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Easy cinnamon sugar knots remind me of cinnamon-sugar buns! Drizzled with sweet vanilla glaze, you’ll love these knots for breakfast, weekend brunch, or a cozy afternoon baking project.
Brushed with butter and sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar, these simple knots bake up beautifully golden and are irresistible warm from the oven. Top with vanilla glaze and enjoy!
How to Make Cinnamon Sugar Knots
The dough – I use my basic sweet yeast dough recipe for these knots. It’s simple to make and is ready to use after a 40 minute rise. Once the dough rises, gently punch down the dough to release air and let stand for 5 minutes before shaping.
Rolling and shaping the dough – Once the dough rises, roll out into a 16 x 12-inch rectangle. Use a sharp knife to cut the rectangle into 14 strips (approximately 1 1/4-inch wide). Gently shape each strip into a knot.
Second rise – Place the knots on parchment-lined baking sheets and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon-sugar, then cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the knots rest in a warm place until puffy (about 30 minutes).
Baking knots – Bake the knots for about 22 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Drizzle with vanilla glaze before serving.
Make Ahead Knots
To make knots ahead, work up to step 4. Place the knots on baking sheets, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 16 hours. On baking day, remove the chilled knots from the refrigerator and let rise in a warm place until puffy (about 45 minutes) before brushing with melted butter and sprinkling with cinnamon-sugar. Bake as directed.
Easy Cinnamon Sugar Knots
- Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 37 minutes
- Yield: 14 knots
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Easy cinnamon sugar knots topped with vanilla glaze make the best breakfast! These simple knots bake up beautifully golden with a delicious cinnamon-sugar coating.
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 1/2 cups (490 g) flour, divided
- 1 packet (7 g) instant yeast
- 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1 cup (240 g) milk
- 1/4 cup (56 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 large egg (50 g), at room temperature
Topping
- 2 Tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Glaze
- 1 Tbsp (14 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 tsp (4 g) vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp (30 g) milk
- 3/4 cup (90 g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- Combine 2 cups (280 g) flour, yeast, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large mixer bowl; mix on low speed until incorporated. Heat milk in a microwave-safe measuring cup for 45 seconds to 1 minute, until very warm (120-130°F).
- Add warm milk, butter, and egg to flour mixture and mix until combined; mix in remaining 1 1/2 cups (210 g) flour. Switch out the flat beater for a dough hook, and knead dough for 3 minutes, until smooth and elastic. The dough is ready when it feels tacky but doesn’t stick to your fingers (if necessary, add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time while kneading).
- Place dough in a large bowl coated with nonstick spray and cover with plastic. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 40 minutes. To check if dough has doubled, lightly flour two fingers and press them down into center of dough. If indentations remain, gently press down dough; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Turn dough out on a lightly floured board and roll into an 16 x 12-inch rectangle. If there’s any resistance while rolling, let dough rest for 5 minutes to relax gluten before continuing.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the rectangle into 14 strips (approximately 1 1/4-inch wide). Gently shape each strip into a knot and place two inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Brush knots with melted butter. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, and sprinkle generously over knots. Cover knots loosely with plastic and let rise in a warm place until puffy, about 30 minutes. While the knots rise, preheat oven to 350°F.
- Bake, rotating pans halfway through, for 22 minutes, until golden. Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- For the glaze, whisk together melted butter, salt, vanilla, milk, and powdered sugar in a small bowl. Drizzle glaze over knots and and let set before serving.
Notes
Make ahead knots: Work up to step 4. Cover the knots with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 16 hours. On baking day, remove the chilled knots from the refrigerator and let rise in a warm place until puffy (about 45 minutes) before brushing with melted butter and sprinkling with cinnamon sugar. Bake as directed.
More breakfast ideas to try:
Orange Pull-Apart Bread
Overnight Brioche Cinnamon Rolls
Homemade Orange Rolls
Chocolate Hazelnut Star Bread
