Recipe

The small-batch ooey-gooey cinnamon roll recipe you want this fall

This just-right-sized treat doesn’t need an overnight rise.
Ooey-Gooey Cinnamon Rolls, from "Small-Batch Breads" by Rebecca Eisenberg. (Courtesy of Linda Campos)
Ooey-Gooey Cinnamon Rolls, from "Small-Batch Breads" by Rebecca Eisenberg. (Courtesy of Linda Campos)
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16 minutes ago

Even if the warm temps are taking longer than usual to subside this fall, cinnamon rolls can take us there in spirit.

In “Small-Batch Breads: 50 Recipes for Loaves, Buns, and Flatbreads Made with One Cup of Flour” (Ten Speed Press, $32), Rebecca Eisenberg provides 50 approachable recipes, all made with, yes, one cup of flour. Eisenberg streamlines the ingredients and steps, taking the will-it-or-won’t-it-scale guesswork out of baking recipes.

“Small Batch Breads” also provides beautiful step-by-step photos to guide you through the process.

"Small-Batch Breads: 50 Recipes for Loaves, Buns, and Flatbreads Made with 1 Cup of Flour," by Rebecca Eisenberg. (Ten Speed Press, $32) (Courtesy of Linda Campos)
"Small-Batch Breads: 50 Recipes for Loaves, Buns, and Flatbreads Made with 1 Cup of Flour," by Rebecca Eisenberg. (Ten Speed Press, $32) (Courtesy of Linda Campos)

These cinnamon rolls don’t require an overnight rise

Unlike standard cinnamon roll recipes that need an overnight rise, these only take 2 ½ to 3 ½ hours, so you aren’t spending your Saturday night prepping for a Sunday morning breakfast.

Make sure your milk temperature doesn’t kill the yeast

This recipe calls for warm milk; Eisenberg recommends 90 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer, the milk should feel comfortably warm to the touch, but not hot. Anything above 120 degrees can kill your yeast and prevent your dough from rising.

Anything too cold won’t activate the yeast, putting it to sleep and slowing your fermentation and rise time.

For kneading cinnamon rolls, less is more

Overworking the dough can prevent your rolls from achieving that billowy-soft texture. Knead it just enough to create a smooth ball, with the dough slightly tacky to the touch. Eisenberg suggests dusting with additional flour only as needed.

What size pan should I use to make small-batch cinnamon rolls?

Eisenberg suggests a 5- or 6-inch square baking dish for these rolls, which gives the dough enough space to proof, eventually filling the dish as it bakes. If you’re not using a nonstick pan, generously spray your pan with cooking spray to prevent the rolls from sticking.

Dental floss as a cooking tool

To make clean cuts in the dough log, use a sharp knife. But if your knives are too dull, try unwaxed, unflavored dental floss. Just wrap the floss around the log and pull in order to cut the rolls.

How to reheat cinnamon rolls

If you need to reheat your rolls, cover the rolls with a damp (not dripping) paper towel and microwave on high in 15-second intervals until soft and warm. The icing will melt away; fortunately, you can always make more to spread on top.

This recipe for Ooey-Gooey Cinnamon Rolls appears in “Small-Batch Breads: 50 Recipes for Loaves, Buns, and Flatbreads Made with One Cup of Flour,” by Rebecca Eisenberg. (Ten Speed Press, $32) (Courtesy of Linda Campos)
This recipe for Ooey-Gooey Cinnamon Rolls appears in “Small-Batch Breads: 50 Recipes for Loaves, Buns, and Flatbreads Made with One Cup of Flour,” by Rebecca Eisenberg. (Ten Speed Press, $32) (Courtesy of Linda Campos)

Ooey-Gooey Cinnamon Rolls

Rising Time: 2½ to 3½ hours

Bake Time: 20 to 22 minutes

Makes 4 rolls.

Dough

Filling

Topping

Icing

  1. Mix. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and yeast. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk the melted butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and milk. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the milk mixture. Use a dough whisk or a fork to mix until the dough forms large clumps, then use a bowl scraper or your hand to fold the dough over itself in the bowl until it comes together.
  2. Knead. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and slightly tacky to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes, dusting in additional flour lightly as needed. Shape the dough into a ball.
  3. First rise. Lightly grease the bowl, place the dough ball inside, cover, and set aside to rise at room temperature until the dough puffs up, 1 to 1 ½ hours (it may not fully double in size — that’s OK).
  4. Mix the filling. Toward the end of the rise time, in a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, both sugars, flour and cinnamon until no lumps remain and a thick paste forms. (If the filling is very soupy, pop it in the fridge for 3 to 5 minutes and whisk it again before using. If the filling is too firm, microwave for 10 seconds to loosen it into a paste.)
  5. Make the rolls. Grease a 5- or 6-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. On a lightly floured counter, press and roll the dough into a 13 x 7-inch rectangle with one of the short sides closest to you. Spread the surface of the dough with a thin layer of the filling all the way to three of the edges, leaving a 1/4-inch strip of dough bare along the opposite short edge. Brush that bare strip of dough lightly with water.
  6. Starting with the short edge of dough that’s covered with filling, roll the dough into a tight log, using your hands as guards along the edges to keep them even as you roll. Roll the log onto the strip of dampened, bare dough to seal the seam underneath.
  7. Use a sharp knife in a sawing motion to cut the log of dough into 4 segments, each about 2 inches wide. (Alternatively, you can use unwaxed, unflavored dental floss, looped around the log and pulled tight, to cut the rolls.)
  8. Place the rolls spiral-side up in the greased baking dish, pressing down gently on top of each one.
  9. Second rise. Loosely cover the baking dish and place in a warm spot to rise until the cinnamon rolls just about double in size, 1½ to 2 hours.
  10. Heat. Toward the end of the rise time, heat the oven to 375 degrees.
  11. Top and bake. Immediately before baking, drizzle the milk over the cinnamon rolls. Bake until the rolls are golden brown on top, 20 to 22 minutes.
  12. Cool. Set the baking dish on a wire rack to cool just slightly — about 15 minutes — before icing.
  13. Ice the rolls. In a microwave-safe medium bowl, microwave the cream cheese for 5 to 10 seconds, just until it’s softened. Whisk in the sifted powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until a thick icing forms. Spread the icing all over the cinnamon rolls while they’re still warm. Let cool for another 15 minutes or so before serving. Cinnamon rolls are best enjoyed warm!

Recipe adapted and reprinted with permission from “Small-Batch Breads” by Rebecca Eisenberg, copyright 2026. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.