re a fun, unique treat for brunch or dessert!
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There’s just something about bringing a basket of freshly baked bread to the dinner table. I’m not going to pretend that I make homemade bread every day. Not even close. I do enjoy baking bread as there’s just something oddly therapeutic about mixing flour, water, salt and yeast together and watching it transform into bread. As much as I enjoy making it, homemade bread is still somewhat uncommon in our house. I 
With that said, I always make a batch of homemade rolls for Thanksgiving. For many years, I made homemade yeast rolls using my mom’s recipe. I still love those rolls! When they’re warm out of the oven, I swear I could eat about 8 of ’em. And they make for excellent turkey sandwiches with the leftover Thanksgiving turkey.
However, a number of years ago, I discovered Butterflake Rolls, and they bumped the yeast rolls down a notch. If you haven’t heard of butterflake rolls, then you’ve got a good surprise coming your way! Butterflake rolls are buttery (obvi, right?), soft, rolls that are baked in such a way that you can pull off layer upon layer. Not only are they tasty, but they’re unique and fun, too.
Cinnamon Sugar Butterflake Rolls
Cinnamon Sugar Butterflake RollsIt was only a matter of time before I took the recipe for those butterflake rolls and put a breakfast/brunch spin on it. These Cinnamon Sugar Butterflake Rolls use the exact same recipe as the dinner roll version, except with the addition of cinnamon and sugar. Oh, and more butter. Because more butter is more better!
This version would be great for brunch during the holidays. Pour a good strong cup of coffee and serve up a couple of these Cinnamon Sugar Butterflake Rolls. I know that would get me out of bed! Oh, who am I kidding? I’m up at the crack of dawn every day anyways…even on the days when I don’t have to be up. I figure since I’m up anyways, I might as well bake something!
While these Cinnamon Sugar Butterflake Rolls are certainly reminiscent of cinnamon rolls, they are noticeably different. In keeping with the original recipe, I opted for bread flour in this recipe. That yielded a chewier bread rather than a pillow-y bread like you might find in a cinnamon roll. Don’t get me wrong – these rolls are delicious! They’re just not the same as a cinnamon roll. (Mental note: make a cinnamon roll pull apart bread!)
The only tricky part about making butterflake rolls is cutting and stacking the dough in such a way that it yields the iconic layered rolls. It’s not hard. You just have to pay attention. And trust me when I say the result is well worth the extra cutting effort! I hope you enjoy these Cinnamon Sugar Butterflake Rolls are much as we did. We had a couple left over by the end of the evening, and we warmed those up for a nighttime snack with a mug of tea. Yum!
Did you make a batch of these Cinnamon Sugar Butterflake Rolls at home? Leave me a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). I’d love to see your version!
Cinnamon Sugar Butterflake Rolls
Ingredients
For Rolls
- 2½ cups bread flour
- 1¾ tsp active dry yeast
- 1½ Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup milk warm
- 1 egg yolk
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
For Cinnamon Filling
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ Tbsp cinnamon
For the Cinnamon Topping
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
For Rolls
- Using a countertop mixer, add all ingredients for the rolls (flour, yeast, sugar, salt, milk, egg yolk and butter).
- Mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium and continue mixing for 3-4 more minutes.
- Transfer dough into a large oiled bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm (85°F) location for 60-75 minutes, or until dough has almost doubled in size. (Tip: I typically let my dough rise in the oven. The oven light is turned on, but the oven itself is off.)
For the Cinnamon Filling
- Using a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Roll dough into a 12” x 12” square. Brush top of dough with melted butter mixture.
- Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into (12) 1” wide strips.
- Stack strips into 2 stacks of 6 strips each.
- Cut each stack widthwise into (6) 2” pieces. (At this point, you should have 12 stacks of dough.)
For the Cinnamon Topping
- Using a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Place the melted butter in another small bowl.
- Working with one stack of dough at a time, turn the stack on its side and dip one edge first into the bowl with the melted butter and then into the bowl with the cinnamon sugar. Place stack into a greased muffin tin with the cinnamon-sugar side facing up.
- Spray tops of dough with baking spray and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Place pan in a warm location for 45-60 minutes, or until dough has risen about ½” over the top of the muffin cups.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Bake rolls for 18-20 minutes, or until tops are golden brown in color.
Looking for more fun butterflake rolls / pull apart bread recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Will be making this soon for the rolls /filling and topping can i use vegan butter i never had cinnamon sugar butterflake rolls before perfect for my after office snacks love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Hey Ramya! I haven’t tried this recipe with vegan butter, but I imagine it would work well. I do love the cinnamon-sugar twist on this classic dinner roll recipe. I hope you get a chance to bake up a batch!
I know, nothing quite like homemade bread (or baked goods, in general). Cinnamon sugar is so good and it gives off all sorts of yummy, comfort food vibes. These would be perfect to bake up Saturday morning while a big pot of coffee is brewing. YUM!!
You said it, Dawn! Baked goods and homemade breads are the ultimate comfort food. I do enjoy the cinnamon-sugar twist to these rolls. And YES to the big pot of coffee! It’s cold out there – I need an extra mug of coffee! 🙂
Oh man!!! These look so good! I have a weakness for anything cinnamon and sugar and these are totally what I need for breakfast! 🙂
I hear ya, Kathy! Homemade bread and cinnamon-sugar are both favorites of mine, so I decided to combine them together in this recipe. It was a fun twist off of the classic dinner roll! 🙂
I used to have an obsession with making sourdough bread until I realized that the bakery just down the road made fresh sourdough every day and it’s fantastic. So, I now rely on their talented bakers to fill my bread needs. But, you are spot on about the tranquility of making bread.
But, I still make a mean Swedish cinnamon roll. And, I’m always looking for a new twist on the classic Kanelbullar, so your Cinnamon Sugar Butterflake Rolls have my full attention. I will be giving these a try over the holidays, but I’ll have to be adding a good pinch of cardamon just because…
Haha – I get ya there, Ron. I do love making homemade bread, but it takes time. And if you’ve got a quality bakery just down the road? I’d probably go that route, too! I enjoyed making these rolls – as a heads up, they are more like dinner rolls with a cinnamon-sugar twist. I think I want to revisit this recipe and turn them into something closer to cinnamon rolls – basically make a softer dough with more butter in it. But I will say that these didn’t last long around here! I mean it’s cinnamon + sugar. Cheers, my friend!
I love cinnamon anything, and I love bread… so this recipe would certainly be a winner in my book. Yum!
Hope you have a great Thanksgiving! 🙂
I’m with ya, Nicole! Homemade bread is a favorite of mine. Cinnamon-sugar anything is a favorite of mine. So combine the two? Yum!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, too! 🙂
I don’t even remember when I made sweet rolls / buns last time. Definitely not for the last 3 years (I know, this is a shocking information for me, too!) But this type of baking is definitely associated with the holiday season, and these rolls look terrific! Now you should come up with more holiday-inspired rolls and buns. Gingerbread, Eggnog, Crabberry, and maybe even candy cane Infused buns?
3 years!? That’s way too long, Ben! I like your idea of holiday-inspired cinnamon rolls. I’ve made gingerbread cinnamon rolls (fantastic). I’ve made hot cocoa cinnamon rolls (also fantastic). But I’ve never tried eggnog cinnamon rolls. I need to work on that recipe! Thanks for the inspiration!
i’m not really a bread eater so i almost never make bread but these look delightful!
I understand, Sherry! Bread baking is a process. I personally love the process, but it’s not for everyone. I love to bake bread, so I’ll just make an extra batch for you! Deal? 🙂
David, I love your butterflake rolls and have made them many times! Why I never thought to cinnamontize them? I don’t know. Genius! Happy Thanksgiving!
I knew you would like this recipe, Jeff! I remember you mentioning that you’ve made those butterflake rolls – now it’s time to start experimenting. Cinnamon + sugar is always a good bet! 🙂
Those layers make these rolls so much fun! Always love cinnamon sugar, so you’ve got a winner here, David!
Thanks so much, Michelle! I’ve always loved cinnamon + sugar. It’s a simple combination of flavors, but it’s delicious! 🙂
I can imagine the smell of this as it bakes, nothing beats a home made baked goodie
You can say that again, Raymund! I think half the fun of baking is enjoying the smells coming out of the kitchen!
I am so enticed with these butterflake rolls and especially the cinnamon sugar, sounds amazing. And I totally get the therapeutic part of baking bread.
Baking bread sure is a lot of fun! It takes time, but it’s a really enjoyable process. The cinnamon – sugar twist on these rolls was a fun way to experiment! Thanks, Taruna!
There is definitely something therapeutic about baking bread. I remember a few years back when I discovered that I could actually manage it, having spent half a lifetime convinced that I couldn’t “do” baking. Now I bake a loaf once a week, sometimes more, but I haven’t really branched out. These little babies might tempt me to try, though. They look like something I’d really enjoy with my morning coffee!
I hear ya, Frank. Bread baking gets a bad rap because everyone thinks it takes so much time. It does take time, but most of the time is inactive. It’s not like you’re standing in the kitchen for hours and hours! I do suggest branching out. That’s one of the things I enjoy most about baking. I say start with the traditional butterflake rolls and see what you think!
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving and enjoyed these Cinnamon Sugar Butterflake Rolls David. They sure do look tasty. And perfect for a celebration!
We did indeed have a good Thanksgiving holiday – it was nice to disconnect for a couple of days. Thanks, Neil!