Small Batch Cinnamon Rolls

Soft, buttery brioche cinnamon rolls with a mascarpone frosting that melts just enough — the kind of small-batch baking that makes a quiet morning feel like a holiday.

These small-batch brioche cinnamon rolls are the kind of project that turns a slow morning into something special — soft, buttery, and just rich enough to feel a little luxurious without going overboard. The dough is tender and slightly sweet, the filling warm and aromatic, and the mascarpone frosting melts into all the right places.

If you’ve never made brioche before, don’t overthink it — this is a forgiving recipe. The dough might feel sticky at first (that’s the butter doing its job), but trust the process and let your mixer knead until it’s glossy and smooth. A slow overnight chill makes the dough easier to roll out and deepens the flavor, but you can just as easily shape and bake them the same day.

Tips & Tricks:

• If your yeast isn’t foaming, your milk was too hot — keep it under 110°F.

• Use a silicone spatula to spread the cinnamon-sugar filling; it keeps the dough from tearing.

• Brushing a little cream over the rolls before baking makes them softer and gooier.

• For the frosting, don’t skip chilling your cream — cold fat helps it whip into that cloud-like texture.

Serve these still-warm with a good cup of coffee and zero guilt about the frosting smudges on your fingers.

Small-Batch Brioche Dough

Ingredients

• 65 ml (5 tbsp) whole milk

• 5 g (1½ tsp) instant dried yeast (or active works too!)

• 170 g (1⅓ cups) all-purpose flour

• 20 g (1½ tbsp) granulated sugar

• Pinch of salt

• 1 large egg, at room temperature

• 35 g (2½ tbsp) butter, softened

For the filling:

• 4 tbsp softened butter

• 5 tbsp brown sugar

• 1.5 tbsp cinnnamon

• Optional: pinch of vanilla and/or salt

For the mascarpone frosting:

• 2 tbsp cream cheese, softened

• 2 tbsp mascarpone, softened

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

• 1/4 cup heavy cream, chilled

• Pinch of salt, vanilla

Instructions

1. Warm the milk:
   In a small saucepan, gently heat the milk over medium-low until it’s just warm to the touch. This should be no warmer than 110F. Remove from the heat and whisk in the yeast. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, until foamy.

2. Mix the dry ingredients:
   In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, and salt on low speed.

3. Add wet ingredients:
   Pour the milk–yeast mixture into the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until a rough, shaggy dough begins to form (about a minute). Add the egg and continue mixing for 5 minutes on medium until incorporated.

4. Develop the dough:
   Increase the mixer speed to medium and knead for 4–5 minutes, or until the dough starts to pull away cleanly from the sides and forms a smooth ball.

5. Add the butter:
   With the mixer running on medium speed, add the softened butter one tablespoon at a time. Once all the butter is incorporated, increase speed slightly and knead for another 5–6 minutes on medium-high until the dough is elastic and silky.

6. First rise:
   Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled in size (about 1 to 1½ hours).

7. Chill or shape:
   Once risen, punch the dough down to release air. You can chill it overnight to deepen the flavor or shape it right away — roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about ¼ inch to a 1/2 inch thick for making the cinnamon rolls.

8. Spread the butter, sugar and cinnamon roll filling into an even layer. This might tug at the dough so be delicate about it. I used a silicone spatula (it doesn’t have to be perfect, just make sure the filling spreads across most of the dough).

9. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, carefully slice the oval into 6 even, long strips. Then, take one end of the strip and begin rolling to shape into cinnamon buns.

10. Second Proof: Once each roll is shaped, transfer them a lightly buttered baking dish, spacing apart to allow room for proofing. Tightly wrap the baking dish and set aside to proof for another hour, or until doubled in size.

11. Bake: Optionally, you can drizzle some heavy cream onto the cinnamon rolls (no more than a few tbsp) if you like them softer and gooey. Preheat oven to 350F and bake the puffed up cinnamon rolls for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. The internal temperature should be 190F to ensure the dough is cooked through.

12. Frosting: Combine the softened cheese and powdered sugar with a whisk until smooth and somewhat aerated. Then, add in the vanilla and salt. Whisk in the chilled whip cream (I used a milk frother to get is fluffy before folding it in, but you can skip this step) and continue whisking until smooth. Apply to the chilled cinnamon rolls (not straight out of the oven, or else it’ll be too runny!)