Soft and buttery inside, crunchy and gooey outside, they are our special Christmas Cinnamon Buns morning treat. Make the dough in the bread machine. Prepare them the night before and bake them at dawn.

Jump to:
- Easy to make cinnamon buns with a bread machine
- Why are these cinnamon buns so special
- The size of the tin
- Ingredients for the buns
- Make the dough for the cinnamon buns
- Prepare the ingredients for the filling
- Prepare the caramel
- Assemble the cinnamon buns
- Bake and turn
- Tips
- Recipes you might also like
- 📋Homemade Cinnamon Buns
Easy to make cinnamon buns with a bread machine
These are very easy to make as I make the dough in a bread machine. To have them fresh in the morning, I prepare the buns the night before to let them rise overnight.
Bake them at dawn, and the lovely fragrances of cinnamon and caramel will spread throughout the house, welcoming in the new day.
If you don't have a bread machine, you can still make the dough following the instructions in this article: Brioche & Bread Rolls’ Dough without a Bread Machine
Why are these cinnamon buns so special
I know many of my friends and their children have been waiting for this recipe. When Liam was in Lower School, all his school friends were looking forward to his birthday.
In the morning he would arrive in class with freshly baked Cinnamon Buns. Even older brothers and sisters would remember to stop and wish him a happy birthday! Not just his class, the entire school was cheerful!
I always made sure one was put aside for Mrs Tindle, the Lower School Headmistress, otherwise, there would be none left!
Do you want to know why these cinnamon buns are so special?
They are cooked over a base of brown sugar butter caramel sprinkled with grated walnuts. As soon as they are out of the oven, I turn them upside down on the serving dish.
The brown sugar butter caramel, which is still melting hot, percolates inside the buns making them gooey and crunchy at the same time.
The size of the tin
The size of the tin will depend on if you want to have fewer but larger cinnamon buns or many but smaller ones. Here I use a tin 10 in - 25 cm in diameter and I get 12 large cinnamon rolls.
Sometimes I use a 13 in - 33 cm diameter tin and I can make 24 smaller buns. If you use a large tin you will have to make a longer thinner roll with the dough so that you can cut more buns.
Ingredients for the buns
For the dough
Wet ingredients
- ½ cup - 100 ml fresh water
- ½ cup - 100 ml milk
- 2 fresh eggs
- ¼ cup - 55 g of melted butter
Dry ingredients
- ¼ cup - 55 g of caster sugar
- 4 cups - 500 g of flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 package of yeast
For the cinnamon mix filling:
- 1 cup - 100 g chopped pecans
- ½ cup - 110 g brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the caramel:
- ½ cup - 110 g brown sugar
- ¾ cup - 170 g butter
- 2 tablespoon chopped pecans
For brushing
- ¼ cup - 55 g melted butter
Make the dough for the cinnamon buns
- Melt the butter in the microwave, wait for it to cool down
- Mix all the wet ingredients
- Mix all the dry ingredients
- Load the ingredients into the machine, wet first. dry second
- Set the program for fresh dough (number 10 in the Kenwood). The dough will be ready in 1.5 hours.
- IMPORTANT: the ingredients should be placed in the bread machine in the exact order as listed above, liquids first.
- While the dough is mixing in the bread machine prepare the ingredients for the filling
Prepare the ingredients for the filling
- Melt the 55 gr of butter for brushing
- Grate/grind the walnuts
- Make the cinnamon mix with walnuts, cinnamon and brown sugar
Prepare the caramel
- Prepare the caramel by melting the brown sugar with the butter.
- When the sugar and butter form a foamy caramel take it off the stove, pour it in the baking tin and sprinkle with the chopped pecans.
Assemble the cinnamon buns
- Roll the dough over a well-floured parchment paper and brush it with 55 grams of melted butter.
- Cover it with the cinnamon mix made with walnuts, brown sugar and cinnamon
- Roll it and butter the outside with a pastry brush.
- Cut the dough into slices and put them around the baking tin. Space them out as they need room to rise.
- The size of the tin will depend if you want to have fewer but larger cinnamons buns or more smaller ones.
- Let it rest for an hour, or overnight
Bake and turn
- The buns will double in size
- Bake in 355 F - 180 C oven for 30 minutes.
- As soon as they are ready, take them out of the oven and turn them upside down onto the serving dish.
- This will allow the caramel and the butter to penetrate inside the buns making them nicely soft and gooey.
Tips
Tips for making the dough:
- Melt the butter before you add it to the other wet ingredients. Ensure it is not hot otherwise it will cook the eggs. I usually add cold water and milk to cool it down
- The ingredients should be placed in the bread machine in the exact order as listed above, liquids first.
- If you don't have a bread machine, you can still make the dough following the instructions in the article: Brioche & Bread Rolls’ Dough without a Bread Machine
Tips for making the caramel:
- This caramel is easy to make as the butter prevents the sugar from recrystallizing if moved. It is a more stable caramel compare to the classic sugar and water
- You can make it directly in the tin you use to bake the buns in or in a separate pan and pour it in the baking tin after. Either way is ok
Tips for shaping the buns
- I roll the dough over parchment paper as it is easier to roll and easier to clean after. All the filling that falls out of the buns will be retained on the parchment paper.
- The size of the tin will depend if you want to have fewer but larger cinnamon buns or many smaller ones.
- If you use a large tin you have to make a longer and thinner roll with the dough.
Tips for baking the buns
- You can make the buns the night before and bake them in the morning, although I wouldn't leave the buns proving for longer than 10 hours
- Make sure you turn the buns upsidedown onto a serving dish as soon as they are out of the oven. Otherwise, the caramel will solidify and will get stuck in the bottom of the tin
Recipes you might also like
For more winter desserts recipes, check out the category: Desserts
Also, check the recipes below for Christmas:
- Torta Caprese with Almond and Chocolate - Gluten Free
- Walnut Dark Chocolate Sponge Cake with Raspberry
- Traditional Struffoli Recipe With Cognac
- Roasted Chestnuts Recipe
- Torrone Italian Nougat Recipe
- Homemade Cinnamon Buns
- Mini Meringues Recipe
- Scandinavian Almond Cake With Custard Cream
- Ile Flottante Recipe
- Traditional Oreillettes Chiacchiere Recipe
- Pavlova Recipe with Chestnut Mousse
If you are making these Homemade cinnamon buns, leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.
📋Homemade Cinnamon Buns
Ingredients
For the dough
- ½ cup fresh water
- ½ cup milk
- 2 fresh eggs
- ¼ cup melted butter
- ¼ cup caster sugar
- 4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 package yeast 2 tsp
Cinnamon Mix:
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the caramel:
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup butter
- 2 tablespoon chopped pecans
For brushing
- ¼ cup melted butter
Equipment
Instructions
Make the dough:
- Load the ingredients into the machine, liquid first. Set the program for fresh dough (number 10 in the Kenwood). The dough will be ready in 1.5 hours.½ cup fresh water, ½ cup milk, 2 fresh eggs, ¼ cup melted butter, ¼ cup caster sugar, 4 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 package yeast
- While the dough is getting ready in the bread machine prepare the ingredients for the filling
Prepare the ingredients for the filling
- Melt the 55 gr of butter for brushing¼ cup melted butter
- Grate the walnuts1 cup chopped pecans
- Make the cinnamon mix with walnuts, cinnamon and brown sugar1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ cup brown sugar
Prepare the caramel:
- Prepare the caramel by melting the brown sugar and the butter.½ cup brown sugar, ¾ cup butter
- When the sugar and the butter form a foamy caramel take it out of the stove, pour it on the baking tin and sprinkle with the chopped pecans.2 tablespoon chopped pecans
Assemble the buns
- Roll the dough over a well-floured parchment paper and brush it with 55 grams of melted butter.
- Cover it with the cinnamon mix made with walnuts, brown sugar and cinnamon
- Roll it and butter the outside with a pastry brush.
- Cut the dough into slices and put them around the baking tin. Space them out as they need room to raise.
- Let it rest for 1 hour, or overnight
Bake and turn
- Bake in 355 F - 180 C oven for 30 minutes.
- As soon as they are ready take them out of the oven and turn them upside down on the serving dish.
- This will allow the caramel and the butter to penetrate inside the buns making them nicely soft and gooey.
- Best to serve them warm, but they are good also at room temperature
Marvellina | What To Cook Today
That just looks mighty good. I wish I could have that for breakfast now
Laura
Ah, too bad. I have one left and I am having it right now !
Andrea @ The Petite Cook
I can't believe I never made cinnamon buns, they look so easy to make! And that brown sugar and walnut base sounds delish!
Laura
Thank you. They are very easy, you should try
Jenn
There is nothing better than a soft gooey cinnamon roll! These would be perfect for Christmas morning!
Laura
They are, we love them at Christmas
Saima Zaidi
Love these cinnamon buns! Love the description! I can amost smell the aromas wafting around while these are baking!
Laura
Thanks, it is sublime
Monica | Nourish & Fete
Agreed that these are one of the absolute best special occasion breakfasts there are! I make a similar type of overnight roll but with a caramel pecan drizzle - a must-have for the holidays in my house!
Laura
Yum, sounds good
Elaine @ Dishes Delish
Yummy, yummy Laura!! These buns look so delicious!! I think I'm going to make this for Christopher on Christmas morning since he loves buns and it is his birthday that day.
Laura
Yes, great idea! Surprise him !
Elaine Benoit
These look so delicious, Laura! I love cinnamon buns and so does Christopher. I'll be making these soon!
Laura
He will love them