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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.
I made this for the first time for our Christmas morning treat with coffee while opening our gifts ~ delicious!! I was worried it would not turn out because I had incorporated both the melted butter and softened butter into the dough mixture and then realized my mistake further into the recipe. I have never made any type of cinnamon rolls before and it did not register that the softened butter was for the filling… It was still delicious and my husband thinks I should put the extra butter in the next time I make them as well. The icing is simple and so good. Also, I had used all of my parchment paper so I just buttered my pan really well and they popped out perfectly. Once my dough was finished and rising, I scrolled through and saw that someone else had made this same error but had not yet baked them, so I was curious how they turned out. I am commenting on this in case anyone else does the same and is tempted to scratch it all and start over. I almost did and am so glad that I did not.
Hi Lori,
Happy Holidays!!☃️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xT
Making now and just put in the fridge to rise overnight. Questions 😁
I should just cover with seran wrap right?
Want to bake for breakfast in three days – should I let rise and then freeze for 48 hours? Unthaw morning of?
Can I go ahead and make frosting now or need to make morning of?
Thank you so much! Our first time making “bread”!
Hey Margaret,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try! Yes, seran wrap is just fine to use. I would just pop them in the freezer now and then you can let them thaw and rise the morning of baking. Yes, you can go ahead and making the frosting now:) I hope they are delish! xT
this is the best icing I have ever tasted. I use this all the time now.
Hi Irma,
Awesome!! I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it! Hope you’re off to a great weekend! xT
Cant wait to try these! I do not own a loaf pan that size. Any chance I could cut into slices while raw and put into a 9×13 to bake like traditional cinnamon rolls?
Hi Melissa,
If you want to make traditional cinnamon rolls I would try one of these recipes:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/brown-butter-iced-mocha-cinnamon-rolls/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/easy-fluffy-eggnog-cinnamon-rolls/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/raspberry-lemon-brioche-rolls/
Please let me know if you have any other questions!! xx
Hi! I’m wanting to make two batches of these. One to cook now and one to freeze and save for later. Any advice on how well these will freeze or best practices for freezing these?
Hey Michelle,
You can freeze after step 6. Please let me know how the recipe turns out, I hope you love it! xx
Prepared these last night and let the dough have a cold rise in the frig overnight. They turned out perfect!!! Cooked for exactly 30 min. Light and fluffy. I love all the spices in the topping. Ty for sharing!!
Hi Lillian,
I really appreciate you giving the recipe a try, so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xxT
Question: what is the measurement of instant dry yeast packet? I have instant dry yeast from a container.
Hey Lisa,
You will want to use 7 grams of instant yeast. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Thank you! I’ll have to make a note in the cook book! I tried today and I’ll definitely make these again! Thanks ❤️
I doubled the recipe. Everything looked right. They were in the fridge overnight. Sat on the counter for two hours. Baked two “loaves” at the same time but the middle sections were wet and goopy and basically liquid dough. Baked them for double the time and still a hot mess. I’ve never had a recipe fail and especially one of yours. What did I do wrong?!
Hey Amanda,
So sorry to hear this! Unfortunately, doubling baking recipes doesn’t always yield the best results, next time I would do 2 separate batches. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I placed them in refrigerator overnight and then brought to room temp for ab hour. Baked as directed and they did not fluff up. Super dense. What am I doing wrong? Yesterday my dough doubled in size no problem.
Hey Kristin,
So sorry to hear this. Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? What kind of yeast did you use? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Could I prep and refrigerate until ready to bake?
Hi Hannah,
Yes, you can follow the recipe as is:) Please let me know if you give it a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
I have these in the oven right now I have baked for 49 minutes and the center of the rolls are still doughy?♀️
Hi Carol,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, the directions state to bake for 45-60 minutes. I would continue baking until they are cooked through. xTieghan
The instructions say bake for 30-35 minutes
Hi Tracy,
These should bake in 30-35 minutes, but if it seems you need more time then I would continue baking until they are cooked through:) xx
Hi Teighan! Can you clarify the cooking time on these? Your comment says 45 – 60 minutes but the recipe says 30 – 35 minutes. I made these for Christmas morning and they were fantastic tasting and *mostly* cooked but there were random completely raw sections throughout which was odd because they were quite well done on the top. Any tips, or did it just need to be baked longer?
Hey Haley,
Sorry for any confusion! They should bake in 30-35 minutes, but all ovens can be slightly different so if you need to keep baking until they are fully cooked then that is totally fine! I hope this helps! xx
Hello! I cannot wait to try this recipe!! I was wondering if I can use Buttermilk instead of whole milk with this recipe? Thanks so much : )
Hi Lizzy,
Sure, that will work well for you! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi! Can you make ahead and freeze this?
Hey Lauren,
You bet, just freeze after step 6. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
These were AMAZING!!! Best frosting and delicious! Bit hit with my kids too! Have tried tons of Tieghan’s Recipes and NONE have disappointed!!!!
Hi Taylor,
Thanks so very much for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
I accidentally added the 6 tablespoons of softened butter for the filling to the dough. It’s turning out okay actually and in the oven now! It’s just brioche now, right?!
Hey Audrey,
Oops! I hope it still tastes okay, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
Hello,
Just wondering how many grams would the packet of yeast be??
Thanks!
Hi there! 7 grams 🙂 xTieghan
Hey Teighan girl!
Am currently baking your rolls with some of my gal pals in college. I made a bit of a booboo while shopping for ingredients and got Cassava flour instead of regular! I am freaking out!!! Do you think my dough will be okay? Wish me luck. P.S please respond, I am a HUGE fan!!!
xoxo
Annadeerina
Hi there! So sorry I am just now seeing this but they should be just fine! 🙂 xTieghan