How To Make Cinnamon Roll Donuts?

With summer now in full swing, there aren’t many better treats to indulge in than donuts. In the current market, it seems like there are never-ending options when it comes to donut types, flavors and shapes, meaning all tastebuds are accounted for.

Today, we are going to be focusing on cinnamon roll donuts, looking at why cinnamon works so well as a donut flavor and providing you with ingredients and recipes to make these beauties at home. Let’s take a look.

A Background To Cinnamon Roll Donuts

Cinnamon roll donuts are essentially two classic bakery items rolled into one. Cinnamon rolls have been around for centuries and usually take the form of spiral-shaped pastries. They are particularly popular in Northern Europe in countries like Sweden, where the roll originated, Norway and Finland. They are also frequently found in Germany and Northern America.

They are so popular in Sweden and Finland that October 4^th is actually known and celebrated as ‘National Cinnamon Bun Day’ every year in both countries. All year round you will see them being consumed by locals during a trip to a coffee shop but on October 4^th they are literally everywhere!

Donuts, on the other hand, are found all over the world and can be eaten for breakfast, as a snack during the day or as a late-night treat. Unlike cinnamon rolls, donuts take many different forms and have become open to creativity with almost anything being on the table when it comes to donut toppings.

For those of you who have never tried a cinnamon roll, or any cinnamon-based treat, you are probably wondering what all the fuss is about. The best way to describe cinnamon is that it tastes sweet and citrusy and smells amazing. In other words, it is the perfect ingredient to add to any savory treat.

A cinnamon roll, or even a cinnamon roll donut for that matter, tastes fairly tangy with a soft, moist interior. The roll/donut should crumble in your mouth leaving you with a punchy feel on your tastebuds. It is a sweet treat that you simply have to try to truly appreciate.

Cinnamon roll donuts have become so popular that donut-selling giant, Krispy Kreme, has a day dedicated to them each week. Every Sunday, their version of a cinnamon roll donut is available to purchase from select stores across the world. If it’s good enough for Krispy Kreme then that tells you all you need to know.

However, today we are doing more than just pushing you towards your local Krispy Kreme store to pick one up. Instead, we are going to provide you with some ingredients and recipes to make your own. So, without further ado, let’s get into it.

Cinnamon Roll Donuts – Ingredients

There are two different ways in which you can go about creating cinnamon roll donuts – you can bake them, or you can fry them. While baked donuts may be healthier for you, fried ones are typically nicer, however, we will let you be the judge of that. Below, we have provided ingredients for using both methods to account for personal preference.

Ingredients for baked cinnamon roll donuts

For the donut batter:

• 250g of flour
• 50g of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• 80g of milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon of Greek yogurt
• ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract

For the topping:

• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons of flour

For the donut glaze:

• 75g of powdered sugar
• 70g of vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons of milk

Ingredients for fried cinnamon roll donuts

For the dough:

• 200g of warm milk
• 75g of sugar
• 1 pkg of dry yeast
• 2 large eggs
• 500g of flour
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• Vegetable oil for frying

For the filling:

• 75g of brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of melted butter
• 3 teaspoons of cinnamon

For the glaze:

• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 75g of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of melted butter
• 100g of warm milk

Cinnamon Roll Donuts – Step-by-step Instructions

Now that you have the ingredients for both baked and fried cinnamon roll donuts, it should be easy enough to just mix them all together and come out with the finished article, right? Well, not exactly. These donuts can be complex to make, depending on your baking experience.

Due to that, we have outlined some step-by-step instructions for you to follow, in line with both recipes, to give you the best chance possible of coming out of this with the best possible cinnamon roll donuts:

Instructions for baked cinnamon roll donuts

1. Start by preheating your oven to either 180C or 350F depending on your type of oven.
2. Grease two donut pans with cooking spray.
3. Take a large bowl and whisk together all the dry ingredients. For reference, these are the flour, the sugar, the baking powder, the cinnamon and the salt.
4. Once you have finished whisking together the dry ingredients, take a smaller bowl out and do the same with the wet ingredients. These are the milk, the egg, the yogurt and the vanilla extract.
5. Move the whisked wet ingredients into the same bowl as the whisked dry ingredients.
6. Mix together both sets of ingredients until they are all nicely bound together into a solid dough/batter.
7. Divide the dough/batter into 8 or 9 different donut molds (or as many as you can get out of the mixture). Aim for around 2 tablespoons per mold – don’t worry if it doesn’t look like much, it will all come together shortly.
8. Take another small bowl out and combine the topping ingredients together.
9. Wait until the mixture is a little crumbly and then divide the topping among your donuts.
10. Place the donuts in the oven and bake for around 10 minutes. Keep checking your donuts with a toothpick, and remove them from the oven once a toothpick comes out clean.
11. Place the donuts on a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes.
12. While the donuts are cooling, whisk together all of the glaze ingredients.
13. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the now-cooled donuts – do NOT do this while the donuts are still hot.
14. Wait for the glaze to settle on the donuts and then tuck in!

Instructions for fried cinnamon roll donuts

1. In a mixer, add the warm milk and sugar and stir them together until they dissolve.
2. Add the yeast, eggs and melted butter and mix together until they’ve combined.
3. Slowly add in the flour and salt, mixing together until you can roll the dough into a ball.
4. Roll the dough out so that it is flat on a lightly floured surface. Aim for a large rectangle of around ¼ inch thickness.
5. Run the melted butter through the dough and coat the dough with brown sugar and cinnamon.
6. Cut the dough into eight even donut-shaped pieces.
7. Heat up the oil to around 360F/180C and fry the rolls two batches at a time.
8. Fry each side for roughly two minutes until each donut is a nice, brown color all over.
9. Once you’ve fried all of the donuts, set them aside on a cooling rack while you make the glaze.
10. Combine all the glaze ingredients in a bowl and whisk until you have a nice smooth glaze. Once the donuts have cooled down, place each one into the glaze individually and place them back on the cooling rack for the glaze to set.
11. Once the glaze has properly set on the donuts, tuck in!

Frequently asked questions

What is the glaze on a donut?

The glaze on a donut is the sticky bit on the exterior. It is essential to have a glaze on a donut if you want to successfully add toppings such as cinnamon.

How long does it take to make cinnamon bun donuts?

This will vary depending on how skilled a baker you are. There is no rush, or time limit, though so take your time to ensure you follow each of our instructions carefully.

What is the recipe for Krispy Kreme’s cinnamon bun donuts?

There is no available recipe for Krispy Kreme’s cinnamon bun donuts right now. If you want to find out a little bit more about their limited-edition cinnamon bun donuts, then you should visit their website.

Final Words

To conclude, cinnamon bun donuts are something that everyone should try at least once in their lifetimes. We hope that through this article you have gained a greater understanding of the origins and taste of these sweet treats, while also now having a clear idea of how to go about making them yourself. We promise that you won’t regret it!