For years, my mom’s cinnamon bun recipe wasn’t really a recipe at all. It was a list of measurements for dough meant for a bread maker… which she hasn’t even owned since I was a kid! Somehow, I still learned how to make them from memory of her process, even though very little of that process had ever been written down. Recently, I’ve had others ask me about the recipe I use and I realized just how much was missing.
So I asked my mom if she could try writing it out for others to follow. This was our first go at it! If you want to see the process in action, you can watch it here.
These are soft, sticky, not-too-sweet cinnamon buns with that perfect caramel-y sauce at the bottom. They’re the kind you make a little differently every time - and they still turn out exactly how they’re supposed to!
My Mom’s Cinnamon Buns
Can be made in an Ankarsrum mixer, bread maker, or by hand.
Dough Ingredients
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¼ cup soft butter
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¾ cup milk
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¼ cup water
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1 egg
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¼ cup white sugar
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3 cups flour
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2 ¼ tsp instant yeast (one small packet)
Sauce (for the pan)
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¼ cup melted butter
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½ cup brown sugar
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¼ cup cream
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1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
1. Mix the Dough
There are a few ways to do this, but you can choose to add everything together at once (like a breadmaker) or follow the method below:
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(Optional) Add the instant yeast to the milk and let it sit while you start everything else.
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In your mixing bowl, add the soft butter and sugar.
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Mix the egg into the water, then slowly add that into the bowl, mixing at medium-high speed (in the video, I added them separately).
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Once mixed, add the flour, then gradually pour in the milk and yeast.
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Mix until the dough starts to form a ball and the sides of the bowl are mostly clean.
If you’re using an Ankarsrum, it will be sticky at first - give it a few minutes. Use the dough knife and roller and let it do its thing.
2. First Rise
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Remove the dough knife/roller if using a mixer.
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Cover the bowl.
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Let rise for 1–2 hours.
3. Prepare the Sauce
Mix all ingredients well and pour into the bottom of a greased baking pan.
4. Roll & Fill
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Roll the dough out on a flat surface into a rough rectangle.
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Spread with soft butter.
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Sprinkle generously with brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins (if you want).
(This is very much a “measure with your heart” situation ❤️)
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Roll them up nicely.
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Cut into 12 rolls.
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Place them in your prepared pan, directly on top of the sauce.
5. Second Rise
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Let them rise once more for 30–60 minutes.
OR
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Refrigerate overnight to bake in the morning.
6. Bake
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Bake at 350°F (175°C) until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
(Every oven is a little different, so keep an eye on them)
These aren’t meant to be perfect. They’re meant to be made the way my mom made them and the way I learned: a little by feel, a little by memory, and a little differently every time.
I tend to bake with non-precision, but my mom is usually far more detail-oriented in her baking, so I still find it entertaining that she’s been following the old “recipe” for so long.
Somehow, these have always worked. And now (finally) I have something that’s a little easier to follow for anyone who wants to know how I make cinnamon buns just like my mom.
Anyway, enjoy!
