The holiday season doesn’t get much more festive at the dinner table than with this cinnamon roll wreath! It’s beautiful and delicious which makes it the perfect choice for your holiday breakfast, brunch, or dessert!
I cannot get enough of the cinnamon flavor! If you are as crazy about it as I am then you MUST TRY this amazing Monkey Bread, these Pancakes, or even these Cookies!
Cinnamon Roll Wreath
I LOVE recipes that I can use for different meals! And this cinnamon roll wreath is perfect because I can bake it as a dessert, breakfast, or brunch option! With all of the holiday get-togethers and parties, it’s nice to have one staple recipe that I can just bring to all of them! And can we talk about what a beauty this one is too? I mean if it didn’t taste so good, I would just want to leave it untouched! It is SO festive!
Now, if you have never baked cinnamon rolls then don’t let that scare you! This recipe may take a little bit of time and effort but you can totally make it! It’s not hard and it’s worth it in the end. It’s definitely one of those recipes that will impress your family and friends. And it looks so good that they will be asking you where you bought it… not if you made it! Go ahead and try it. You will be so glad that you did!
What You Need to Make a Cinnamon Roll Wreath
Most of the items that you need to make this are probably already in your kitchen! It’s super simple. See the recipe card below for a list of exact measurements.
- Milk: I like to use whole milk for this dough!
- Yeast: Use instant yeast for this recipe and make sure that you follow closely how to heat it so that you don’t kill it.
- Brown sugar: I looooove anything that I can add brown sugar to! The taste is so deep and sweet!
- Granulated sugar: This is what makes the cinnamon rolls so sweet!
- Salt: Salt is used to enhance the flavors of all of the other ingredients.
- Butter: I like to use unsalted butter so that I don’t have to change up the salt at all!
- Egg: You will need a whole egg for the dough.
- Egg yolks: After I used a whole egg, I used another two egg yolks only.
- Flour: All purpose flour works fantastic for this dough!
Filling
- Brown sugar: If you use brown sugar in this part, the flavor will be so much better!
- Cinnamon: You can’t bake cinnamon rolls without some cinnamon!
- Butter: Use unsalted butter and try to have it softened to room temperature before you mix it up. It will make the filling smoother!
Cream Cheese Icing
- Cream cheese: If you want a really smooth texture then make sure to soften up your cream cheese before you are ready to bake with it.
- Butter: Again, you will want to use unsalted butter and try to have it softened before you mix it up!
- Powdered sugar: This is used a lot in icing because it dissolves quicker than regular sugar. This makes the icing smooth!
- Vanilla: I use vanilla for a little bit of added sweetness.
- Salt: Just a dash in this part will do!
Let’s Bake Some Cinnamon Rolls!
Even though there are a lot of steps to baking this cinnamon roll wreath, it’s really not hard and anyone can make it! It’s SOO GOOD!
- Heat milk and add brown sugar and yeast: Heat milk in the microwave to 105 degrees, about 45 seconds. Use a thermometer to make sure it is not too hot or it will kill the yeast. Add brown sugar and yeast. Pour into mixing bowl and set aside for 5 minutes or so, until the yeast is nice and frothy.
- Mix ingredients and add half of the flour: Add sugar, softened butter, whole egg, and egg yolks and mix until soupy. Then, add 2 cups of flour and salt and mix with paddle attachment on low until combined.
- Add remanining flour and mix with dough hook: Scrape down the bowl and paddle and switch to the dough hook attachment. Add the remaining 2 cups of flour and mix on low for 6 minutes, until the dough is nice and smooth.
- Form dough into ball, let rise: Form the dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Cover and allow to rise for about 2 hours, until doubled in size.
- Roll out the dough: Once doubled in size, punch down the dough and turn out on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll into a 18×12 inch rectangle.
- Mix filling and spread on dough: In a small bowl mix together brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling. Using your fingers or spatula, spread the softened butter evenly for the filling across the dough. Sprinkle the sugar mixture across the dough evenly.
- Roll up the dough and score it so it can bend: Starting from the bottom on the long side, roll the dough up tightly. In order the make the wreath, don’t cut all the way through the log of dough! Cut the individual rolls about ¾ of the way up the dough, so all of them stay connected on one end.
- Form into a circle and pinch together: Transfer the cinnamon rolls carefully to a parchment lined baking sheet and form into a circle. You can use an oven safe ramekin or bowl placed upside down in the center to keep the center perfectly round. Lay the cinnamon rolls tilted on their side to form the wreath and pinch the center of the edges together to form one continuous piece.
- Cover and let it rise: Cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm spot for 45 minutes-1 hour to rise.
- Preheat oven and soften butter and cream cheese: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove butter and cream cheese from fridge and allow to soften on the countertop.
- Bake: When the oven comes to temp and the rolls are just about doubled in size, bake for 30-35 minutes. If the tops are browning too quickly, a sheet of foil over them can prevent further browning while the center of the rolls finish baking.
- Prepare Icing: While the rolls are baking, prepare your cream cheese icing. In the bowl of your mixer add cream cheese and butter. Whip together using the paddle attachment until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and mix on low until combined. Add the remaining cup of powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Mix at medium/high speed until light and fluffy.
- Cool, frost and decorate: Allow the cinnamon rolls to cool before spreading the frosting on top. Decorate with sugared cranberries and sprigs of thyme, rosemary or mint leaves and serve.
Tips for Baking a Cinnamon Roll Wreath
Whether this is your first time making cinnamon rolls or you’re a pro, here are a few helpful tips for you! They will help these turn out just right!
- Browning tops: If the tops are browning too quickly, a sheet of foil over them can prevent further browning while the center of the rolls finish baking.
- Room temperature ingredients: I know that this can take a bit of thought beforehandbut it really helps! Make sure to take all of your refrigerated ingredients out and put them on the counter a few hours before you plan on baking. Bringing your ingredients to room temperature really helps them mix nicely together and makes the dough and icing really smooth!
- Don’t open the oven door: I know that it’s tempting to open the oven door while you are baking your cinnamon rolls. After all, you just want to see how they are doing! But when you open the door while you are baking, you let a lot of the heat out. This makes it so that your cinnamon roll wreath will bake unevenly.
What to Serve With It
This cinnamon roll wreath is absolutely delicious and you can make it even better by adding it a whole bunch! I mean, holiday food is already SOO GOOD but when you can eat it all in the morning… It’s even better!
- Serve it with some eggs: To balance out the sweetness of the cinnamon rolls, try cooking this Breakfast Casserole or this yummy Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce!
- Bring in some breads: Brunch isn’t brunch unless you have a whole table of muffins, bagels, or bread!
- You need some meat: If you are making an entire brunch then you definitely need some meat! Try this Homemade Breakfast Sausage and this Perfect Air Fryer Bacon!
