I Didn’t Think Cinnamon Rolls Could Get Softer… Then I Tried This Amish Trick

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My take on Amish cinnamon rolls yields pillowy soft, unbelievably melt-in-your-mouth cinnamon rolls that rival any you’ll find a a farmer’s market. The secret? A simple pantry staple that makes all the difference. Recipe includes a how-to video!

Close up of Amish cinnamon roll that's been cut into with fork showing fluffy, gooey, cinnamon-y interior.

The BEST Amish Cinnamon Rolls

I’ll be honest, this recipe was never supposed to make it onto the blog. I started working on my “secret ingredient” cinnamon rolls several years ago, and since I already have a classic cinnamon roll recipe, overnight cinnamon rolls, a no-yeast cinnamon roll and… well, quite a few more, I hadn’t intended on adding another version to the website, and I’d planned on making it a cookbook exclusive.

Well, obviously, that didn’t happen. Once I finally cracked the recipe for these Amish cinnamon rolls, they were honestly too good not to share immediately. They’re soft and tender, insanely pillowy, covered with the most luscious cream cheese frosting, and made in traditional Amish style, meaning we’re adding mashed potatoes (yes, mashed potatoes, trust me!) to the dough.

Why This Recipe WORKS

Amish-market perfecton, but at home. Just like the rolls from an Amish farmer’s market or bakery they’re big, buttery, ultra-soft, and topped with just the right amount of icing (a lot!).
Secret ingredient: mashed potatoes (yes, really!). This is an old fashioned trick that’s used in many bread doughs like my potato buns or sweet potato dinner rolls. The starches in the potato hold onto moisture and yield a softer, more tender crumb that stays soft for days (not that these will last that long…).
Softened butter = better rise and texture: While melted butter works, it can also make the dough a bit heavier. Softened butter, added gradually, makes the dough more tender and encourages a higher rise (for fluffier rolls).
Make-ahead and freezer friendly! These rolls can be prepped the night before and baked in the morning; I include instructions for this in the recipe notes. They also freeze well!

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The BEST Amish Cinnamon Rolls
Why This Recipe WORKS
Ingredients
How to Make Amish Cinnamon Rolls
Frequently Asked Questions
More Penn-Dutch Recipes
Amish Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

Let’s chat about a few of the key players before we dive in.

Bread flour. A higher protein bread flour really is best for the ideal (think chewy) cinnamon roll texture, but all-purpose works in a pinch. You need at least four cups, but have more on hand as the amount you will need to add will vary depending on your kitchen.
Active dry yeast. Make sure your yeast is alive and active (it needs to develop a foamy cap once it’s mixed with the warm liquid); if it’s not, the recipe won’t work! You could try to make this recipe with instant yeast, but I have found it doesn’t make too much of a difference time-wise.
Mashed potato. Don’t use leftover mashed potatoes that were made with butter, cream, etc. You want plain, unseasoned potato, and it’s best if it’s room temperature or even slightly warm. I typically use a russet potato that I’ve microwaved (simple, detailed instructions in the recipe notes below).
Brown sugar & cinnamon. Regular granulated sugar enriches and sweetens the dough, but for the filling I like light brown sugar. If you only have dark brown, that will work too. Or, make your own light brown sugar using the instructions in my post on how to make brown sugar.
Cream cheese. Stick with full-fat, block style cream cheese for the best results. Using low-fat or spreadable could result in a frosting that’s too runny.

As always, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

SAM’S TIP: While I usually use melted butter in my homemade cinnamon rolls, I’ve found that softened butter can actually make a really positive difference. While melted butter works (and well), the gradual addition helps with the gluten development and makes for a crumb with higher lift, ensuring more moist, fluffy, and soft results. We’ll form the dough first, add most of the flour, and get all that flour hydrated before adding the butter a tablespoon at a time.

How to Make Amish Cinnamon Rolls

activated/foamy yeast for cinnamon rolls

Step 1: Activate the yeast. The milk and water need to be warm, but not too hot, aim for 115F (stir before temping!). Add the yeast and a pinch of sugar, stir everything together, and let it sit until you have a nice foamy cap on the liquid. This should take 5-10 minutes, if you’ve waited longer and there’s no activation, your yeast may just be bad (or maybe you made the mistake I once did and added a pinch of salt instead of sugar — whoops!). Regardless, if you don’t get the foam you’ll have to start over.

Mixing bowl with amish cinnamon roll dough and a tablespoon of butter and kitchenaid paddle attachment.

Step 2: Make the dough. Add the remaining sugar as well as the mashed potato, eggs, salt, and just 3 cups of the flour. Add softened butter a tablespoon at a time (helps encourage proper gluten development and the softest, pillowiest results), then gradually add additional flour until the dough clings to itself.

Windowpane test when making cinnamon rolls -- stratching a piece of dough until it's thin enough to see light through.

Step 3: Knead well. Exactly how long this takes will vary, but it’s typically 5-10 minutes and you’re looking for a smooth, elastic dough; I like to run this one past the the windowpane test. Basically, if you pinch off a large piece you can gently stretch it to be thin enough that you can see light through it if you hold it up to a light source. And speaking of kneading… I prefer a mixer because you don’t need to add as much flour (the dough can get a bit sticky when kneading by hand, requiring more flour to be added), so the rolls usually end up softer and more pillowy if you use a stand mixer. But, let’s be real, the Amish aren’t using stand mixers so you can certainly make these without one. 😉

risen cinnamon roll dough in a large glass bowl.

Step 4: First rise. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased (I just use olive oil, but any cooking oil works) bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm spot until doubled in size. This is usually a 1-2 hour wait for me.

Overhead of hands rolling up cinnamon dough into a log.

Step 5: Add the filling. Deflate the dough (one of the most satisfying moments of this whole process), then roll it out into a rectangle. Spread softened butter evenly over the dough, leaving a small border unbuttered. Sprinkle the filling, then roll the dough into a tight log, pinching the ends together to make a seam (otherwise they come undone, totally intentionally illustrated in some of these photos).

Placing cut cinnamon roll dough into pan..

Step 6: Cut into rolls. Some people use dental floss, some use a sharp knife, I like a serrated bread knife to gently and evenly saw through the dough without squishing it. Slice the dough into 12 even pieces, then arrange them into a generously buttered 9×13″ pan (I prefer glass or ceramic, metal will bake for less time).

Overhead view of Amish cinnamon rolls after proofing (before baking).

Step 7: Second rise. Cover and let the rolls rise again until puffy and most of the gaps between them have been filled. In my kitchen this is typically pretty fast, about half an hour, so have your oven preheating in the meantime.

Overhead view of spreading cream cheese cinnamon roll icing on to Amish cinnamon rolls.

Step 8: Bake & frost. Uncover the rolls and bake until the tops are just starting to turn light golden brown, about 30 minutes. You can frost the pretty much right away if you’d like, the icing will be more thin and glossy this way, or for a thicker icing let them cool. If you don’t like cream cheese frosting, try my cream cheese-less classic cinnamon roll icing, instead.

SAM’S TIP: To be sure that they are baked all the way through, I like to use a thermometer to check the internal temperature of my rolls (look for 180-185F).

Close up of baking dish full of Amish cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are Amish cinnamon rolls so good?

Not only are they huge, Amish cinnamon rolls have a uniquely tender and moist texture unlike any other. They get this texture from mashed potatoes–more on this below!

What’s the secret to Amish cinnamon roll dough?

Mashed potatoes! Sounds weird, but the potatoes are what makes all the difference here. Potato starch holds moisture better, making the dough more pillowy, tender, moist (not gummy!) and smooth. The rolls are also taller as a result, making them look as incredible as they taste!

Can I use a different frosting?

Absolutely! You could use the topping from my sticky buns, or try one of my cake frostings (you’ll need much less, either quarter or halve the recipe!) like my caramel frosting, coffee frosting, or peanut butter frosting. If you don’t care for cream cheese, you could also try my classic cinnamon roll icing (no cream cheese!).