Shortcut Cinnamon Rolls From Frozen Dough
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Our shortcut recipe makes cinnamon rolls from frozen bread dough as a quick way to get a breakfast treat ready with just a little effort!
These taste like homemade rolls without all of the work of using yeast and making homemade bread dough.
A Much Easier Recipe For Cinnamon Rolls
A friend from church shared this recipe for cinnamon rolls that use a loaf of frozen bread dough and only 4 ingredients. It replicates the taste of rolls that I remember from growing up, but with far less effort.
We have a variety of cinnamon roll recipes from these super popular Canned Rolls with Heavy Cream and our Old-Fashioned Cinnamon Rolls that have mashed potatoes and take nearly a day to make.
We like that this recipe uses very basic ingredients that most people have on hand and don’t expire. Another benefit is that these cinnamon rolls cook evenly as opposed to a can where the outside can brown and the inside is still gooey.
There is always a pack of Rhodes frozen bread on hand to make a quick meal of Chicken Bacon Ranch Stromboli or our classic Stromboli.
Ingredients Needed
- Frozen Bread Dough – a one pound loaf of Rhodes or the store brand dough if avaialble work equally well for us.
- Butter – use the real deal, don’t substitute margarine
- Sugar – granulated white sugar is what we use
- Cinnamon
Icing
Use your favorite icing. Through testing we prefer a thinner layer made with rich dairy products.
- Butter
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla
- Heavy Cream
Preparing The Loaf of Dough
Defrost a roll of dough according to the directions on the package.
We coat a large baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray, lay the dough on top and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator for 24 hours ahead of using to fully defrost.
How To Make Cinnamon Rolls From Frozen Bread Dough
Ensure a large baking sheet has an even coat of non-stick spray.
Using clean fingers, press dough flat. Keep dough even and avoid creating any thin spots or holes.
In a small mixing bowl melt butter. Pour evenly over the dough and use a spoon to spread it out.
Mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle evenly over top of the melted butter.
Start at the long side of the pan and gently start rolling up the dough.
The goal is to create as long a roll as possible. I cut it in half and carefully move the two halves to a non-stick cutting board.
Through testing in our kitchen we have found that continuing to cut each piece in half until reaching an equal size of pieces.
16 rolls works well for us. Make a grid of 3 x 5 or 15 rolls in a greased 9 x 13″ baking dish and then squeeze the last one in one end.
Cover the small rolls with a clean dish towel and let rise in a warm, draft free place.
We use the warming drawer set to medium in the oven. Once the rolls have doubled in size and fill out the pan they are ready to bake.
Preheat the oven to 375℉ and bake rolls for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.
Mix Up The Icing
Melt butter and stir in powdered sugar and vanilla.
Add cream 1 tablespoon at a time and stir well until icing reaches desired consistency.
There are lots of great frosting recipes including this cream cheese frosting. Feel free to adjust the topping to be a type that you like best.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Avoid defrosting dough on the counter as it will rise unpredictably and get puffy quickly.
- Can easily adjust the consistency of the icing by adding more heavy cream to thin it out and make it easier to pour or add some powdered sugar.
- Icing should be the consistency that makes it easy to pour, but not too runny. Should stick to the rolls nicely.
- Can add 3/4 cup of coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts to the cinnamon sugar layer before rolling up if desired.
- Can make whatever thickness of rolls that you like by how thick you slice the dough – baking time will increase for bigger, thicker rolls.
Using Frozen Dinner Rolls
We tested the recipe using Texas dinner rolls and had difficulty making consistent sized strips to cover with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Can defrost and stretch into a strip that is 1 – 2” wide by 5 to 6” long. Dip in butter, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and roll up.
The dough continually made a rope which was challenging to manage.
More Delicious Breakfast Recipes
Cheerio Cereal Bars are packed with peanut butter and have 4 easy ingredients.
French Toast Cinnamon Bread is a favorite with kids and dipping in eggs gets more protein in their breakfast routine.
Sausage Hash Brown Casserole uses Bisquick mixes with eggs and potatoes for a satisfying brunch.
Cinnamon Rolls From Frozen Bread Dough
Author: JenniferIngredients
Cinnamon Rolls
- 1 pound loaf frozen bread dough
- 5 Tablespoons butter melted
- 5 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 – 4 Tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
Cinnamon Rolls
- Defrost loaf of bread dough over night on a greased baking sheet, tightly covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator.
- Spray baking sheet again and press dough flat.1 pound loaf frozen bread dough
- Spread melted butter out within a 1/2" of the edges.5 Tablespoons butter
- Mix cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over the top of the butter.5 Tablespoons granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- Start rolling along the longest side of the pan to create a roll-up that is as long and even as possible.
- Place roll on a non-stick cutting board and cut each piece in half repeatedly until you have 16 pieces of equal width.
- Place them with the cut side showing in a greased 9 x 13" glass baking dish.
- Cover with a dish towel and set in a warm place for 30 minutes to an hour until the rolls have doubled in size. I use the warming drawer in my oven set to medium.
- Once doubled bake in an oven preheated to 375℉ until golden brown and the centers of the rolls are baked through.
Icing
- Melt butter and stir in powdered sugar and vanilla.2 cups powdered sugar, 2 Tablespoons butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add cream 1 tablespoon at a time until the rolls have reached the desired consistency.3 – 4 Tablespoons heavy cream