Giant Cinnamon Roll

Hello 👋🏻 Happy weekend to you all! And happy last day of June. Slow down, summer!

I hope you all have some fun plans in store for the 4th of July 🇺🇸 Since the holiday falls in the middle of the week, I feel like we should celebrate this weekend, Wednesday, and next weekend. Or maybe all week? All month? 🤷🏻‍♀️

To help you celebrate, I have this fabulous recipe for a Giant Cinnamon Roll! A cinnamon roll that’s bigger than my head. Seems pretty American to me 😉 It is delicious and a great thing to make if you have company around. Dig in!

***I recommend using an extra-large cast iron skillet for this. But if you don’t have one, you can try it in a large cake pan or large jelly roll pan.

Giant Cinnamon Roll

Recipe Type: Breakfast

Author: Melissa @ Spoonful of Sugar

Prep time: 2 hours 15 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 2 hours 45 mins

Serves: 12-16 slices

A show stopping breakfast. One big, delicious cinnamon topped with cream cheese frosting. Truly tasty.

Ingredients

Dough
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 packages yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)
1 package vanilla pudding
2 cups milk (for the pudding)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 cups AP flour
Filling
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting (Double this if you are serious about cream cheese frosting)
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Dough

Combine the warm water and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and allow to activate for about 10 minutes (you’ll know the yeast is activating when it starts foaming up).
Mix the pudding according to the package directions. Allow to set up for a few minutes.
Add the butter, eggs, salt, and cinnamon to the pudding. Mix until combined.
Now add the pudding mixture to the activated yeast. Stir to combine.
Using the dough hook, turn your mixer on to medium-low speed. Add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Increase speed to medium and allow the dough hook to knead the dough for about 6 minutes. This is a sticky dough.
Grease an oversized bowl and place the dough in it. Cover with a towel and place in a warm area to proof for 1 hour.
When the dough has doubled in size, place on a well-floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a large rectangle, about 1/2” thick.

Filling

Mix the filling ingredients together until smooth and combined.
Spread the filling all over the top of your rolled out dough.
Cut the dough into four long, equal strips.
Take one strip and roll it as tightly as possible (see pictures below for better reference).
Place the rolled strip and place on top of another strip. Roll. Repeat with remaining strips until you have one gigantic cinnamon roll.
Place the cinnamon roll in a greased cast iron pan. I used an extra large skillet, 15”. This should work in a 12” skillet, too, you’ll just have to adjust the bake time slightly. The bigger the skillet, the bigger your cinnamon roll will be.
Cover the cinnamon roll and allow to rise for another 45 minutes. During this time, the cinnamon roll should expand and fill up your skillet.
Bake in a preheated 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for 30-35 minutes. Keep a very close eye on the cinnamon roll as it bakes. If it starts getting too brown, place a piece of foil over the top. You’ll know the cinnamon roll is done when the center looks cooked.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. (DOUBLE THIS RECIPE IF YOU LIKE A HEAVILY FROSTED CINNAMON ROLL.)
Mix in the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until combined.
Pour the frosting over the warm cinnamon roll.
Eat! Enjoy! And share, if you have to 😉 The cinnamon roll tastes good at room temperature, but even better warmed up. Stick it in the microwave for about 20 seconds to reach peak gooeyness.
Because it’s a cream cheese frosting, I stored my leftovers in the fridge, just to be safe.

Notes

The prep time includes 1 hour 45 minutes of proofing.

Add the 1/4 cup sugar to warm water.

Sprinkle the yeast over the top and allow to activate for about 10 minutes.

Prepare pudding according to package directions.

Allow the pudding has set up for a few minutes.

To the pudding, add the eggs, butter, salt, and cinnamon. (Hand on hip 😂)

Pour the pudding mixture into the activated yeast.

Using the dough hook attachment, slowly mix in the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the mixture comes together. Knead for 6 minutes.

Ready to rest. Get a big ‘ol bowl greased up.

Cover and allow to rise for 1 hour, until doubled in size.

Look at that beautiful dough!

Roll out into a large rectangle (about 1/2” thick) on a floured surface.

Mix the filling ingredients together.

Spread the filling all over your dough.

Cut the dough into 4 equal sections.

Start by rolling one of the sections as tightly as you can.

Place your rolled section on top of another section. Continue rolling. Repeat until you’ve rolled all of the sections together.

One. Big. Roll.
It’s a little messy, but that’s just fine.

She’s a beaut.

Butter up a skillet.

Plop your roll in the buttered skillet. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.

That 45 minutes of resting is well worth it! Bake in a 375 degree, preheated oven for around 30 minutes. The bake time depends on how large your skillet is. Keep a close eye on it and cover with foil if it starts getting too brown.