the details
We love cinnamon rolls for breakfast at my house! As evidenced by my son Hudson’s willingness to break down in actual tears out of desperation for one bite of “cimma woll”. It is pretty dramatic, but I appreciate his enthusiasm! For this twist on classic cinnamon rolls, we’ve got olive oil in both the dough and the filling. It’s still got that pillowy, gooey texture we know and love, but the dough also feels lighter and tender. The filling is heavily spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and a zip from a little bit of lemon zest. The icing is light and refreshing, almost like a glaze. The whole thing comes together for a satisfying and refined breakfast (or lunch, who knows). I made these Overnight Olive Oil Cinnamon Rolls recently on a snowy morning and the warmth from the spices and the sweet, soft dough were just so comfy.
Olive oil in cinnamon rolls is certainly a bold move, but not one I can take full credit for. Anisette Sweet Shop is my absolute favorite local bakery. They feature a rotating menu which is ingredient-focused, seasonal, and always so fresh. They also have delicious espresso drinks and the best selection of fancy coffee beans around! This post is totally unsponsored, I just want to spotlight a local business with amazing products and run by awesome people. If you are local to Raleigh, I highly recommend! The one thing that is always on the menu at Anisette is their *vegan* olive oil cinnamon roll. My cinnamon rolls here are not vegan, but I sought to capture that floral savoriness from olive oil, warm spice mix, and subtle and surprising lemon flavor that Anisette does so well. I think I’m doing them justice. Okay, Ted Talk over. I just love that place.
I think from now on I will only write recipes that feature an overnight rise. I mean, who wants to wake up at 5am to let a dough rise? Not this mama. So, I’m very much here for any recipe where the second rise happens while I’m nice and comfy cozy in my bed. Just mix your dough, allow for a 2 hour rise, shape and assemble the rolls, and pop in the fridge. In the morning, let them come to room temp for 30 mins-1 hour and bake them up. Your body will thank you.
Similar Recipes
Love cinnamon rolls? Try out my Super Cinnamon Rolls for the ooey gooey buttery-est cinnamon rolls ever.
If you make these delicious olive oil cinnamon rolls, let me know here or on Instagram! I’d love to hear what you think.
Let’s do it.
1.Make and proof dough
2. Roll dough out
3. Mix together filling
4. Spread filling on
5. Roll ‘er up
6. Slice and place in pan
7. Proof overnight
8. Bake up & ice those babies
Music by: Of Monsters And Men
Bake to this music
Overnight Olive Oil Cinnamon Rolls
A lighter and more complex on classic cinnamon rolls, these boast olive oil in the dough and filling, as well as warm spices like cardamom and nutmeg. They bake up into soft and warm little pillows.
- Yield: 9 medium rolls 1x
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 3/4 cup milk, warmed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
- 2 eggs, room temp
- 3 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
For the filling:
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
For the icing:
- 4 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
- Make the dough. Mix together warmed milk, yeast, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Cover and allow the yeast to bloom for 10-15 minutes until frothy. Add olive oil, salt, flour, and eggs. With a mixer fitted with the bread hook (or your hands), mix on medium-high for about 5 minutes until the dough comes together, becomes elastic, and bounces back when poked. If kneading by hand, it will take about 10 minutes.
- Turn the dough out into a bowl coated with olive oil, cover, and allow to proof in a warm place for about 2 hours, until tripled in size. For notes on the proofing process, see my Tips + Tricks page.
- Turn proofed dough out on a floured surface. Shape the dough by stretching and rolling into a rectangle, roughly 18 inches x 10 inches in size. I like to use a bench scraper to keep the sides straight and the shape more squared off.
- Make your filling. In a medium bowl, mix brown sugar, olive oil, spices, and salt with a spatula until combined. The mixture will resemble wet sand. Spread/sprinkle the filling over the dough in a uniform layer.
- Roll your dough (starting on long side) to make a long log. Using a serrated knife (or my favorite, unflavored dental floss), cut the dough log into 9 even pieces. Arrange cinnamon rolls in a greased 9×9 square pan or 9 inch cake pan. Cover and put in the fridge to rise at least 8 hours or overnight.
- In the morning, remove rolls from the fridge and allow to rise at warm room temperature for 30 minutes-1 hour. Rolls will have puffed up slightly.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover rolls and bake on the middle rack for 25-30 minutes. If browning quickly, tent with tin foil halfway through bake time.
- Make the icing. Whisk together lemon juice, vanilla, milk, and powdered sugar until smooth. Spoon/drizzle icing all over warm cinnamon rolls.
- Serve warm! Cinnamon rolls keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days, or can be frozen for 1 month.
Notes
- I used extra virgin olive oil for olive oil in this recipe.