A single serve cinnamon roll made from fluffy brioche, a gooey cinnamon sugar filling, and sweet cream cheese icing is the sweet treat you need for you and you alone!
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Why you'll love this cinnamon roll for one
- Soft & Pillowy Brioche: My go-to brioche recipe turns into a soft and supple dough after a slow & cold rise that's so nice to roll out and shape into one perfectly portioned cinnamon roll. As an enriched bread, it yields a buttery, yeasty flavor with a pillowy soft texture that is utterly irresistible in the form of a cinnamon roll.
- Gooey Cream Cheese Icing: Rather than spreading a thick cream cheese frosting on top, I always opt for a glaze with a pourable consistency. There's nothing better than an ooey, gooey cream cheese icing seeping between the swirls of a cinnamon roll.
- Perfectly Portioned for One: No need to make a full batch of cinnamon rolls, when all you need is one individual serving to satisfy the craving!
For more small batch recipes, try my Chocolate Soufflé for One, Small Batch Brownies, and Oreo Tiramisu for Two.
Ingredient Notes
- Flour: Use unbleached bread flour for the best flavor and proper gluten development.
- Salt: Add a pinch of kosher or fine sea salt to the flour to enhance the flavors in the cinnamon roll. Mix it into the flour rather than the salt to the milk, yeast mixture, or it may kill the yeast.
- Milk: Use whole milk for best flavor, and bring it to about 110 degrees F to help the yeast activate. Be careful not to make it too hot, or it can kill the yeast.
- Sugar: A small amount of granulated sugar is mixed in with the milk and yeast to help activate the yeast, as well as give the brioche a richer color on top as it bakes.
- Yeast: Feel free to use instant or active dry yeast.
- Egg Yolk: Since this is such a small amount of dough, one egg yolk is enough to work as a binder and provide richness and flavor.
- Vanilla: Add a touch of pure vanilla extract for a slightly sweeter brioche.
- Butter: Use high quality European-style butter for optimum flavor and overall result. I recommend Kerrygold.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this single serve cinnamon roll recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.
STEP 1: Make the dough. Knead the cinnamon roll dough in a stand mixer or by hand, then transfer it to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and allow to proof in the fridge for two hours. Alternatively, you can let the dough rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes - 1 hour.
STEP 2: Shape & proof. On a non-floured surface, roll the dough out to a long rectangle about 9"x3". Sprinkle the brown sugar and ground cinnamon evenly all over. Then, cut the rectangle down the middle, leaving two strips measuring 9"x1.5". Roll up one strip, then match the edge of the roll to the edge of the second strip and roll to create one cinnamon roll. Place in a mini cocotte or ramekin, then cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes.
STEP 3: Bake & enjoy. Place the mini cocotte on top of a small baking sheet, then place in the oven. Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until evenly golden on top. Once the cinnamon roll comes out of the oven, immediately pour the icing on top. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then enjoy!
Expert Baking Tips
- Knead the dough in a stand mixer. Even though this is a small amount of dough and it seems like it could easily be kneaded by hand, I still recommend using a stand mixer. It won't wrap around the dough hook like a larger amount of dough would, which means it takes even longer to build up the right amount of gluten. But, kneading by hand always takes at least twice as long, which is why I prefer not to do it, but if you don't mind then by all means go for it! As long as the dough reaches a smooth and supple ball, it should be good to go.
- Proof the dough in the fridge. I recommend allowing your brioche dough to rise slowly in the fridge. Cold dough is so much nicer to work with! But you can also let it proof at room temperature for one hour and make the cinnamon roll immediately.
Recipe FAQs
I used a mini cocotte, but any ramekin should work!
This cinnamon roll is the best the day it's baked, however it can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Baking in Grams
All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale.
If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.
But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!
Happy baking! x
Other brioche recipes to try
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📖 Recipe
Single Serve Cinnamon Roll
Ingredients
For the brioche dough:
- 28 g (2 tablespoon) whole milk
- 6 g (1 ½ teaspoon) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon instant or active dry yeast
- 1 egg yolk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 75 g (scant ⅔ cup) bread flour, or all-purpose flour
- pinch of salt
- 21 g (1 ½ tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temp
For the cinnamon sugar filling:
- 20 g (1 ½ tablespoon) brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
For the cream cheese icing:
- 7 g (½ tablespoon) unsalted butter, melted
- 14 g (1 tablespoon) cream cheese, room temp
- 28 g (¼ cup) powdered sugar, sifted
- ½-1 teaspoon heavy cream, optional
Instructions
For the brioche dough:
- In a glass measuring cup, heat the milk to 110 degrees F and stir in the sugar and yeast. If using active dry yeast, allow to sit for 15 minutes for the yeast to activate. If using instant yeast, simply move on to the next step.
- Mix the egg yolk and vanilla into the milk yeast mixture.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the flour and salt together.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the flour and mix on low-medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until it forms a shaggy dough.
- Add in a few pieces of butter at a time, allowing them to fully incorporate before adding more.
- Once all of the butter is incorporated, turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and mix for 8-12 minutes, until a smooth and supple dough forms.
- Once the dough is ready, transfer it to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and allow to proof in the fridge for two hours. Alternatively, you can let the dough rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes - 1 hour.
For assembly:
- On a non-floured surface, roll the dough out to a long rectangle about 9"x3".
- Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly all over. Then, cut the rectangle down the middle, leaving two strips measuring 9"x1.5".
- Roll up one strip, then match the edge of the roll to the edge of the second strip and roll to create one cinnamon roll. Place in a mini cocotte or ramekin, then cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes.
- While the cinnamon roll is proofing, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the mini cocotte on top of a small baking sheet, then place in the oven. Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until evenly golden on top.
For the cream cheese icing:
- While the cinnamon roll is baking, make the cream cheese icing.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter and cream cheese until smooth.
- Whisk in the sifted powdered sugar until no lumps remain. Optionally, add ½-1 teaspoon of heavy cream until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Once the cinnamon roll comes out of the oven, immediately pour the icing on top. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then enjoy!
Notes
- Knead the dough in a stand mixer. Even though this is a small amount of dough and it seems like it could easily be kneaded by hand, I still recommend using a stand mixer. It won't wrap around the dough hook like a larger amount of dough would, which means it takes even longer to build up the right amount of gluten. But, kneading by hand always takes at least twice as long, which is why I prefer not to do it, but if you don't mind then by all means go for it! As long as the dough reaches a smooth and supple ball, it should be good to go.
- Proof the dough in the fridge. I recommend allowing your brioche dough to rise slowly in the fridge. Cold dough is so much nicer to work with! But you can also let it proof at room temperature for one hour and make the cinnamon roll immediately.
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