Old Fashioned Cinnamon Rolls (Copycat Ann Sather’s Recipe)

There are few things better than an old fashioned cinnamon roll. Ultra soft, fluffy, and melt-in-your-mouth, this is a tough cinnamon roll recipe to beat! It’s taken from Ann Sather’s restaurant recipe book, aka home of the best cinnamon roll in Chicago. 

This recipe was inspired by Ann Sathers’s cinnamon rolls. For those unfamiliar, Ann Sather’s is a restaurant in Chicago that has been around since 1945, primarily known for its breakfast and famous cinnamon rolls. They serve a variety of really great foods but if you search for the best cinnamon rolls in the city this is where to find them! Much to our luck, they have their recipe posted online for the world to use. It’s so great that I wanted to share it with all of you. 

These cinnamon rolls are seriously soft and fluffy. When they’re still warm they practically melt in your mouth. If a hug from Grandma could be captured in a dessert, I think this would be it.

Here’s the link to the original recipe if you want it. There are a lot of other great recipes in their online cookbook so make sure to check them out. 🙂 

Ingredients and Notes

• All-Purpose Flour: I recommend using a digital food scale to measure flour, as it is easy to accidentally over-measure it.
• Active Dry Yeast: This recipe is written for active dry yeast, which needs to be activated before using. Active dry yeast also rises more slowly than instant or rapid-rise yeast. If you want to substitute instant yeast, make sure to do the following:
  • Only use an amount equal to 75% of what this recipe calls for.
  • Skip the step where you activate the yeast in milk, and instead mix it directly into the flour. 
  • The rise time will be quicker with instant/rapid yeast, so start checking in on your dough earlier on. 
• Whole Milk: Using whole milk results in a richer. If you would like to reduce the fat, then I’d recommend 2% milk, but avoid skim milk.
• Butter: butter goes into all parts of the recipe — the dough, filling, and icing. You can use either salted or unsalted, depending on preference.
• Granulated sugar: to add sweetness to the dough.
• Dark brown sugar and ground cinnamon: these are for the cinnamon roll filling. Dark brown sugar works best since it has that really rich, deep flavor.
• Powdered sugar: for the classic cinnamon roll icing.

Scalded Milk for Cinnamon Rolls

What is scalded milk and why does this recipe call for it?

One of the key ingredients in this recipe is scalded milk. Scalding is a technique that you find in a lot of older bread recipes. It was a common practice used to kill off bacteria prior to the invention of pasteurization. While we don’t have to worry about this anymore, scalding milk still has a multitude of other benefits when it comes to baking.

Scalded milk is milk that has been heated to right before boiling (around 180 degrees F), and then cooled down. This process weakens the whey proteins, which inhibit yeast from doing its job. Deactivating the whey lets the yeast work better, which means faster proofing, larger volume, and a fluffier dough.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: SCALD MILK AND Activate yeast

In a small saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until bubbles start to form around the edges and the milk reaches 180 degrees F. The shallower the pan, the faster this will take. Make sure that the milk does not boil! Pour the milk into a heatproof bowl or glass and let it cool down until just warm to the touch. Do not use the milk while it is still hot, as it will kill the yeast.

Once the milk is cool, mix some warm water, a tsp of sugar, and the yeast together. Make sure that the water is not too hot or it will kill the yeast. A great way to test this is to dip your (clean) finger into the milk. It should feel slightly warm to the touch. The yeast is ready when it is foamy (~5-10 minutes).

STEP 2: MAKE AND PROOF THE DOUGH

Whisk the yeast, milk, butter, sugar, and salt together. Start adding in the flour and knead it all together for 6-8 minutes in a mixer with the hook attachment. The end dough will be tacky but not unmanageable. Don’t worry if the dough seems too sticky when you first start kneading it–it will become less sticky as the gluten builds up. 

Cover and let the dough rise in a warm spot for around an hour, or until it’s doubled in size. You can test if the dough is proofed by poking it with your finger. If it springs back very slowly, then it’s ready. If it springs back quickly, then it needs more time.

STEP 3: SHAPE THE ROLLS

Split the dough in two and roll each into a 12×8 inch rectangle. Spread softened butter over the dough, and then sprinkle the filling on top and use your fingers to rub it into the butter. Tightly roll up each piece of dough starting from the long edge, jelly roll style. Cut the logs into 2″ pieces and then lay them into a greased 9×13 inch baking dish. 

STEP 4: BAKE AND SERVE

Let the rolls rise for a second time, until they’ve doubled in size again and are visibly puffy. Bake for around 25 minutes, or until they start to turn golden brown. Drizzle with icing while they’re still warm and enjoy immediately!

Make Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

If you don’t have a ton of time in the morning you can make these rolls ahead of time rise the rolls overnight. After laying the rolls into a baking dish, cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap and place it into the fridge. When you get up in the morning, let the rolls warm up on the counter for 1-1.5 hours until they are at room temperature and puffy. This is extremely important to finish up the second rise. From there, follow instructions to bake the rolls.

The trick to perfect cinnamon roll slices

To be honest, cutting cinnamon roll dough is tricky. Using a knife often leads to squished rolls. The trick is to actually use floss! Grab some unflavored (unless you’re okay with the mint) floss, wrap it around the roll where you want to cut it, then cross the ends at the top and pull. This method will leave you with a perfect, pretty slice. 

Pin and Save for Later

Interested in making this recipe but not ready to bake yet? Simply hover over any image in this post (or tap if you’re on mobile) to pin it and save for later. You can also directly pin the recipe box below.

If you love these cinnamon rolls I’d also recommend checking out my other favorites such as caramel pecan cinnamon rolls or milk bread cinnamon rolls.

Happy baking my friends!