Make-Ahead Maple Cinnamon Rolls are soft cinnamon rolls with a maple glaze. They are perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas mornings and are easy to make ahead of time too!
You all know my love of cinnamon rolls, I have at least 10 sweet roll recipes on my site. And they all start with this basic sweet yeast dough.
They’re amazing to serve to company, however, they can be time-intensive and that tends to scare some people away from making them.
Did you know you can make the dough up ahead of time and freeze it for later?
Make-Ahead Cinnamon Roll Dough
To make this sweet roll dough, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- instant yeast
- warm milk
- granulated sugar
- butter
- salt
- eggs
- all purpose flour
How To Freeze Yeast Doughs
The most important thing to remember when freezing dough is to remove as much air as possible, so a vacuum system or zip-close freezer bags are best for this.
The night before you’re ready to make the rolls, take the dough out of the freezer and place it in a large bowl, cover loosely with a towel and refrigerate overnight.
The rolls will thaw overnight in the fridge and be ready to bake in the morning. Your family will wake up to warm cinnamon rolls in the morning with minimal work from you.
So go ahead and make the dough today, so that you’ll have warm cinnamon rolls whenever the craving hits.
Maple Cinnamon Roll Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Filling
- butter
- brown sugar
- cinnamon
For the Maple Glaze
- butter
- maple syrup
- powdered sugar
Are cinnamon rolls a holiday tradition at your house? What are some of the traditional foods that your family enjoys?
From Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls to Pumpkin Nutella Rolls, Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls to Raspberry Cream Cheese Sweet Rolls, Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns and Brown Butter Peach Sweet Rolls, you can make any and all of these delicious cinnamon rolls with this handy frozen dough recipe.
Make Ahead Maple Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 1 cup very warm whole milk 115°F
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter well softened almost melting
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 4 cups all purpose flour
For the Cinnamon Filling
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1½ cups brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons cinnamon
For the Maple Glaze
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 2 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon maple extract if desired
Instructions
Dough Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together the yeast and milk until dissolved. Beat in the sugar, butter, salt and eggs until well combined. Add the flour, one cup at a time, stirring until incorporated. The dough will be shaggy and still sticky.
- Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead 5-6 minutes until smooth and elastic. Or if you use a mixer, knead 4-5 minutes.
- When dough has been kneaded, place in a FoodSaver® bag and vacuum seal according to instructions. Place the sealed bag in the freezer.
- The night before you're ready to make the rolls, take the dough out of the freezer and place it in a large bowl, cover loosely with a towel and refrigerate overnight. It will thaw overnight in the fridge and be ready to bake in the morning.
- The next morning take the dough out and let come to room temperature. Meanwhile, stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling.
Cinnamon Roll Instructions
- Divide the dough in half and work with one half of the dough at a time. Roll the dough into a 12 x 18 inch rectangle. Be patient with the dough.
- Spread ½ of the butter (1/4 cup) on the rectangle. Spread it to the edges, leaving 1 inch section bare on one of the 12 inch sides. Sprinkle ½ of the brown sugar filling on top. Roll up tightly starting with the 12 inch side. Cut into 1-1.5 inch sections with dental floss or a very sharp knife. Place 3 inches apart in a greased baking dish. Repeat with the remaining half of the dough.
- Cover and let rise until double, 20-30 minutes. Time will vary based on how warm the room is. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Bake the rolls for 12-15 minutes or until lightly brown on top.
Maple Glaze Instructions
- Heat the butter and maple syrup in a saucepan over low heat until the butter has melted and mixture is warm. Do not let it boil.
- Whisk in the powdered sugar and maple extract if desired until smooth. Spoon over warm cinnamon rolls.
Notes
Nutrition
{originally published 10/8/18 – recipe notes and photos updated 12/16/21}
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