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Overnight brioche cinnamon rolls are the BEST ever cinnamon rolls! Rich and buttery brioche dough surrounds an irresistible brown sugar cinnamon filling in these soft overnight cinnamon rolls. Make the night ahead and bake the next morning for breakfast! Recipe yields 12 rolls.
Baked until deeply golden and topped with swirls of vanilla frosting, these make ahead cinnamon rolls are perfect for weekend brunch, Christmas morning, and any day that calls for a little extra sweetness!
If you love cream cheese frosting, you can also top the warm cinnamon buns with sweet and tangy cream cheese glaze.
Craving more cinnamon rolls? Try my one giant cinnamon roll recipe or spiced pumpkin cinnamon rolls!
Authentic French Brioche
If you’re new to brioche, you’re in for a serious treat! Classic French brioche is rich and golden, enriched with eggs and plenty of butter.
While brioche dough is richer in flavor than basic sweet yeast dough, it’s very easy to make and enjoy at home (and there’s no kneading or dough hook required!).
Make Ahead Brioche Cinnamon Rolls
The beauty of this brioche cinnamon roll recipe? It’s specifically designed to be made in advance! You’ll make the brioche dough in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, then let the dough rest in a warm spot until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
Once the dough is doubled in size, transfer to the fridge and chill for 3 hours (soft brioche dough is much easier to work with when chilled).
After 3 hours, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and add the cinnamon sugar filling. Roll the dough into a log, slice into rolls with unflavored dental floss or a serrated knife, and place the rolls into a baking dish.
Cover the baking pan tightly with plastic (to prevent the rolls from drying out) and refrigerate up to 16 hours.
On baking day, remove the pan from the fridge and allow the rolls to rise in a warm place until puffy, about 45 minutes. Bake until golden brown, then let cool for 30 minutes before frosting. Serve these cinnamon rolls with your morning coffee and enjoy!
More delicious cinnamon roll recipes:
- Giant Cinnamon Roll
- Brown Butter Brioche Cinnamon Rolls
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Caramel Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
Did you try this Brioche Cinnamon Roll Recipe? Let me know by leaving a comment and rating below!
Print
Soft Overnight Brioche Cinnamon Rolls
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 rolls
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Overnight brioche cinnamon rolls are the best ever cinnamon rolls! Rich and buttery brioche dough surrounds an irresistible brown sugar cinnamon filling in these soft overnight cinnamon rolls. Make the night ahead and bake the next morning for breakfast! Recipe yields 12 rolls.
Ingredients
Dough
- 3/4 cup (180 g) milk
- 1/2 Tbsp (4.5 g) instant yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp (9 g) salt
- 1/4 cup (84 g) honey
- 4 large eggs (200 g), lightly beaten, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (168 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 3 3/4 cups (525 g) all-purpose flour
Filling
- 5 Tbsp (70 g) unsalted butter, very soft
- 3/4 cup (135 g) light brown sugar
- 1 tsp (2 g) cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp (0.75 g) salt
Frosting
- 1/4 cup (56 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 tsp (1.5 g) salt
- 1 1/2 cups (180 g) powdered sugar
- 2 1/2 Tbsp (37 g) milk
- 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped (or 2 tsp (8 g) vanilla extract)
Instructions
- Make dough: Heat milk in a microwave-safe measuring cup for 45 seconds to 1 minute, until very warm (120-130°F). Combine warm milk, yeast, salt and honey in a large mixer bowl; mix on low speed until incorporated. Add eggs and melted butter; mix until combined. Gradually mix in flour, just until combined. Cover mixer bowl loosely with plastic and let rest in a warm place for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, the dough will be puffy and doubled in size. Transfer dough to the refrigerator and chill for 3 hours (or overnight).
- Remove chilled dough from the refrigerator. Gently press down dough; cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray.
- Turn dough out on a lightly floured board, dust dough lightly with flour, and roll into an 18 x 12-inch rectangle. Spread dough with softened butter, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl; sprinkle mixture over dough and press gently into dough with rolling pin. Carefully roll dough up into a tight log and pinch edges to seal (if dough starts to stick, use a bench scraper to lift dough from the board).
- Trim off uneven ends and score dough into 12 equal slices. Use unflavored dental floss to slice dough crosswise (slip a long slice of floss under log of dough and cross on top to cut slices cleanly). Place rolls cut side up into prepared baking pan and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rest in the refrigerator overnight (up to 16 hours).
- On baking day, remove the chilled rolls from the refrigerator and place in a warm spot to rise until puffy (about 45 to 60 minutes) before baking.
- While the rolls rise, preheat the oven to 350°F and make the frosting.
- Make frosting: Combine butter, salt, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla bean seeds in a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth and creamy.
- Bake rolls for 28 to 32 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes. Spread the frosting over the warm rolls before serving.
Notes
Bake the rolls right away: If you’re planning to bake the rolls right away, work up to Step 5. In Step 5, cover the baking pan loosely with plastic and let rise in a warm place until puffy, about 30 to 40 minutes. Continue with Step 7.
Milk: You can use 1%, 2%, or whole milk in the dough.
Yeast: You can use instant yeast (as written in the recipe) or active dry yeast. Dough made with instant yeast will rise more quickly than dough made with active dry yeast.
I made these last week. Thank you for this amazing recipe! They were SO good that my grandson is requesting them again. Is there a way to refrigerate the finished dough (before rolling them out and after the rise outside the refrigerator) for longer than 2 hours? Like, perhaps, overnight? I have to enroll him in school tonight but wanted to get them started first.
Hi Athena, so glad these rolls were a hit (and my apologies for not seeing this comment earlier!). For the future, you can chill the refrigerated dough for 2-4 hours. I wouldn’t chill it for longer as that will affect the yeast and the rising time, and may cause the dough to dry out.
Hi! Can I freeze the cinnamon rolls after they’ve been baked?
Hi Grace! Yes you can – once the rolls have cooled completely, wrap in foil or plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Allow the rolls to thaw (still wrapped) and warm in the oven before serving. I do recommend freezing them unfrosted, and then adding the frosting to the warm rolls before serving. Hope that helps! 🙂
Thank you so much! Those tips are super helpful!
You’re welcome! 🙂
Hi! Wondering if I can freeze the rolls instead of refrigerating, and if so would I let them defrost in the fridge overnight and then proceed as directed from there? Thank you!
Hi Amy! Yes, you can freeze the rolls if you want to make them in advance. Work up to Step 5, and cover the pan tightly. At that point, move the pan to the freezer. The day before you plan to bake them, move the pan to the refrigerator (still covered) and let them thaw overnight. On baking day, remove the pan from the refrigerator and place in a warm spot to rise until baking. Hope that helps! 🙂
Fabulous!! Now they are Easter brunch material!! Thanks so much, can’t wait to try them !!
You’re welcome, hope you love this recipe as much as we do! 🙂