Breakfast
March 8, 2024

Cinnamon Roll for One

  • Prep time: 30 min
  • Cook time: 25 min
  • Total time: 1 hr 30 min

This perfectly portioned, pillowy-soft cinnamon roll for one recipe makes one single cinnamon roll just for you! Complete with a gooey, cinnamon-sugar center and luscious cream cheese frosting, this single serve cinnamon roll is the ultimate treat yo-self dessert.

Breakfast
March 8, 2024
Cinnamon Roll for One
  • Prep time: 30 min
  • Cook time: 25 min
  • Total time: 1 hr 30 min

This perfectly portioned, pillowy-soft cinnamon roll for one recipe makes one single cinnamon roll just for you! Complete with a gooey, cinnamon-sugar center and luscious cream cheese frosting, this single serve cinnamon roll is the ultimate treat yo-self dessert.

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Cinnamon Roll for One

This perfectly portioned, pillowy-soft cinnamon roll for one recipe makes one single cinnamon roll just for you! Complete with a gooey, cinnamon-sugar center and luscious cream cheese frosting, this single serve cinnamon roll is the ultimate treat yo-self dessert.

cinnamon roll for one with cream cheese glaze

Cinnamon Roll for One

Sometimes you want a cinnamon roll, but you don’t need a whole pan of cinnamon rolls. Because this amount of dough is so small it’s much easier to work with and requires less of an arm workout to get all that kneading in. And yet…this single cinnamon roll is just as soft, fluffy and decadent as the full size version!

single cinnamon roll with a bite taken out

Ingredients for this single serve cinnamon roll

You’ll need all the same ingredients that you’d use in a full batch of homemade cinnamon rolls just in smaller quantities! Don’t be scared by the list of ingredients–they’re mainly pantry staples that you probably already have lying around, and because it’s so small you can use the dregs of your flour bag and that last tablespoon of butter hidden in the back of your fridge!

  • All Purpose Flour: All purpose flour is perfect for creating a pillowy soft, tender, slightly bready dough. You can also use bread flour for this single cinnamon roll, just keep in mind it will be a little breadier!
  • Granulated Sugar: You’ll need a little granulated sugar to active the yeast and also to sweeten your dough slightly!
  • Instant Yeast: We usually use Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise for these homemade cinnamon rolls, but any rapid instant yeast will work here! You can also use regular active yeast and double the rise times!
  • Butter: You’ll need butter for both the cinnamon roll dough and the cream cheese glaze!  If all you have on hand is salted butter that will work totally fine too! In the dough you’ll use melted butter and in the cinnamon sugar filling you’ll need room temperature butter, so be sure to leave some butter out on the counter to get it nice and soft!
  • Milk: Any kind of milk will work in this recipe, but for a super soft, buttery dough we recommend using whole milk!
  • Cinnamon: UH DUH. You’ll need cinnamon for the cinnamon sugar filling! Sometimes when I’m feeling spicy, I put 1 teaspoon in the dough too!
  • Brown Sugar: Brown sugar is the perfect, caramel-y, soft sugar to use for your cinnamon sugar filling. You can feel free to use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, but you we do not recommend subbing it out for granulated sugar–it won’t melt in the same way!
  • Pure Vanilla Extract: The amount of vanilla extract in this recipe may be small, but she is mighty! A few teaspoons will take your rolls from good to great!
  • Cream Cheese: In my opinion it’s not a cinnamon roll if its not absolutely smothered in cream cheese frosting. It’s imperative that you use room temperature cream cheese to get that nice creamy, smooth consistency.
  • Powdered Sugar: You’ll need powdered sugar to sweeten and thicken your cream cheese frosting.
cinnamon roll for one

Can you make this cinnamon roll for one ahead of time?

You sure can! Just like our full size cinnamon roll recipe you can make this ahead of time and refrigerate overnight. Simply follow the recipe through step 6 as directed, but after rolling out your dough and shaping it into a cinnamon roll and placing in your prepared baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge instead of letting the roll do it’s second rise. In the morning, take the cinnamon roll out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for twenty minutes before baking as directed!

cinnamon roll for one with cream cheese frosting

Tips for baking with yeast for beginners

Now I know that cinnamon rolls can feel a little intimidating. Homemade dough, multiple rises, proofing…I get it. But believe me when I tell you that it is so so SO worth it for a gooey homemade cinnamon roll hot from the oven. Plus, once you get the hang of baking with yeast, it’s not so hard! Plus you’ll get the dreamiest, soft, slightly bready dough that tastes worthy of a bakery in no time. Who knew homemade could be so easy?

  • Make sure your yeast is fresh: There is NOTHING worse than going through all the kneading and steps of cinnamon roll baking and then coming back to your dough after its first rise and finding it flat. It’s happened to me before and it’s truly soul crushing. You don’t have to activate instant yeast, but
  • Let the dough have its full rise time: Yeasted dough requires some extra time and planning but it’s so worth it for homemade cinnamon rolls. Make sure you give the dough the full rise time for the ultimate soft and fluffy dough. If you try to rush the process you can end up with sad, dense rolls.
single serve cinnamon roll with a bite taken out to show the fluffy texture

Happy baking, and more importantly, happy eating 🙂

XXX

Print
  • Author: Sofi | Broma Bakery
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
  • Yield: 1 cinnamon roll
  • Category: breakfast
  • Method: oven
  • Cuisine: american

Cinnamon Roll for One

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 5 reviews

This perfectly portioned, pillowy-soft cinnamon roll for one recipe makes one single cinnamon roll just for you! Complete with a gooey, cinnamon-sugar center and luscious cream cheese frosting, this single serve cinnamon roll is the ultimate treat yo-self dessert.

  • Author: Sofi | Broma Bakery
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
  • Yield: 1 cinnamon roll
  • Category: breakfast
  • Method: oven
  • Cuisine: american
Units:

Ingredients

for the cinnamon roll dough

  • 1/4 cup milk (any dairy or nondairy milk will work!)
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Rapid Rise Instant Yeast
  • 2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

for the cinnamon sugar filling

  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

for the cream cheese icing

  • 1 tablespoon cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon milk
  • pinch of salt
  • splash of vanilla extract

Instructions

    1. In a medium microwave safe bowl, microwave the milk and butter for 30 seconds until warm and the butter is mostly melted. The mixture should be warm, but not hot. If it is too hot, make sure to let it cool before adding to the yeast to prevent killing the yeast!
    2. Add the sugar and yeast to the warm milk and stir to combine.
    3. Add 2/3 cup of the flour and the salt. Use a fork to stir to combine until it forms a soft dough. If the dough feels too wet to touch at this point, you can one more tablespoon of flour at a time until it comes together more!
    4. Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and you can stretch a piece of dough out between your fingers without it breaking. This means the gluten has developed and your dough will be pillowy soft!
    5. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and cover with a dish towel or plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
    6. Once the dough has risen, make the cinnamon sugar filling. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
    7. Turn the risen dough out onto a clean surface. Roll the dough out into a long skinny rectangle, about 1 inch x 15 inches. You can pick the dough up and stretch it if rolling it is making it too wide!
    8. Spread the softened butter for the filling all the way to the edge of the dough. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the butter, pressing it down to stick to the butter.
    9. Roll the dough into a tight roll to make one big cinnamon roll! Place in a generously grease 6 ounce ramekin or on a cookie sheet line with parchment paper. Cover loosely with a dish cloth or plastic wrap and allow to rise for another 30 minutes or until double in size and puffed up.
    10. Bake the cinnamon roll at 350°F for 25 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy. Allow to cool.
    11. While the roll cools slightly, make the cream cheese frosting. Combine the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, milk, salt and vanilla extract in a small bowl and use a fork to stir to combine until smooth. If the frosting looks lumpy, place in the microwave for 15 seconds to warm up the cream cheese
    12. Spread the icing over the roll. Enjoy warm!

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  1. Oh WOW. This was a 10/10! So good. We made them today for Christmas in July 🙂 best cinnamon roll I’ve ever had






  2. I’m thinking me and this cinnamon bun are meant to be since you posted it on my birthday… match made it heaven! 10/10!!!

  3. This is the best! I’d been looking for a recipe just like this and we loved this! I did this as a little baking project with my little boys and it’s perfect for that because they get to make something all on their own and end up with something delicious! Can’t wait to try all your other single-serve recipes!!!






    • WOOHOO! So so happy to hear that you and your kiddos enjoyed this. It warms my heart! Enjoy the single serve series!