Clone of a Cinnabon: Easy Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls

This bread machine cinnamon roll recipe is in partnership with Bed Bath & Beyond. All text, photos, and opinions are my own.

Cinnabon’s most popular item on the menu is the Classic Roll. When traveling, (I miss traveling!) I’ve totally been guilty of following that sweet, delicious scent right up to the register. Oh, those airport kiosks! So, the first thing I did when I bought a bread machine was to make a clone of a Cinnabon, and I want to share these easy bread machine cinnamon rolls with you. You guys, they are SO GOOD. In fact, working on sharing this cinnamon roll recipe with you makes me want to whip up another batch today.

Keep reading for an edited version of the recipe if you don’t have a bread machine AND a no yeast cinnamon roll recipe as well!

Bread Machine Cinnamon Roll Recipe

I’ve wanted a bread machine for a really long time, so I’m sure I’ll be posting more recipes in the future. I know a bread machine can be an investment, but in my opinion, it’s worth every penny. There are so many benefits to having your own bread machine.

Namely, making cinnamon roll dough easily! I’m only sort of kidding.

Keep reading for my bread machine benefits, tips, and the absolutely delicious clone of a Cinnabon recipe.

It’s so good.

Bread Machine Benefits

Bread machines are great. I used to have one YEARS ago (that I found at a garage sale) and I used it until it gave out on me. Ever since I’ve wanted a bread machine again… and it’s been a long time. I mean, I love bread, but I had forgotten how truly wonderful it was until I used one again.

While bread machine cinnamon rolls were the first delicious thing we made in , we’ve already made banana bread and more as well! If you’re on the edge about purchasing a bread machine of your own, below is my list of benefits you may want to consider.

Side note: you know I’m still LOVING that I grabbed at Bed Bath & Beyond last Christmas, and I recently added … gotta have a great latte to go with my cinnamon rolls!!

Is a Bread Machine Worth It?

Bread Machine vs. Store Bought

Flat out, it’s typically healthier to make your own bread. 

You are in control of your ingredients—namely the flour. Before it is placed on store shelves, flour can be treated with any number of the 60 various chemicals approved by the FDA. This includes chemical bleach.

Think about it. The manufacturer needs to make the bread last the process of making, shipping, and sitting on the shelves waiting for you to purchase it. Your bread may be chuck full of unhealthy ingredients such as dough conditioners, preservatives, artificial flavors and colors, GMOs, and added sugars.

The basic ingredients in bread are flour, water, yeast, and maybe a little salt. If there is a long list of ingredients on the back of your store-bought bread you should probably think again. 

Bread Machines Save Money

There are a few reasons you can save money with a bread machine, the first being energy costs. Bread machines, much like toaster ovens, are smaller versions of your oven. A bread machine has more efficient energy use and doesn’t fill your home with excess heat.

The second benefit is less waste. You are much more likely to have a successful loaf of bread with a bread machine. You don’t risk under or over proofing, using too much flour while kneading, or too little yeast. 

And last but not least, the third benefit is making your own bread is cheaper. If you want a healthy fresh loaf of bread from the bakery it will cost you. And the “healthy” organic loaves on the shelf are expensive too. Your bread machine will pay for itself in no time.

Bread Machines Are Easy

I mean it. It doesn’t take much to use your machine.

1. Read the recipe.
2. Place the ingredients in the machine according to the specific manufacturers’ instructions.
3. Push a couple of buttons and GO.

Like they say it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.

Bread Machines Are Cleaner

If you have ever made bread from scratch then you know how it can go for a novice baker. Flour can end up everywhere, you have to knead on the counter or a cutting board, and then there are any mixers, spatulas, or bowls you used that need to be washed. Now, for our clone of a cinnabon rolls, we used the bread machine to make the fluffy dough and then had to make a mess for the rest of it (but still so much easier than making dough by hand!).

For all of our other bread recipes though, I’ll take washing one bread machine insert over a mess in the kitchen any day.

Bread Machine Tips

Just in the short time of owning my bread machine I’ve come up with some helpful bread machine tips to share with you. Hey, learn from my mistakes and research so you can spend your time enjoying yummy recipes like these easy bread machine cinnamon rolls. 

Follow Instructions

First, I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to read the recipe and follow the manufacture’s instructions to add the ingredients in the right order. It can be the difference between enjoying a yummy clone of a Cinnabon and having a flour rock (I didn’t actually make a flour rock, but I know it can happen).

Measure Twice Pour Once

The same goes for measuring your ingredients. Don’t add too much flour. Being careless in your measurements can absolutely ruin your results.

Ingredients Matter

Be sure to use fresh ingredients. This especially applies to your yeast. Old yeast could mean that your bread doesn’t rise and that is such a disappointment and a waste.

Think Ahead

Timing out when your bread will be ready can make a big impact at mealtime. You can start your bread machine in the morning to have fresh bread for dinner, or I’ll set it to go right before bed and we can all enjoy fresh bread for breakfast.

When it comes to my clone of a Cinnabon Classic Roll I’ll run the dough in the bread machine and assemble the night before. I simply cover the unbaked rolls with plastic wrap and leave them in the fridge overnight. Everyone loves having a fresh, warm clone of a Cinnabon in the morning, and all we have to do is bake them and add the icing!

Nom, nom, nom.

Enhance Your Meals

Being able to easily make fresh bread can make you the hero at mealtime. You can elevate leftovers, or beef up a simple soup or salad to make the meal more filling. It often becomes the favorite part of the meal anyway, so make your life easier.

Easy Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls

I seriously love these easy bread machine cinnamon rolls. Yes, some assembly is required. They have yet to invent the home-kitchen cinnamon roll maker, but it couldn’t be any easier than this. 

Like I said above, you simply throw the ingredients in the bread machine and presto you have the dough for the clone of a Cinnabon. So, let’s get into this recipe.

Easy Cinnabon Frosting

Personally, I think a good clone of a Cinnabon comes down to the frosting. That warm sugary smell of the cream cheese frosting gets me every time. And when you’re trying to make a clone of a Cinnabon then it’s all about the frosting.

We use a to whip this up, maybe it’s just me, but for some simple things like this icing, I like to avoid the big stand mixer. We use a handheld 3 in 1 for all kinds of other things too, like pureeing baby food and more. 

Continue to Content

Clone of a Cinnabon: Easy Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls

Yield: 12

Easy bread machine cinnamon rolls dough. The best gooey sticky buns and clone of a Cinnabon roll icing! NO waiting overnight. Check out the recipe and how-to video for fluffy cinnamon rolls homemade with a bread maker machine! Use all purpose flour or make them gluten free.

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Ingredients

Dough

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm milk
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 egg, lightly beaten plus 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons yeast

Filling

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Icing

• 3 oz. cream cheese
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt

ALTERNATIVE: No Yeast Dough Option (to replace above dough recipe)

• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 5 cups flour

Instructions

1. Put the dough ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed and start the dough cycle.
2. After the dough cycle is finished, dust the counter with flour and roll the dough into a large rectangle (around 18 X 24 inches).
3. Spread 2 tablespoons melted butter over top followed by the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture.
4. Roll up and cut into 12 equal rolls and place in a rectangular pan or two greased round cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until browned. 
5. While cinnamon rolls are baking, mix the cream cheese icing by whipping together cream cheese, butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla, and salt.
6. Remove cinnamon rolls from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes before icing.

Notes

Note: You can also cover the unbaked rolls with plastic wrap, stick them in the refrigerator overnight, and then bake in the morning.

Recipe edit if not using a bread machine:

Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk and let stand for 5-10 minutes to “proof” (yeast will bubble and float to the top).

Mix in the rest of dough ingredients, saving flour for last and mix in flour a cup at a time with a spatula spoon, then mix by hand.

Knead the dough by hand for about 5 minutes until it forms a smooth, round ball. Place in a greased bowl, cover and let it sit in a warm place for 1-2 hours, until it’s almost doubled in size.

Continue with step two above to complete your cinnamon rolls.

Recipe edit for no yeast cinnamon roll dough:

Use the alternative no yeast dough ingredients for this dough recipe. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine brown sugar, baking soda, salt, vanilla extract, and eggs until well combined.

Add buttermilk and mix, and then add five cups of flour, one cup at a time.

Once the dough forms, replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook and use it to knead the dough for three minutes.

Continue with step two above to complete your no yeast cinnamon rolls (you may have to bake up to 30 minutes, begin to check rolls after the 20-minute mark).

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 419Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 315mgCarbohydrates: 71gFiber: 2gSugar: 37gProtein: 6g

Did you make this recipe?

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No Yeast? No Problem. No Yeast Cinnamon Roll Recipe.

Since it seems as though the country is having a yeast shortage, I thought I’d try making a no yeast cinnamon roll batch and see how it turned out so I could share it with you. While I don’t love it to the same obsessive extent that I love our bread machine cinnamon rolls, our no yeast cinnamon roll recipe holds it’s own pretty well!

See recipe notes for edits to make your own yeast-free cinnamon rolls.

How to Make Buttermilk for No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls

While looking around, just about every yeast-free cinnamon roll recipe calls for buttermilk since it’s a fermented form of milk. The sour in the buttermilk is what activates the baking soda and causes a reaction that allows some recipes to rise. Well, I don’t typically keep buttermilk on hand, and I’m assuming you might be the same.

Making your own buttermilk is such an easy kitchen hack to learn!

Actually, there are a FEW ways that you can substitute buttermilk in a baking recipe.

The easiest and most common solution for not having buttermilk on hand is using two ingredients to make homemade buttermilk from milk:

1. Milk
2. White vinegar (or lemon juice)

For every cup of buttermilk, you can use 1 cup of milk + 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice. Mix together and let stand for five minutes.

If you STILL don’t have the right ingredients to substitute buttermilk by making your own, you can try the other below substitutions (though they don’t always work AS well).

• 1 cup regular yogurt
• 1/4 cup milk + 3/4 cup yogurt
• 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup milk + 3/4 cup sour cream

Clone of a Cinnabon Recipe

If I’ve convinced you to get a bread machine I hope you enjoy it as much as we do ours. It has been a ton of fun. But by far our clone of a Cinnabon has become an entire family favorite. 

Easy bread machine cinnamon rolls can make you a hero with your children too. And even though they may be a little indulgent it sure does bring a moment of joy and comfort—we can always use more of that.

If you like these easy bread machine cinnamon rolls for breakfast then you may want to check out this delicious but healthy breakfast treat for your kids. Or if you’re looking for something sweeter I think you’ll love these Cranberry Bliss Blondies. They make a wonderful dessert, but also go great with coffee.

Yumm-o!

Do you have a bread machine cinnamon roll recipe that you love making?  Let me know in a comment below!

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