I Tried The Pioneer Woman's Beloved Cinnamon Rolls
Maybe it was a need for coziness among the winter chill, or my daughter’s weekly pleas for me to make cinnamon rolls, but when I was asked to test The Pioneer Woman’s famous cinnamon roll recipe, I practically jumped at the chance to see if they lived up to their legendary status. And spoiler alert: They did!
Despite Ree Drummond’s massive popularity and seemingly endless recipe collection, I somehow hadn’t made many of her famous dishes. It wasn’t intentional avoidance — more like a tendency to stick to familiar recipes. But these cinnamon rolls seemed like the perfect excuse to finally see what all the fuss was about.
Get the recipe: The Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls
How to Make The Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls
First, I started by creating a surprisingly simple dough. I warmed the milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a pot on the stove until just below boiling. Then I set it aside to cool down to a warm temperature and sprinkled yeast over top. After a minute of letting the yeast start to work, I mixed the liquid with eight cups of flour (this recipe makes a lot of buns!) and mixed until combined. I covered the whole thing with a clean kitchen towel and let it sit for about an hour. I then added the remaining one cup of flour, plus some salt and leavening agents. The dough was still incredibly wet, so I added more flour (about 1/2 to 1 cup — I was eyeballing it) but kept it moist. There’s no kneading involved at all! Drummond says you can work with the dough immediately or put it into the refrigerator for up to three days, but it’s easier to work “if it’s been chilled for at least an hour.” So I popped it into the fridge overnight and went to bed.
The following morning, the dough was very happy, and had even pushed the lid of my bowl open and made a small mess in my fridge — a good sign! I punched it down, dusted my largest countertop, and rolled half of the dough into a massive rectangle. And when I say massive, I mean it. The dough was a 30-inch-by-10-inch canvas of potential. I then slathered it with the cinnamon mixture, which was a blend of melted butter, sugar, and, of course, ground cinnamon. There were no instructions in the recipe for this part, but I found that waiting until it firmed up slightly helped it spread out more easily.
I rolled it into a tight log and sliced it into thin rolls before nestling them into buttered pans and letting them rise. The rise was only 20 minutes before they went into the oven. I have only ever made cinnamon rolls with a brioche dough that included eggs and butter, so I wanted to know how these would stack up in flavor and texture. I was pleasantly surprised. The transformation from awkward, raw dough swirls to golden, puffy rolls has always been one of my favorite parts of baking cinnamon rolls, and this was no exception. They came out beautifully.
While they cooled, I made the glaze by whisking together powdered sugar, milk, melted butter, coffee, a dash of salt, and some maple extract. As a Canadian (and real maple syrup advocate), I admit I was a bit skeptical of the maple extract, but it was exceptionally delicious.
My Honest Review
These cinnamon rolls are unlike any others I’ve ever tasted. The outside edges take on a surprising (and welcome!) crispiness, while the centers remain soft and tender. As Drummond recommended, I didn’t let them brown too much, so they weren’t hard but almost flaky in the way pastry is. It’s as if an enriched dough, like challah bread, and a pie crust had a baby — and as a pie girl, I was here for all of it. The rolls are rich and decadent, but that didn’t stop me from eating two in one sitting and drizzling extra maple coffee glaze over the top. They were, in a word, unreal. The maple icing with the hint of coffee makes them completely irresistible.
This recipe makes a lot of rolls — 40 to 50, to be exact. So, while we ate our share, I also gave some to friends and neighbors. I surprised one neighbor with a batch and, within half an hour, got a text that said, “Those cinnamon buns are fantastic!!!” And it seems everybody felt this way — they were a huge hit!
Tips for Making The Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls
Make dough ahead. The dough can be refrigerated for up to three days, so you can prep and bake when the mood strikes. You can also make and freeze the cinnamon roll dough to bake later, making it easy to prepare for events in advance. Because the recipe produces so much, it’s worth freezing the dough, so you only have to do the work once. In all transparency, I haven’t tried it with this particular recipe, but I have frozen unbaked cinnamon roll recipes with great success. There is some great advice on par-baking them, here — a method I need to try. But I typically roll and cut the dough and (either) freeze the rolls in ready-to-bake pans or individually on a sheet pan before wrapping them with plastic wrap and placing them in a freezer-safe bag. I then let the rolls thaw overnight in the fridge, bring them to room temperature to rise, and proceed with the baking step.
Customize the glaze. While the maple glaze is a signature feature, cream cheese frosting lovers might prefer swapping or adding a layer of tangy cream cheese icing for contrast or even adding blueberries to the mix. I have also added Greek yogurt into other glazes for a bit of contrasting tang without the cheesiness.
Change the filling. In sticking with the cinnamon theme, adding toasted nuts, finely chopped apples, or even raisins (if that’s your thing!) could elevate the rolls for a seasonal twist. But you can also swap the filling altogether (think: seasonal berry preserves like blueberry or raspberry, Nutella, ground cardamom instead of the cinnamon, apple or pumpkin butter, chocolate filling or chunks, lemon curd, a poppy seed mix, or even a lemon and poppy seed blend. You can take it in so many directions.
Get the recipe: The Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls
Further Reading
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