I’ve wanted to make this for ages.
Why not put bacon into gooey cinnamon rolls and call it breakfast? It sounds decadent, but it works — salty, smoky bacon folded into sweet, tender dough creates a morning treat that’s hard to resist.
It’s Friday and I present to you a generous batch of bacon cinnamon rolls. Consider this a gift: the best Friday gift, in my opinion.
While I was rolling these up I had a lightbulb moment: use bacon grease in place of some of the butter. I didn’t replace all the butter, but I used reserved bacon grease in the filling — and I even stirred a little into the glaze. If you love bacon, this is absolutely for you.
If you do love bacon, we can definitely be friends.
This recipe is adapted from whole wheat cinnamon rolls in my cookbook. I enjoy homemade cinnamon rolls, but I’ll admit I’m not above the canned kind either — they taste like childhood weekends, holidays and nostalgic comfort. Still, these bacon rolls may have turned me into a bit of a cinnamon roll snob. There’s little worse than a stale cinnamon roll; fresh, hot, gooey rolls are incomparable.
You can prepare the dough the night before, but bake the rolls right before serving for the best texture and flavor. Warm, soft cinnamon rolls straight from the oven are unbeatable.
Ready to make them? Let’s do it.
Bacon Cinnamon Rolls
8
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the workspace
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup loosely packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup reserved bacon grease
- 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- melted butter, for brushing
Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 1/2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon reserved bacon grease, warmed
Instructions
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Warm the milk and water in a small saucepan until just warm. Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer and add the melted butter, yeast and honey. Stir to combine and let sit for 15 minutes, until the yeast is foamy.
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Add 2 1/2 cups of flour, the egg, vanilla, salt and cinnamon. With the paddle attachment, mix on low until combined, then add another 1/2 cup of flour and mix. Switch to the dough hook and knead 6 to 8 minutes, adding the remaining 1/2 cup of flour gradually until the dough is smooth and elastic.
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Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl (bacon grease works great here), cover, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until doubled.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Punch down the dough and roll it out on a floured surface into a rectangle about 12 inches long and 6 inches wide. Brush the surface with reserved bacon grease. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the dough, then scatter the crumbled bacon on top. Starting from the long edge, roll the dough tightly into a log. Slice into 1-inch pieces and place the rolls in a baking dish. Cover and let rise 30 minutes.
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After the 30-minute rise, brush the rolls with melted butter and bake 25 to 30 minutes, until golden and set on top. Remove from the oven and immediately drizzle with glaze. Serve warm.
Glaze
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Whisk the powdered sugar, vanilla, heavy cream, milk and warmed bacon grease until smooth and creamy. If the glaze seems lumpy at first, continue stirring until it smooths out. Adjust consistency by adding powdered sugar (1 tablespoon at a time) if too thin, or milk/water (1 teaspoon at a time) if too thick.
Did you make this recipe?
Share a photo and tag your post with the recipe hashtag. I always love seeing how your rolls turn out.
And that’s it — enjoy your bacon cinnamon rolls.