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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’ve made these cinnamon rolls for 4 years now. They are so good! They are huge being made in the loaf pan, its hard to tell when they are done. This year I am making them as normal rolls but the Chai Icing is now a holiday Christmas morning tradition and my family talks about it all year long.
Thanks so much, Claire:) I am so glad this recipe is always enjoyed by your family! I appreciate you making it each year! xx
Delish!. Huge rise. Rolling thin and having multiple overlays make even more gooey. Next time will bump up spices a bit. A keeper in my recipe box.
Hey Toni,
Happy Weekend!🍁 I’m so glad this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks a bunch for making it! xXT
Has anyone made this in a thermomix?
Hey Greta,
So sorry, I have never tried this! Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xx
Hi there, would these be OK if I put them in the fridge 1-2days before and then pull them out in the morning and let them come to room temp. Will they still rise ok in the oven?
Hey Ali,
Totally, that should work nicely for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
I’ve made several cinnamon roll recipes and this one was rated the favorite by family this weekend! The chai frosting is so delicious too! Thanks Tiegen- I’ll be making these often!
Thanks so much Brenda!! So glad to hear your family enjoyed these cinnamon rolls, thanks for trying them! xT
Good recipe…just wish the amount of flour (3.5 cups + 1/2 cup if “still sticky” )as directed to add is definitely not enough! I compared it to my 96 yr old mamas Cinnamon Roll Recipe and believe it or not…they are almost identical however, her recipe says to add 5.5 cups initially to mixer with dough hook which turned out to be the perfect measurement of flour. Then I probably used 1.5 cups spread out on the counter used to roll out etc .
So your 6-7 cups in the recipe is about right …just would be more clear if amount added is adjusted …then it’s not a guessing game and you end up over mixing your dough .
Ty
Thank you sooo much for giving this recipe a try! Have an awesome week 🙂 xT
Thanks Maria, looking to make this recipe so will take your suggestions to heart
Came from the cookbook and this is the exact comment I was looking for
I absolutely LOVE this recipe, planning on making this a few times over the holidays! If I make the dough ahead of time, will it hold up if I freeze it? If not, hold long can the dough hold up in the fridge prior to making the rolls.
Thanks!
Hi Amy! I have personally never frozen this before, but I would imagine that should work just fine! xT
This was insanely delicious, and my entire family commented “please make these again!”. Thank you!!
Thanks so much for trying out the recipe! 🙂 xT
Hi! Can you clarify about the baking time? The recipe in the cookbook says 30 to 35 and the recipe here says 45 to 60.
I liked the actual dough and would try it again because of the way you just dumped it all in, but I did not like baking in a loaf pan. The rules were way too thick. Didn’t cook through and I had to separate them and pull them out of the pan to get them to cook.
I’m one who likes to change things in recipes but really tried to stick with this recipe so that I could find out if it worked correctly. I did change cinnamon to cardamom but that shouldn’t have made a difference.
I had my doubts about the way this one was cooked and wish I would have gone with my gut.
I suggest if you’re reading this comment and want to try the recipe that you do it a traditional way with 12 rolls at least.
One nice thing about the loaf method. If you can get it to work is you get a lot softer roll but my family likes that little bit of crunchy get on the top and you lose a lot of that with only six large rolls.
Thank you so much for the feedback! I appreciate it! xT
Have made this several times now. One of the nicest and easy to work with doughs for cinnamon rolls!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Have a great week! xT
How long do you recommend taking it out of the fridge for to get them completely room temp?
Hi Katelyn,
I would say at least 2 hours. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope this recipe turns out well for you! xx
Can I make these 24 hours ahead of time and still put them in the fridge instead of freezer?
Hi Margaux,
Yes, that is just fine for you to do! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I have had this recipe pinned for a while and now I am kicking myself for not making it sooner! It’s the best cinnamon roll recipe I’ve tried. I love that I can make it the night before for an easy breakfast the next day. I think I’ll try making them a smaller pinwheel size too like the ones you get at the store premade. Will definitely be trying more recipes from hbh!
Hey Katelyn,
Happy Sunday!! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
I don’t have a stand mixer, so could I easily make these with a hand mixer? Should I start with the mixer then switch to my hands to “mix” for the next 4-5 minutes?
Hey Genna,
I would mix with a wooden spoon and knead by hand until you have a smooth dough ball. Please let me know if I can help in any other way, I hope you love this recipe! xT
These are amazing! I read the comments about the rolls being soggy in the middle. I refrigerated overnight and, in the morning, put the loaf pan in a shallow warm water bath and inverted another loaf pan on top to make sure it all came to room temp evenly. It baked the full 35. (I also used 10 g regular yeast and proofed it in the warm milk.)
Hey Katie,
Amazing!! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for making it and your comment! xx