These soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls use a dough that is just two ingredients and doesn’t require any yeast. These rolls are easier and faster to make than traditional cinnamon rolls and taste just as good.
I don’t make cinnamon rolls often but when I do, I love making them with this shortcut dough. No yeast is required so you don’t need to proof the dough and wait for it to rise. The cinnamon rolls are ready in about an hour including baking time.
Ingredients
- Self-rising flour
- Vanilla Greek yogurt
Self-rising flour: Self-rising flour is flour that already has baking powder and salt added to it. These rolls rely on baking powder to rise instead of yeast. You can also make your own self-rising flour by combining all purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
Vanilla nonfat Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt is the key to getting the right consistency for the dough. Do not use regular yogurt because regular yogurt is too runny and has too much moisture. Vanilla flavored Greek yogurt is used for this dough to add vanilla flavor and a little sweetness to the dough so it isn’t too tangy.
These are the only two ingredients needed to make the dough. You will also need cinnamon, sugar and butter to make the cinnamon roll filling.
How to Make No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls
- The self-rising flour and yogurt are mixed together until a dough forms. The dough is then rolled out to a 10 x 14 inch rectangle.
- Cinnamon, sugar and softened butter are mixed together to form the cinnamon sugar filling which is spread across the dough.
- The dough is then rolled up and placed into the fridge to chill briefly just until it is no longer too soft to cut.
- The dough is then sliced into individual rolls and placed into the prepared baking pan to bake.
- Once rolls are cooled, they can be topped with a simple glaze.
Cinnamon Roll Texture and Taste
These rolls taste like traditional cinnamon rolls. The dough is soft, fluffy and a little chewy. Using vanilla Greek yogurt instead of plain Greek yogurt masks most of the tangy yogurt flavor you would normally taste in this dough.
More Cinnamon Roll Recipes
2 Ingredient Dough Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 1 1/2 cups (196 g) self-rising flour see note before starting
- 1 cup (239 g) nonfat Vanilla Greek yogurt
Cinnamon Roll Filling
- 8 tbsp (113 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (82 g) packed brown sugar
- 1 tbsp (9 g) ground cinnamon
Icing
- 1 cup (116 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) whole milk
- 1 tbsp (14 g) melted butter
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the self-rising flour and vanilla yogurt. Mix the dough together until evenly combined then transfer to a floured work surface. Knead until the dough is smooth. If the dough is still sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until no longer sticky.
- Add more flour to your work surface and roll out the dough into a 10 x 14 inch rectangle. If your kitchen is hot, transfer dough to the fridge for 5-10 minutes until slightly chilled and easier to work with.
- Make filling: In a medium bowl, combine softened butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix until a smooth paste forms.
- Using an offset spatula, evenly spread the cinnamon sugar mixture across the dough, all the way to the edges.
- Starting from the short end of the dough, roll it up tightly to form a log. Transfer the log to the fridge to chill for 20-30 minutes until no longer soft.
- While dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease an 8-inch round baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Using a serrated bread knife, first slice off the uneven ends. Then slice log into 7 same-sized rolls (Use a ruler to make them all the same). Wipe your blade after each slice to keep the cuts clean.
- Place rolls into the prepared baking pan. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- While rolls are cooling, make your icing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and butter until evenly combined. While the cinnamon rolls are still warm, spread the icing over the top of the rolls.
Notes
- You can use a solid 8 inch cake pan or a springform pan. But if using a springform pan, line the interior with a single sheet of parchment paper because some of the filling may leak through during baking.
- Self-rising flour: There are 2 main kinds of self-rising flour sold in the US. One that is a lower protein flour (2 grams per 1/4 cup serving) and one that has a regular amount of protein or the same protein amount that is in all purpose flour (3 grams per 1/4 cup). Brands like King Arthur Flour and White Lily make the low protein flour. Brands like Gold Medal and Amazon Fresh contain a regular protein amount. The amount of protein affects how much liquid is absorbed. For this recipe, a regular protein self-rising flour was used. If you have a self-rising flour with low protein, I recommend you make the homemade self-rising flour below for this recipe because otherwise your dough will be too sticky.
- Homemade self-rising flour: Combine 2 cups of all purpose flour, 3 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Whisk to evenly combine. Measure out 1 1/2 cups for the dough.
- Esimated nutrition is for the rolls without the icing. Some of the filling does run out of the rolls as they bake so the actual nutrition for the rolls without icing is lower in calories and fat than the estimated nutrition which assumes all of the filling is consumed.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
