Warm from the oven and smothered in rich frosting, homemade cinnamon rolls may be the best reason to get out of bed on the weekend. Try making this Panera Cinnamon Roll recipe the next time you want to indulge yourself.
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What makes Panera Cinnamon Rolls so good?
There are a lot of vanilla cinnamon roll recipes out there, but most are pretty much the same. Not these Panera Cinnamon Rolls! The difference here is the icing that includes orange extract, taking these rolls in a whole new delicious direction.
These rolls are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or just as an afternoon snack.
Why you’ll love this Panera Bread Cinnamon Roll recipe
This recipe is straightforward enough to make on Sunday morning for a late casual breakfast. The rolls with a fluffy texture, buttery cinnamon sugar filling, and sweet icing make this the best cinnamon roll recipe.
And since it doesn’t use cream cheese frosting, they store and reheat wonderfully, so you can make them in advance and catch up on your sleep!
Panera Cinnamon Rolls ingredients
For the dough, you’ll need:
- Whole milk
- White granulated sugar
- Yeast
- Eggs, room temperature
- Unsalted butter, melted
- Flour
- Salt
You can use instant or dry active yeast.
Bread flour is preferred because you’ll end up with slightly softer rolls, but all-purpose flour will also work.
For the filling, you’ll need:
- Dark brown sugar
- Unsalted butter, softened
- Ground cinnamon
Saigon cinnamon is a popular choice for its intensity and slightly sweet flavors. Use Korintje cinnamon if you want something a little milder taste.
For the icing, you’ll need:
- Powdered sugar
- Salt
- Unsalted butter, melted
- Vanilla extract
- Orange extract
- Whole milk, half & half, or heavy cream
How to make Panera Cinnamon Rolls
To prepare the dough:
- In a small pan, warm the milk over low heat until it reaches about 105°F or just over body temperature. It is worth using an instant-read thermometer because you don’t want the milk to be too hot.
- Whisk about a teaspoon of sugar into the warm milk and sprinkle the yeast over the surface. Wait until the milk starts to foam. If there is no reaction after ten minutes, the yeast is probably expired, and you should restart the recipe with fresh yeast.
- Pour the warm milk with activated yeast into the bowl of a stand mixer and add the remaining cinnamon roll dough ingredients. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can get by using a large mixing bowl and a wooden spoon.
- With a dough hook attachment, mix the dough for 5 to 7 minutes to bring everything together. The dough will still be sticky, but you shouldn’t see any patches of dry ingredients.
- Use a dough scraper to help transfer the dough into a large, greased mixing bowl.
- Lightly grease the top of the dough and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
- Place the bowl in a warm place in your kitchen and allow the dough to double in size. It will take an hour or more.
- will take an hour or more.
To prepare the cinnamon rolls:
- Use the beater attachment of a stand mixer at medium speed to incorporate the dark brown sugar, softened unsalted butter, and ground cinnamon. Place aside.
- Once the dough doubles in size, remove the cover and punch it down. Let the dough rest for five minutes.
- Lightly flour your work surface and use a bowl scraper to transfer the deflated and rested dough onto it.
- Roll the dough into a 15 X 30-inch rectangle. If the dough contracts when you roll it out, let it rest for a few more minutes and try again.
- Spread the cinnamon brown sugar mixture evenly over the dough.
- Roll the dough up from the bottom. Seal the seam by pinching it together.
- Cut the dough into 12 even pieces with a serrated knife.
- Lightly grease a baking tray or line it with parchment paper. Place the cinnamon rolls on it, leaving space between each. Cover the tray with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise for half an hour.
To bake and finish the cinnamon rolls:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Put the baking tray of rolls in the oven and cook until golden brown, about 25 minutes.
- Take the cinnamon rolls out of the oven and let them cool slightly for 10 minutes on the baking tray.
- While the cinnamon rolls are cooling, make the icing by whisking together the powdered sugar, salt, melted unsalted butter, vanilla extract, and orange extract. Add just enough whole milk to the mixture to make the icing spreadable.
Alternate frosting – For a richer topping, make cream cheese icing instead.
- Top the cinnamon rolls with the icing.
- Serve and enjoy!
What to serve Cinnamon Rolls with
What’s better than eating a fresh Panera Cinnamon Roll? Enjoying the best cinnamon rolls with one of these ideal sides:
- A hot beverage. Coffee, preferably a dark roast, or perhaps a cup of strong black tea, is the perfect side. The bitterness of the beverages works well with the sweetness of the cinnamon roll.
- Fresh fruit. Slightly sour fruit like strawberries or raspberries can help balance a cinnamon roll’s heaviness.
- Granola. Sprinkle some granola over the top of a cinnamon roll to add a satisfying crunch.
Cinnamon rolls are great for special breakfasts and desserts too.
How to store copycat Panera Cinnamon Rolls
This Panera Cinnamon Roll recipe makes a lot of rolls, but you don’t have to eat them all at once. They will keep in an airtight container on the counter for up to five days. Or freeze them for up to a month. Take them out of the freezer and defrost the rolls overnight in the refrigerator to reheat the next day.
What is the best way to warm up a cinnamon roll?
If you are in a rush, you can wrap a cinnamon roll loosely with a damp paper towel and nuke it for 20 seconds, but for warm and crispy rolls, use the oven:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place the cinnamon rolls on a baking tray and sprinkle a tablespoon of water over each cinnamon roll to prevent them from drying out.
- Cover the baking tray with aluminum foil and heat for 10 to 15 minutes.
More Panera copycat recipes
- Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt
- Panera Autumn Squash Soup
- Panera Apple Raisin Muffins
- Panera Fuji Apple Salad Dressing
- Panera Mediterranean Bowl
- Panera Turkey Chili
Recipes for cinnamon lovers
- Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls
- Cinnamon Coffee
- Cracker Barrel Cinnamon Roll Pie
- Domino’s Cinnastix
- IHOP Cinnastack
- Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
- Pizza Hut Cinnamon Sticks
Check out more of my easy bread recipes and the best copycat Panera Bread recipes right here on CopyKat!
Panera Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 1 cup milk lukewarm (110°F)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast or 1 packet (1/4 ounce) Red Star Platinum Yeast
- 1 teaspoon + 1/2 cup sugar divided use
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 8 tablespoons butter melted
- 4 1/2 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Cinnamon Roll Filling
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 8 tablespoons butter softened
- 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon (Saigon cinnamon is preferred)
Cinnamon Roll Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/16 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
- 2 to 3 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
Instructions
- To make the cinnamon roll dough: Heat the milk, ensuring that it does not exceed 110°F. Add the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar to the milk and wait a few minutes for the mixture to become foamy. This indicates that the yeast is active.
- Place the milk in the bowl of a stand mixer with the eggs, butter, flour, salt, and the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar. Mix to combine. Use the dough hook attachment to knead the dough for about 5 to 7 minutes. The dough should be very sticky.
- Grease a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl. Spray some nonstick cooking spray on top of the dough and cover the bowl with a towel. Set the bowl in a warm place and allow the dough to rise until doubled in size. Depending on the temperature of your house, this could take between 60 and 90 minutes. When doubled, punch down the dough and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- To make the cinnamon roll filling: Combine the brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Mix with an electric mixer until this becomes a paste. Set aside.
- On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a 15×20-inch rectangle. Spread the cinnamon roll filling evenly over the dough. Starting from the long edge, roll up the dough and pinch the edge to seal. Cut the dough into 12 segments.
- Spray a 13×9-inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Place the dough slices in the pan, cover with a towel, and allow the cinnamon rolls to rise for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake the cinnamon rolls for 25 minutes, or until the rolls are lightly golden brown and the center rolls are cooked through. Your time may vary, depending on how thick the rolls are. Remove the cinnamon rolls from the oven and let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.
- To make the cinnamon roll icing: Combine the powdered sugar, salt, butter, vanilla, and orange extract in a small bowl and mix well. Add just enough milk or cream to make the frosting spreadable, about 2 to 3 tablespoons. Spread the icing onto the cinnamon rolls.
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