The BEST Overnight Brioche Cinnamon Buns
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
These brioche cinnamon buns can be made the day before serving, stuck in the fridge, and baked the following morning or made entirely the same day. It’s a simple no-knead dough, but the result is outstanding: a light but rich cinnamon bun blanketed with the most delicious cream cheese frosting. Kids and adults alike go wild!
About this time last year, someone messaged me on Instagram telling me she had used the brioche recipe from Bread Toast Crumbs to make cinnamon buns.
Inspired by this Washington Post article, she also assembled the pans of buns the night before and baked them in the morning.
It worked like a charm, she said, which inspired me to try it immediately. The method worked beautifully for me as well—an overnight Christmas miracle!
Overnight Brioche Cinnamon Buns How-to
- Make the brioche, Bread Toast Crumbs-style: whisk together the dry ingredients; mix together the wet ingredients, combine the two, and let rise — no kneading, no fuss!
- After 2 hours, turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and divide into two equal portions. Roll out each portion into a large rectangle.
- Spread a cinnamon-brown sugar-butter mixture evenly over top.
- Roll each rectangle into a tight coil. Cut each into 9 equal portions. Space each coiled bun equally in an 8- or 9-inch pan.
- Transfer the pans to the fridge to rise overnight; then bake in the morning. Or let the buns rise at room temperature for another hour (or so) and bake immediately.
Brioche Cinnamon Rolls
- Gather your ingredients: flour, salt, sugar, instant yeast, water, milk, melted butter, eggs.
- Stir together dry ingredients. Stir together wet ingredients. Mix to form a sticky dough ball.
- Let rise in a warm spot for about 2 hours or until doubled.
- Turn dough out onto a floured surface and divide into two portions. Shape each into a ball.
- Roll each round into a large rectangle.
- Spread with a brown sugar-butter mixture.
- Roll into a coil.
- Cut coil into 9 pieces.
- Transfer to 9-inch square baking dish. At this point, you can let it rise for about 30-40 minutes, then bake. Or you can transfer the pan to the fridge and bake the following morning.
- Bake buns for 25 minutes.
- Beat cream cheese with confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
- Frost the buns in the pan or …
… turn the buns out onto a board and frost on the board. - Serve!
The BEST Overnight Brioche Cinnamon Buns
- Total Time: 12 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 9-18
Description
Yield = 9 or 18 buns
This dough recipe is the light brioche recipe from Bread Toast Crumbs.
The assembled pans of buns can rise in the fridge overnight and baked directly from the fridge (no additional rising on the counter top) in the morning.
The assembled pans can also be frozen. Thaw at room temperature about 6 hours before you plan to bake. Then bake as directed in recipe.
*For lukewarm water: Mix 1.5 cups cold water with .5 cups boiling water. Or, simply, use 2 cups warmish tap water.
Ingredients
for the dough for 18 rolls:
- 6 cups (768 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup (77 g) sugar
- 2.5 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups (454 g) lukewarm water* (see notes above)
- 1/2 cup (125 g) milk, 2% or whole
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
for the dough for 9 rolls:
- 3 cups (384 g) all-purpose flour
- 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1.5 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 egg
- 1 cup (227 g) lukewarm water
- 1/4 cup (62 g) milk
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
for the filling (halve these quantities if making 9 rolls):
- 1.5 cups packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup cinnamon
- pinch salt
- 12 tablespoons melted butter
for the glaze (halve these quantities if making 9 rolls):
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- milk or cream to thin
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar and yeast.
- In a separate large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the water, milk and melted butter. Whisk to combine. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry and mix with a rubber spatula until combined; the mixture will be wet and sticky. Cover the bowl with a bowl cover or tea towel and let rise until doubled, 2 hours.
- Flour a work surface generously and have more flour nearby — use as much flour as you need to prevent sticking to your hands and work surface. I can’t emphasize this enough: this is a sticky dough, and if you don’t use enough flour, it will stick. (Watch the video if you’re looking for visual guidance.)
- Turn dough out onto work surface. Divide into two equal portions. At this point, you could transfer one half to a buttered loaf pan and simply bake a brioche loaf. Or, you can make two pans of cinnamon buns.
- Form each half into a rough ball, using flour as needed for the board and your hands. Let rest while you make the filling.
- Make the filling: Place the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Pour the melted butter over top. Mix with a fork or spoon to combine. Set aside.
- Butter or grease with nonstick spray a 9×9- or 8×8-inch baking pan.
- Working with one round at a time, pat or roll out dough into a rectangle about 15×11 inches — it doesn’t have to be exact, but don’t go larger than that. Spread the filling over top, using your hands to spread if necessary. Starting at the short end, roll the rectangle into a tight coil. Cut into 9 equal pieces. Transfer to prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Cover each pan with plastic wrap or a bowl cover or tea towel and transfer to the fridge.
- The following morning, heat the oven to 375ºF.
- Transfer pans to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese with the sugar, vanilla, and salt until light. Thin with milk if desired.
- Remove pan from the oven. Let buns cool briefly. Spread frosting over top or turn buns out onto a serving platter, and spread the frosting over top. Serve warm with more frosting on the side.
- Prep Time: 12 hours
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
425 Comments on “The BEST Overnight Brioche Cinnamon Buns”
I made the dough last night and put them in the oven this morning. They were delicious! I always love the recipes and videos on your site. Thank you!
So happy to hear this, Heather! 😍😍😍
I made these for Easter Covid19 yesterday. I wanted to share with a fellow distancing friend. My husband said NO. It was our breakfast, lunch, and dinner dessert. Hahaha. They turned out so well I can now feel confident to make and share the next batch. I used bread flour and they were very fluffy and delicious.
I’m so happy to hear this, Sandy 🙂 🙂 🙂 We had a similar dining experience yesterday, though it was hot cross buns morning noon and night 🙂 Happy Easter!
Simple ingredients and great outcome. The family loved them. Will make again for sure!
Thanks so much for sharing.
Wonderful to hear this, Natasha!
This has become my go-to baking gift. I bake it into a swirled loaf instead of the buns for easier giving. I love it! I admit I often have to experiment with it a bit for my nondairy and vegan and even gluten free friends, and I usually use a frangipane filling for the loaf – the beauty of this recipe is how well it works even with crazy substitutions.
Wonderful to hear all of this, Livvy! Thanks so much for writing and for sharing — so helpful and encouraging for others.
I LOVE these cinnamon rolls! My go to recipe, have done it many times, always perfect. Question, have you tried these with oat or cashew milk? I m making our non dairy milk and we love cashew and oat… do you think it would work? Thank you!
Wonderful to hear this, Efi!! I have not tried with oat or cashew milk, but I am a huge fan of both of those milks, and I think either would be delicious here. Go for it!
ok I will try and report back!
I’m currently making these and the dough was so wet that I couldn’t handle it to make any folds to begin shaping. The dough literally ran through my fingers. I had to add a ton of flour and work it by hand until it was strong enough to handle.
Any thoughts as to why this may have happened? Maybe I didn’t let it sit long enough for the gluten to develop before turning it out?
I double checked and made sure I followed the instructions correctly for a double batch…
Hi Gerrit! Question: are you using a scale to measure the flour? I don’t think letting it sit longer would have made a difference … this is definitely a very wet/sticky dough and it sounds as though you just need to use more flour or to cut back the liquid. What type of flour are you using? And do you live in a humid environment?
I had something very similar happen… they will be baked tomorrow morning so we’ll see how they turn out… I made the focaccia recipe yesterday and it was so easy and turned out amazing… I’m disappointed in myself that this didn’t go so smooth 😐
Hi RG! Same questions for you: did you use a scale? I think it may just be a matter of cutting back the liquid. Let me know how they baked!
just to ask a question is it ok to use active dry yeast
Yes! Sprinkle it over the liquid ingredients (the water, milk, egg, melted butter) and let it stand for 15 minutes or until it gets foamy.
Thank you for answering this question. That the type of yeast I have as well.
I love this recipe. I’ve tried a couple different recipes from other sources, and found the dough too dry and simply not good if not doused with frosting. This dough though… it’s springy, fluffy, yet sturdy, and I could eat it alone all day long. With the cinnamon filling and cream cheese frosting? Forget about it. I decided to make a batch for tomorrow but it’s too late to wait the 2 hour ride, so I’m going to try the first rise in the fridge and the second at room temp. Fingers crossed!
Wonderful to hear this, Serene! The fridge method works beautifully. Hope you love it 💕💕💕💕
The dough definitely got way too wet and sticky when I switched up the rises… I’ll plan better and stick to the method as written going forward! They’re still delicious but the dough was very annoying to manage. I didn’t have this problem the first time.
Oh no! OK, bummer to hear this.
I will never make cinnamon rolls from another recipe again. This was my first attempt at anything brioche and I most definitely mishandled the dough, but they were the best I’ve ever had. Cinnabon has nothing this. Even though I rolled the dough too thin the individual layers stayed fluffy and tender. I can’t rate this high enough.
Oh Amber, so wonderful to hear this! The dough definitely can be a little tricky to work with, but it’s forgiving, too. So glad you loved these 😍😍😍
Have you tried substituting the yeast for starter? Or would you recommend it?
I really want to try this recipe and use up some of my discard starter. Last question, if I wanted to try using the starter how much should I use. Thanks!!
Hi Amanda! I haven’y tried this yet! And I hesitate to recommend a method because I have not yet ventured into the sweet sourdough bread world yet. I always start with 100 g starter … you’ll definitely want to decrease the liquid amount here, but I’m just not sure by exactly how much. Let me know if you give it a go!
I baked this today, and they turned out so amazing!! The brioche was super soft and fluffy – loved how it is a no-knead brioche recipe. I did not let it sit overnight, I left it to rise for ~30min after rolling. I just couldn’t wait, haha. Thanks Alexandra, this recipe will definitely be a staple in my kitchen.
Wonderful to hear this, Debbie! Thanks for writing 😍😍😍
I have made this several times, it’s by far may favorite cinnamon roll recipe. My question is, can you leave the eggs out, or substitute them? I want to make these when I visit family and my niece is allergic to eggs. Thanks!
Wonderful to hear this, Laurie! I think you can leave them out without making any substitutions.
Are you able to make the dough and keep it in the refrigerator for two days instead of one?
I would imagine. Be sure to cover the pan tightly — maybe rub it lightly with oil or if you can stick the pan in a ziplock bag, that’s a good idea to prevent the dough from drying out.
Perfect! Buns turned out great. Somehow I forgot the milk in the dough….. I don’t know how I missed this. Even still they turned out greats. I also foolishly put them in the pan right side up instead of swirl side up…. I will make again and make the correct way but even with my errors they were still delicious and didn’t last long
Wonderful to hear this! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
Made them again today and followed the recipe exactly and they turned out fantastic!!! This is a keeper for sure.
Wonderful to hear this!
If I wanted to make these and freeze some, would you recommend freezing the dough before or after baking? And if I wanted to do a frosting or glaze with something other than cream cheese, are there any substitutes that you would advise?
Hi Maggie! Sorry for the delay here. You can freeze the rolls after they are shaped and in the pan — cover the pan well or stick it in a large ziploc bag and freeze immediately. Or you can freeze after you bake for simplicity. You could do a simple confectioners sugar + milk glaze. Was there something else you had in mind regarding the glaze?
10/10 so good it’s dangerous lol
I made the recipe for the 18 buns and we were eating it all week. Also the icing is SO good, every icing recipe I’ve tried hasn’t been the best but this one is amazing.
Wonderful to hear this, Giovanna! Thanks so much for writing 😍😍😍😍😍
These cinnamon buns are great! I have now made them for Easter and Thanksgiving breakfasts (and a couple times in between) and they are a crowd pleaser. Super moist and fluffy with the perfect amount of filling.
Oh yay! So nice to hear this, Emily! Thanks so much for writing. As soon as the weather turned up here, my kiddos started requesting them 🙂
Ali, can this recipe be frozen at any point? I have a new baby on the way and would love to have these prepped for Thanksgiving! Thank you for all of your amazing recipes, I am new to your blog and have had great results with what I’ve tried!
Hi Grace! And yes, after you shape the buns and get them in the pan, freeze the pan. Tuck it into a ziplock bag. Thaw at room temperature or in the fridge overnight before baking — if you thaw in the fridge, you’ll likely need to let it rise at room temperature for a few hours before baking.
So nice to hear all of this 🙂 🙂 🙂
I made a dairy free version of this recipe with flora spread instead of butter and soya milk instead of cow’s milk. Straight from the oven this morning, I can confirm they look and taste delicious! So light and fluffy and just the right amount of sweetness. Thanks for the recipe.
Wonderful to hear this, Helen! Thanks so much for writing and for sharing your dairy-free version … so helpful for others. Enjoy!
Thank you for your comment. My 40 year old son loves cinnamon rolls, but can’t have them since he was recently diagnosed with a probable milk protein allergy. I’ll try making some with vegan butter and soy milk as you suggested. I’m not familiar with the brand you recommended — I use Miyoko’s .
After resting in the fridge overnight, should the buns come to room temp before going in the oven in the morning? Or can they go straight from fridge to oven with a stop for the oven to come to temperature? Thanks!
Good question, Nicole! I should add some notes. I generally don’t have to let it come to room temperature but take a look at your rolls and if they don’t look as though they puffed much in the fridge overnight, letting them rest at room temperature for 45-60 minutes, is a good idea. If they look puffed and as though they are filling the pan, you can pop them right in the oven. Good luck!
I made these today. I have made the light brioche bread from your cook book several times so I knew it was going to be good. After I put them in the pan I let them rise for about 50 minutes and I baked them right away. They were amazing… ate 2 at one sitting:) I was wondering if you suggest the overnight as part of the method meaning it turns out better that way or is it to have cinnamon buns for breakfast, hope that makes sense. I love your cookbook and have made several of the breads, all turn out perfect. Also your videos are so helpful. Thanks for sharing!
So nice to hear all of this, Robyn! Thanks so much for writing. Means a lot.
Regarding your question: I do not do the overnight rise for improvements in flavor. It’s simply to get the work out of the way and to be able to rise to freshly baked buns without having to do work in the morning 🙂 🙂 🙂
Let me know if there is anything else!
Thanks!! So it will work great either way!! 🙂
Can’t wait to make this…after my cookies and potato latkes!! Would it compromise the taste of the glaze by omitting the cream cheese??
Hi Joyce! I think you can definitely simply make a confectioners sugar glaze … it will be different, but still good. You’ll need to adjust the amount of milk to get the consistency right. Happy Baking!
I haven’t made this yet, but wanted to thank you for the VIDEO. If I had made it without watching and the dough was that soft, I would have thought I missed some flour, would have certainly added way too much flour. Looking forward to trying these!
My pleasure! Let me know if you have any questions once you get going.
My third attempt, and recipe, for making cinnamon rolls. These were definitely lighter and more flavorful. I love that it makes 9 or 18. Perfect for small for big crowd. Also, this was easy to make and not messy, as long as liberally add flour as your video instructs. I cooked them for 25 minutes. After sitting on the counter, a few of the center rolls are shorter than the rest. Maybe I should have cooked them for 30 minutes. I pulled them out of the oven when they were light brown on top. Thank you Alexandra!!
So great to hear this, Doran! And yes, I would err on the side of over baking to prevent them from falling once they are out of the oven, but honestly, even the ones that sink for me are delicious. Thanks so much for writing!
These were amazing!!! I have never ever made cinnamon buns by scratch before and these came out perfectly. We couldn’t make the icing (my partner is lactose intolerant, but okay with butter lol) but the buns were just amazing! Can’t thank you enough for these recipes and your videos!!! The videos make the biggest difference for me. SO helpful. 🙂
So great to hear this, Rachel 🙂 🙂 🙂 I’m so glad the videos are helpful, and I’m so glad the buns were a success. Happy happy holiday!
I just made a second batch! SO GOOD! 🙂 This time I added cubes of apple, so yummy! Does make them a bit more full and some juice spilled out as it baked but very good. I tried something different in this round, instead of melting butter for the filling, I let it soften on the counter and then I mixed the sugar and cinnamon with it. Takes a little bit longer to mix BUT it was so much easier to spread it on the dough and make a super even layer. Obviously, not super necessary but I love getting an even, smooth layer of filling 😉
So great to hear this, Rachel! Thanks so much for writing and sharing. I totally hear you on the softened butter … I do that with my other rolls. I need to make a note in the recipe. I think others might find that method easier, too. Anyway, so glad you like these. Wishing you a Happy Happy New year!!
Just made a test batch for Christmas gifting -so very yummy !! Thank you for sharing this recipe, it has changed my Cinnamon Roll baking forever ! I do have a quick question – IF there are any leftovers, should they be stored in the refrigerator due to the cream cheese frosting ?
Hi Cathy! So great to hear this. It’s probably a good idea to store in the fridge due to the cream cheese frosting. Likely, nothing would spoil if the leftovers sit for a day at room temperature, but if they might sit longer, I would tuck the whole pan into an airtight bag or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Thanks for writing!
Hello!! I am very excited to try this recipe! I have a 9.5 in glass pie plate, can I use that to proof and bake these? Will it change the baking time at all?
Thank you so much in advance!
Yes, absolutely! I’m stating the obvious here, but make the amount of dough for 9 rolls. Happy baking!
The dough is so soft and fluffy, going to be perfect for Christmas morning, I can already tell! I made the recipe for 9 but then accidentally forgot to do the same for the filling and icing– oh well– better more than less. Wonderful recipe.
So nice to hear this, Amberly! And yes to more icing and filling … maybe you’ll just have to make another batch?? Happy holidays to you!
Hi Ali,
If you want to make the rolls the day of, can the 2nd rise be done on the countertop? An hour? Or two? Or is the overnight in the fridge kind of imperative for taste, texture, positive outcome? Thank you!
Hi Michelle! Oh yes, absolutely. Your first rise will be 2-3 hours — if you do the warm oven trick (turn it on, turn it off a minute later), the dough should be ready to be shaped in 2 hours. Once you shape them, the second rise should take around 30-45 minutes. The overnight rise is mostly for east of efforts in the morning; not for texture, taste, etc. Happy holidays to you!
I am going to try this recipe today. I cannot wait until they are done. Can the dough hold longer than overnight in the fridge? If so, how long? Thank you.
Hi Toni! So sorry for the delay here. Yes, just be sure the pan is tightly covered in plastic wrap or placed in an airtight bag — this will prevent a crust from forming on the surface of the dough. I would guess 36 would be the upper limit … maybe a bit longer. The worry is that rolls expand too much if they spend too much time in the fridge.
Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness! These are beyond! Cooked them this morning for Christmas breakfast and they are the nicest cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had.
I’m sad I only made a half batch!
Thank you, Ali!
Wonderful to hear this, Prudence!! Hope you find time to make another (full!) batch soon 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks for writing.