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Overnight Cinnamon Roll Bread with Chai Frosting. Homemade cinnamon rolls are always impressive, but switching things up and turning your rolls into a beautiful bread keeps things simple and easy, yet every bite is still just as delicious. And the chai frosting…it’s as good as it sounds, not too sweet and spiced just right. And when drizzled over this swirly cinnamon bread, it melts into every nook and cranny. I let the dough rise overnight in the fridge and bake it up in the morning. Perfect for a holiday breakfast or as a weekend morning treat.
Sharing a special recipe today straight from Half Baked Harvest Super Simple and in partnership with Williams-Sonoma. This overnight cinnamon roll bread is a go-to holiday breakfast. This is the easiest to bake up and everyone LOVES them! If you’re in need of a delicious breakfast for your family this holiday season, make it this cinnamon roll bread.
To make the bread…
Make a very basic, everyday bread dough that uses instant yeast to speed up the rising times. Let the dough rise a bit, then roll it out and sprinkle with a brown sugar cinnamon mix. I like to use brown sugar for a nice depth of flavor. And I also like to go heavy on the cinnamon…of course.
Roll the dough, cut into 6 giant rolls and place in a loaf pan to rise. Next, you have two options. You can do a quick rise or you can let the rolls rise overnight in the fridge. I love to make these a day or two ahead and let them rise in the fridge. That way, in morning, all I have to do is bake and frost.
For the frosting, I made something extra special…a Chai spiced cream cheese frosting.
Chai spices, cream cheese, and plenty of vanilla. Simple, easy, and so delicious!
My favorite products to create this cinnamon roll bread.
This is my go-to loaf pan.
My very favorite stand mixer.
And my trusty cooling rack.
Lastly, enter for a chance to win all of my favorite kitchen products here.
If you make this overnight cinnamon roll bread with chai frosting, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Overnight Cinnamon Roll Bread with Chai Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm whole milk
- 1 packet instant dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 3½ to 4 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons very softened salted butter, plus more for greasing
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Chai Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
Instructions
- 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the milk, yeast, honey, eggs, butter, 3½ cups of flour, and the salt. Beat until the flour is completely incorporated, 4 to 5 minutes. If the dough seems sticky, add the remaining ½ cup of flour.2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour.3. Make the rolls. Butter a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon and set aside.4. When the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface, punch it down, and roll it into a ball using your hands. Roll the dough into a rectangle (approximately 12 x 18 inches).5. Spread the softened butter over the dough and sprinkle it with the cinnamon sugar. Starting with the edge of dough closest to you, roll the dough into a log, keeping it tight as you go. Pinch along the edges of the log to seal it.6. Cut the log into 6 rolls and place them cut side up in the prepared pan. Cover and let rise 45 minutes to 1 hour in a warm place or up to overnight in the fridge. Bring the dough to room temperature before baking.7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until browned on top, 30 to 35 minutes. If the bread is browning too quickly, cover it with foil. Let cool 5 minutes before turning it out onto a rack.8. Make the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a medium bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and cardamom until combined.9. Spread the frosting over the warm bread. Serve immediately. Store any leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Relax. Take a breather. No one is trying to do anything but have fun in the kitchen
Love that! 🙂 xTieghan
Thanks. I really needed this, i usually dont have fun in the kitchen. But now I will. I owe you one BIG time danny girl.
xoxo
Anndeerina
Funny story – I was measuring out flour/yeast/salt to make your no-knead pizza dough yesterday, and realized I measured out 4 cups of flour instead of 3. So I looked through your cookbook and realized I could make this instead! Turned out perfectly – the best cinnamon rolls we’ve ever had! And yes, I started another batch of dough, and we had the feta stuffed pizza, too. 🙂
Hi there! Yum, pizza and cinnamon roll bread are two of my favorite things! So glad you enjoyed both recipes 🙂 xTieghan
Your “chai” frosting has no chai in it. Chai is actually tea, not the spices. Since your recipe only contains the spices and not actual tea, you can change the name to “spiced frosting.”
This is why appropriating cultural foods is problematic. Most people don’t even understand the foods they’re appropriating.
Masala chai = “mixed-spice tea”, by definition. And, although it can vary, those spices usually include some combo of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger, peppercorn, etc. This frosting uses those spices normally found in that tea, just without the actual tea leaves. So, not exactly sure how this would be seen as appropriation or why you’re trying to say it should be named something different. ??♀️
Hello! How would you adjust this recipe at altitude?
Thanks!
Hey Sydney,
No adjustments needed, you can follow the recipe as is:) Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
Hi !
Can you make ahead freeze, then that in fridge overnight?
Hi there! I would recommend forming the rolls then putting them in the fridge overnight and baking in the morning! 🙂 xTieghan
I have a fear of yeast, but this recipe looked so amazing that I figured I would try it out and pivot to pancakes if I bombed.
But YaY — they baked up beautifully without that doughy midsection that can sometimes happen. Smelled amazing, and tasted even better! My son was visiting with friends, and they all pretty much raved, so I acted like I whip up this type of thing all the time. Definitely excited to make again!
Note: This dough will be stickier and heavier than a pizza crust dough. So if you are new to working with yeast, and only familiar with making pizza crust due to 2020, don’t worry if the dough feels thick.
Hey Pam,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! Have a wonderful week:) xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! Do you think this frosting could be used to stuff and cover a Carrot Cake? It looks delicious! Thank you!
Hey Fran,
See my response above:)
Hi Tieghan!! Love the recipe! Do you think I could use the same frosting for a Carrot Cake? Is it consistent enough? Thank you!!
Hey Fran,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Sure, that would be a fun idea! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
I made these for Christmas and they were delicious! I want to make them for Easter and another time during the week. I’ve doubled the recipe and want to save the other dough for later in the week. Should I freeze the extra dough or keep it refrigerated?
Hey Tara,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! You can keep the dough in the fridge for a few days, otherwise I would freeze it. Happy Easter ?Tieghan
I’m making these for Easter Sunday. They look amazing! Is there any reason I couldn’t make 9 smaller rolls and use 8×8 pan instead?
Hey Kelly,
I’m sure that would work just fine for you! I hope you enjoy the recipe, please let me know how they turn out! Happy Easter ?Tieghan
These cinnamon rolls were so very delicious!! I could not wait over night so I raised them and baked them in one go. They came out great. They were even good the next day. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us. That chai frosting was to die for.
Hey Colleen,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! Happy Friday! xTieghan
Amazing every time we make it! Made them for Christmas Eve and Christmas and just today again since my toddler thinks that’s all I can bake!
Hey Nicole,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, I am delighted it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
Love these, they’re so good! Quick question though. I’ve made these a couple of times and a friend also made them. The middle didn’t cook for either of us. Do you have any tips on how to fix this or maybe we are doing something wrong? We both cooked them for the specified amount of time and the top bottom and both ends were perfect. If we had cooked them longer they would have been burned.
Hey Hannah,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! I would cook a little longer to cook the middle:) Happy Sunday! xTieghan
Hi!!
I’ve 2 tips to share:
1. To get a moist warm place for them to ride dampen a tea towel and place it over the bowl. Then put on the fan oven to 120F let it heat up and turn it off then pop in the bowl!
2. Take a piece of dental floss and wrap it around the piece you want to cut when the roll is being cut into 6. If you cross the two ends over and pull in opposite directions away from the roll it will cut without getting out of shape,
Enjoyyy :*
Hey Kate,
Thanks for your tips! Happy Friday! xTieghan
Hi there! I made these rolls for New Year’s morning and absolutely loved them. However, I made the frosting the night before and the taste seemed a little off! Not sure if my cream cheese was old, or if I shouldn’t have made the frosting in advance. Is it ok to make the frosting early or should it be done the morning-of?
Hey Julianna,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try! It is totally fine to make the frosting the day before, if your cream cheese was old that would definitely affect the flavor! Please let me know how I can help! Happy New Year! xTieghan
what if you don’t have a stand mixer?!
Hey Delaney,
You can mix with a wooden spoon and knead by hand. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy New Year! xTieghan