Cinnamon Roll Christmas Tree
/A Cinnamon Roll Christmas Tree is one of my favorite Christmas morning traditions. Who doesn’t love pillowy fresh-baked cinnamon rolls to enjoy while lounging about in pajamas and opening presents? Make Christmas breakfast easy by starting these homemade cinnamon rolls the night before. Enjoy plain or with a simple powdered sugar icing.
An Enriched Dough
With the addition of eggs, milk and butter, this type of dough is called an enriched dough because these ingredients result in a rich, buttery bread with a tender crumb. Exactly what you want in a homemade cinnamon roll, right? If you’ve never made yeasted bread from scratch or are intimidated by kneading, this cinnamon roll dough is one of the easiest to pull together.
Once you allow your yeast to proof (read more here), it is simply a matter of mixing together all of the wet ingredients before adding in the flour. My preferred method is to stir the ingredients in a large bowl with a wooden spoon and then knead it all together on a floured surface. You can also plop everything in a stand mixer with a bread hook attachment and let it do the work for you. Either way, you should end up with a smooth and elastic dough. Place in a large, greased bowl and cover. Let it proof for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size before shaping.
Assembling the Cinnamon Rolls
Once the dough has doubled in size, you have a blank slate to work with! To shape the cinnamon rolls, punch down the dough and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a 24”x12” rectangle. If the dough wants to spring back, let it rest for a few minutes. During this time you can start melting your butter and assembling the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Try to roll out your dough as rectangular as possible for even rolls. Brush your butter all around, leaving a ½” border around the edge. Next, sprinkle your cinnamon sugar evenly across the surface. You can use a knife or offset spatula to help spread it around.
Cinnamon Roll Christmas Tree Shaping Tips
Roll Lengthwise: It is important that you roll up your cinnamon roll log lengthwise and not widthwise so that you are able to cut it in 18 even pieces. If you roll it widthwise, your cinnamon rolls will be too wide and flat and difficult to fit onto a half sheet pan.
Roll Tightly: Try to make your cinnamon roll log as tightly as you can so that you have minimal sugar leakage and the rolls stay as compact as possible.
Pinch the Ends: Once you have fully rolled up your cinnamon roll log, pinch the ends securely so they don’t unravel during proofing and baking.
Cut into 18 Even Pieces: The easiest way to do this is to score the dough lightly. Start in the middle, then score each half in thirds and thirds again. Use a sharp knife to cut each roll fully.
Tree Formation: Arrange the cinnamon rolls in a Christmas tree pattern, leaving a ½” space in between each of the rolls. The row order is 1-2-3-4-5-2-1. To fit all of the cinnamon rolls, I would suggest using the larger middle rolls for the tree top and trunk and the smaller end rolls for the middle of the tree and the tree trunk.
Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
There are two points that you can make these overnight cinnamon rolls depending on if you want to shape them the night before or on Christmas morning. The second option will mean that you will be able to enjoy your cinnamon rolls sooner but perhaps you’d prefer to shape them on Christmas morning instead.
After kneading the dough: You can place the whole bowl in the fridge and let it proof overnight. The next morning, let the dough come to room temperature and then shape your rolls, proof again and bake.
After forming your Cinnamon Roll Christmas Tree: You can wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap and take it out the next morning to come to room temperature and bake.
Simple Powdered Sugar Icing
For a light icing to drizzle on top of your Cinnamon Roll Christmas Tree, combine powdered sugar and milk. The ideal consistency is thick with a slow drizzle so it still adheres to the top of the cinnamon rolls.
Sheet Pan Suggestions
A true half-sheet pan is 18” x13”. An off-size sheet pan may make it difficult to fit all of the cinnamon rolls when forming the tree shape.
I would also highly suggest using a sheet pan with a lip. There is a chance that some of the cinnamon sugar mixture will leak out, especially if you let the Cinnamon Roll Christmas Tree proof in the fridge overnight. Sugar is hydroscopic i.e. it attracts and bonds to water. As you will see, I had some slight leakage as well but that is totally okay!
Place cinnamon rolls on parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat to make sure that they don’t stick to the pan.
Cinnamon Rolls Storage and Reheating
If you don’t finish the whole Cinnamon Roll Christmas Tree, leftover cinnamon rolls can be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container or frozen for up to 3 months. Microwave for 15-20 seconds until warm. Don’t over-microwave as they will become dry and hard.
Making this Cinnamon Roll Christmas Tree recipe is a Christmas morning breakfast tradition in my family. I am a sucker for soft, fluffy cinnamon rolls and these are a fabulous way to enjoy them during the holiday season.
Cinnamon Roll Christmas Tree
Yields: 18 Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Bread
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon sugar
2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
½ cup warm milk
4 tablespoons melted butter
¼ cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
3-4 cups all-purpose flour
Filling
3 tablespoons melted butter
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ tablespoons brown sugar
Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
3-4 teaspoons milk
Steps
Proof yeast in a small bowl or measuring cup with the warm water, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, blend the milk, butter, sugar, eggs, nutmeg and salt until well combined. Add the yeast and then 1½ cups of flour. Stir until smooth. Continue to add flour until a soft, workable dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl is formed. Turn out on a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes.
Place in a greased bowl, and cover to let rise in a warm place for about 1½ - 2 hours. (At this point, you can also put the dough in the fridge to rise overnight. Remove from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature before shaping, about 2 hours.)
Punch down the dough and knead lightly. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. In the meantime, melt the butter and mix together the cinnamon, nutmeg, and both sugars in a small bowl. Place a piece of parchment or non-stick baking mat on a half sheet pan. Set aside.
To form Christmas tree shape, roll out the dough into a rectangle approximately 24" x 12". Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with the sugar leaving about ½” around the edge. Roll the dough lengthwise and pinch the ends together. Turn your cinnamon roll log over so the seam-side is down. With a sharp knife, cut roll into 18 even pieces. Arrange the cinnamon rolls in a Christmas tree pattern, leaving a ½” space in between each roll. The row order is 1-2-3-4-5-2-1.
Cover and let proof for about 45 minutes-1 hour or until doubled in size. (At this point, you can also put the dough in the fridge to rise overnight. Remove from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature before baking, about 2 hours.)
Bake in a preheated 350ºF oven for 18-20 minutes or until the top is golden brown. In the meantime, assemble the icing. Add milk to the powdered sugar one teaspoon at a time until the consistency is thick with a slow drizzle.
Drizzle the icing over the hot Cinnamon Roll Christmas Tree. Serve immediately and with extra icing if you desire.
