The recipe that we are making today is Babish cinnamon rolls. Andrew Rea, also known to his millions of followers as Babish, is a culinary genius and a Youtube personality who likes to recreate food from famous pop culture references. The Babish cinnamon rolls are inspired by the rant of Jim Gaffigan in 2006. I don’t care who inspired this recipe, and it is delicious and amazing.

The recipe is easy to make but is a bit time-consuming. It is because of the rising and proofing time of the dough. Otherwise, these delicious sweet rolls get ready in a matter of 20 minutes. What makes these cinnamon rolls even better is the butter, cream, and cream cheese frosting. The runny frosting makes these rolls even better because nobody in history has liked dry cinnamon rolls.
The most work in this recipe, after you, is done by the stand mixer. It makes the dough and the frosting for you. So, you are left with the work of kneading and waiting. The latter being the hardest (I am not a patient person). So, let’s see the recipe for the Babish cinnamon rolls quickly.
What Equipment Will You Need To Make Babish Cinnamon Rolls?
- Stand Mixer – The stand mixer will be your side through thick and thin, literally. You make the thick dough and the thin frosting in the mixer.
- Large Bowl and Medium Bowl – The large bowl is the resting place for the dough. The medium bowl where you make the cinnamon sugar for the cinnamon rolls.
- Baking Dish lined with Parchment Paper – The baking tray is the tray where you proof and then bake your cinnamon rolls.
- Oven – The oven helps you in the baking of the cinnamon rolls.
- Plastic Wrap – Shroud the dough with plastic wrap while it rests.
- Knife, Whisk, and Rolling Pin – Use the knife to trim the edges of the dough, the whisk to make the cinnamon sugar, and the rolling pin to roll out the dough.
How Much Time Will You Need To Make Babish Cinnamon Rolls?
Preparation Time | Cooking Time | Resting Time | Total Time |
---|---|---|---|
10 Minutes | 20 Minutes | 3 Hours 30 Minutes | 4 Hours |
What Ingredients Will You Need To Make Babish Cinnamon Rolls?
For The Cinnamon Rolls:
- Bread Flour – The bread flour makes the dough a soft and supple one.
- Instant Yeast – For leavening, we use instant yeast in this recipe.
- Granulated Sugar – Make the dough sweet by adding granulated sugar to it.
- Salt – Learn to take the dough with a pinch of salt.
- Lemon Zest – Add some lemon zest to add a little freshness to the dough.
- Butter and Egg – We need a rich and moist dough and the butter and the egg will help achieve that.
- Buttermilk – The buttermilk is a better addition to the dough than milk. It adds a sour and sweet touch to the dough.
- Cinnamon Sugar – Cinnamon sugar is a mixture of cinnamon, white sugar, and brown sugar. You can’t make cinnamon rolls without cinnamon sugar.
For The Frosting:
- Powdered Sugar – Sift the powdered sugar into the mixer. It mixes better.
- Cream Cheese and Butter – These make the frosting rich and creamy.
- Heavy Cream – We don’t have thick frosting. Use heavy cream to thin the frosting a bit.

Steps To Make Babish Cinnamon Rolls
1. The Dough Takes A Stand
Let’s make the soft dough for our cinnamon rolls. In a stand mixer, add the granulated sugar, salt, and butter and mix them for a minute until they become fluffy. Then, add the egg and the lemon zest to the bowl and mix for another couple of minutes.
Now, it’s time to add the flour, instant yeast, and buttermilk to the mixer. Mix for some time and then attach the dough hook to the mixer. Mix until a soft dough is formed. It’ll take about 8 minutes for that to happen. Take a chair, perhaps. Let the stand mixer be the only thing standing.
2. Rise and Punch
Take the dough out of the mixer bowl and knead with your hands. Place it in the oil-greased bowl and cover it with a plastic rise. Let the dough rise for 2 hours.
After that, take it out and place it on an oiled surface. Knead the dough and punch out the air from it. Roll the dough into a rectangle with dimensions of 14 x 18 inches.
3. Cinnamon Sugar and Dough Proofing
In a medium bowl, mix brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon. Sprinkle this cinnamon sugar all over the dough. Trim the edges into neat, straight lines and roll the dough.
Cut this roll 1-inch apart to make about 12 rolls. Place these rolls on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, cover them with a cloth and let them proof for an hour and a half.
3. Pop It While It’s Hot, Frost It When It’s Cool
Then, pop this baking tray in the oven that has been preheated to 375℉. Bake the cinnamon rolls for about 20 minutes until they turn beautifully brown. While the rolls are baking, take a mixer and add powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter, and heavy cream. Mix them until they are fully combined but make sure it is of runny consistency and not too thick.
When the rolls are baked, take them out of the oven and allow them to cool for a bit. Then, pour the frosting generously over them. Your Babish cinnamon rolls are ready to serve. Maybe it is time for you to start a Youtube channel.
Nutritional Information
Calories | 230 kcal |
Fat | 6 g |
Saturated Fat | 1 g |
Trans Fat | 0 g |
Cholesterol | 0 mg |
Sodium | 380 mg |
Carbohydrates | 39 g |
Sugar | 10 g |
Fiber | 1 g |
Protein | 4 g |
How Will The Babish Cinnamon Rolls Look And Taste Like?
The brown cinnamon rolls are covered with a delicious white frosting. The cinnamon rolls taste and smell great. The aroma is of sweet cinnamon. The frosting makes them moist and rich. The rolls are soft and sweet, too, but the cream cheese and butter frosting make them perfect. Guess we’ll all be binging with Babish with these cinnamon rolls.
Recipe Card
Babish Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (with Paddle Hook and Dough Hook)
- Large Bowl and Medium Bowl
- Baking Dish lined with Parchment Paper
- Oven
- Plastic Wrap
- Knife
- Whisk
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
For The Cinnamon Rolls
- 16 ounces Bread Flour
- 1 packet Instant Yeast
- 3 ¼ ounces Granulated Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- 1 Egg
- 3 ounces Butter (softened)
- 8 ounces Buttermilk
- ½ cup White Sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons Cinnamon
- ¼ cup Brown Sugar
For The Frosting
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar (sifted)
- 8 ounces Cream Cheese (at room temperature)
- 4 ounces Butter (at room temperature)
- Heavy Cream (to thin the frosting)
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, add the granulated sugar, salt, and butter and mix them for a minute until they become fluffy. Then, add the egg and the lemon zest to the bowl and mix for another couple of minutes.
- Now, it’s time to add the flour, instant yeast, and buttermilk to the mixer. Mix for some time and then attach the dough hook to the mixer. Mix until a soft dough is formed.
- Take the dough out of the bowl and knead with your hands. Place it in the bowl and cover it with a plastic rise. Let the dough rise for 2 hours.
- After that, take it out and place it on an oil surface and knead the dough so as to punch out the air from it. Roll the dough into a rectangle with dimensions of 14 x 18 inches.
- In a medium bowl, mix brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon and sprinkle it all over the dough. Trim the edges into neat, straight lines and roll the dough.
- Cut this roll 1-inch apart to make about 12 rolls. Place these rolls on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, cover them with a cloth and let them proof for an hour and a half.
- Then, pop this baking tray in the oven that has been preheated to 375℉. Bake the cinnamon rolls for about 20 minutes until they are brown in color.
- While the rolls are baking, take a mixer and add powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter, and heavy cream. Mix them until they are fully combined but make sure it is of runny consistency and not too thick.
- When the rolls are baked, take them out of the oven and allow them to cool for a bit. Then, pour the frosting generously over them. Your Babish cinnamon rolls are ready to serve.
Video
Nutrition
This is the recipe for Babish cinnamon rolls. Make these delicious rolls at home and tell me in the comments how well you liked it. See you with another easy yet great recipe. Take care!