Soft and fluffy brioche donuts rolled up with dark brown sugar and cinnamon and topped off with a cream cheese glaze — aka cinnamon roll donuts.
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fried cinnamon roll donuts
Hello hello! ☺︎ It’s currently cold outside which means it’s the szn of cinnamon rolls, and these here are cinnamon rolls in donut form. They’re made with a super fluffy and soft brioche dough that’s rolled up with butter, dark brown sugar, and cinnamon like your standard delicious cinnamon roll, then they’re folded into a knot, fried, and coated with a cream cheese glaze so you truly get all of the flavors of a cinnamon roll, in a more delicious, fried form. Aaaaand as always, they’re of course small batch but can be doubled or tripled as needed.
These are inspired by apple fritters because they’re basically apple fritters without the apples and with a cream cheese glaze. I’ve got allllll the tips and tricks you need to successfully make these below — so let’s get into it!
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
Use room temperature ingredients:
It’s important that your ingredients are at room temperature so that they can easily incorporate with each other. Take out your cold ingredients about an hour before you’ll need them.
the dough will take a while to knead
Kneading this dough will take a longer time than you are probably used to. This dough is enriched with eggs and butter which makes it take longer for the proper amount of gluten to develop. Kneading in the mixer can take me anywhere from 10-20 minutes. The dough is ready to be used when it passes the windowpane test and has pulled away from the sides and bottom of the bowl. If you are weighing your ingredients, just trust the process! If you are using cup measurements and the dough just is not coming together after 15 minutes, try adding in 1 tbsp. of flour at a time.
be careful heating the milk
Heating the milk is important for bringing the yeast to an optimal temperature for rising. The milk should be heated to ~100°F / 38°C but it does not have to be exact. As long as the milk is between 95°F – 110°F, it is good to be used. If the temperature exceeds 110°F, wait for it to cool down before using so that you do not kill the yeast!
how to tell your dough is done kneading: the windowpane test
The windowpane test is (in my opinion) the best way to tell that your dough has been properly kneaded. Once the dough starts to pull away from the sides and the bottom of the mixing bowl, it is most likely ready. However, just to be sure that it’s good to go I check if it passes the windowpane test. To do that, take some of the dough in your hands and start to slowly stretch it out. If it can get thin enough to where light passes through it before tearing, then it’s good to go! If not, keep kneading until it does!
ingredients for cinnamon roll donuts:
Brioche donuts:
- Bread flour: for structure and chewiness. I recommend using bread flour because it has more protein which gives you a chewier, fluffier donut. You can use all purpose flour in it’s place, but please be sure that you are using a high-quality flour that has a high protein %, such as King Arthur (11.7%) so that your gluten will develop. If you’re using a low protein flour, the gluten will not develop enough and you will have to add a lot more flour to the brioche, which will alter the dough!
- Active dry yeast: for making the dough rise. You can easily substitute in instant yeast if that is what you have on hand. You will just skip the step of combining the warm milk, sugar, and yeast!
- Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the brioche. Salt also “controls” the yeast to make sure that it does not overly expand.
- Granulated sugar: for sweetening the brioche and for helping the yeast with rising. We’ll also coat the donuts in some granulated sugar.
- Egg: for binding and adding moisture.
- Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the brioche rolls and giving them a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth feel. I would not recommend substituting in salted butter since salt is important to controlling yeast growth and the amount of salt in salted butter is quite variable.
- Whole milk: for tenderizing and hydrating the dough. Whole milk will provide the softest rolls because the extra fat helps tenderize the dough. You can however swap in 1%, 2% or your favorite non dairy milk alternative! Just note that the dough may be a little less soft and fluffy due to the varying fat content.
brown butter filling:
- Unsalted butter: we’re using brown butter here for even more flavor.
- Dark brown sugar: I recommend dark brown just for the extra flavor it adds, but light brown works perfectly as well!
- Cinnamon: to call it a cinnamon roll of course!
cream cheese glaze:
- Cream cheese: the base of the frosting.
- Powdered sugar: to sweeten and thicken up the frosting.
- Whole milk: or your favorite milk, to thin out the glaze.
how to make fried cinnamon roll donuts:
Here are some of the photos of the process of making these donuts. The full recipe is at the end of this blog post!
- Make the brioche dough and let it rise until it doubles in size.
- Roll out the dough and spread the butter, sugar, and cinnamon over it.
- Fold the dough in half.
- Cut the dough into six strips, then cut each strip in half, leaving it attached at the top.
- Twist each strip together, then tie it into a knot.
- Let the donuts rise again, then fry, coat in cream cheese glaze, and enjoy!
fried cinnamon roll donuts recipe q&a
how to store brioche donuts
Fried donuts are definitely going to taste the best the day that they are baked, and I highly *highly* recommend serving them on the same day. Glazed, they can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 hours at room temperature. I recommend glazing them no more than 2 hours before serving so you don’t have to refrigerate them, which will change the texture a bit.
can I double this recipe?
Yes! I can’t emphasize using a kitchen scale enough for especially this recipe already, but if you are going to double or half the ingredients it is even more important that you weigh your ingredients. The dough is very hydrated and slight alterations can change the texture of the dough.
can I use instant yeast instead of active dry yeast?
Definitely – just pop all of the dough ingredients into your mixing bowl to start kneading! Just be sure to keep an eye on the dough as it should double in size faster.
can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes, and I highly recommend it! Brioche dough is a very enriched dough that can be hard to work with when warm. Simply knead the dough together, cover it, and leave it to rise in the fridge overnight.
my yeast mixture isn’t foaming, what should I do?
The mixture should start foaming around 5 minutes in. If it has not foamed after 10 minutes, the yeast is likely dead. You want to make sure that the milk temperature does not exceed 110°F / 43°C or it will kill the yeast. If you try it again and it still does not foam, the yeast you are using may be expired and you will want to purchase some more before proceeding.
tools and ingredients:
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
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Cinnamon Roll Donuts
Ingredients
Brioche Donuts
- 80 g whole milk (⅓ c.)
- 1 tsp. active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 180 g bread flour (1 ½ c.)
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 egg room temperature
- 56 g unsalted butter (4 tbsp.) room temperature
- vegetable oil for frying
Cinnamon Filling
- 35 g unsalted butter (2 ½ tbsp.)
- 100 g dark brown sugar (½ c.)
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 60 g cream cheese (¼ c.)
- 45 g powdered sugar (¼ c. + 2 tbsp.)
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1-2 tbsp. whole milk
Instructions
Brioche Donuts
- In a microwave safe measuring cup, heat the milk to 100°F / 38°C. Whisk in the yeast and the sugar. Set aside until the mixture begins to foam. (~5 minutes)
- While waiting, add the flour, salt, egg, and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. When the yeast mixture begins to foam, add it in to the rest of the ingredients.
- Knead the dough on low speed for 1 minute to allow the ingredients to come together. Increase the speed to medium-high and knead for an additional 10-20 minutes, or until the dough passes the windowpane test. (This will happen after the dough has cleaned the sides and bottom of the bowl)
- Once the dough is done kneading, butter the inside of the bowl, form the dough into a ball and place it back in the bowl. Then cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap. At this point, you could set the dough in the fridge to rise overnight, or continue with completing the recipe in one day. If doing in one day, set the dough in a warm area and wait for it to double in size (~1 hour.)
Cinnamon Filling
- Once the dough has doubled in size, make the cinnamon filling. In a small microwave safe bowl, melt the butter.
- In another small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and cinnamon.
Assembly
- Punch the dough down to remove excess air. Transfer the dough to a clean and lightly floured surface, then roll it out to a 12″ x 16″ (30 x 40 cm) rectangle. If the dough keeps springing back a lot while rolling it out, let it rest for 5 minutes before
- Spread the melted butter over the dough, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the butter in an even layer.
- From the longer side, fold the dough in half. Cut the dough into 6 strips that are ~2" wide and ~8" long.
- Cut each strip in half long-ways, leaving the strip still attached at the top. Twist the two strips together, then make a circle with the twisted dough and bring one end of the strip through the circle and gently pull on it to make a knot.
- Cut out 6 parchment squares that are ~4". Transfer the dough balls each to their own parchment square, then cover them loosely with a towel. Allow them to rise in a warm environment for ~30 minutes, or until they have slightly puffed up.
- Once the donuts have puffed up, fill a large saucepan with at least 2" of vegetable or any neutral oil. Heat the mixture to 350°F / 175°C.
- Carefully place the donuts in to the fryer with the parchment paper (2-3 at a time, depending on what your pan can fit). After ~5-10 seconds, remove carefully remove the parchment from the donuts using metal tongs.
- Fry the donuts on each side for 2-3 minutes, or until they are a deep golden brown. You can also check if they are done by making sure the internal temperature is at least 190°F / 87°C.
- Remove the donuts from the oil with a metal slotted spoon and set them on a wire rack to cool.
Cream Cheese Glaze
- While the donuts are cooling, make the cream cheese glaze. Add the cream cheese to a shallow mixing bowl and beat it until no lumps remain.
- Add in the powdered sugar and beat again until well combined and no lumps remain.
- Add in the vanilla and 1 tbsp. of milk and beat until well combined. If needed, add in the other tbsp. of milk for a thinner glaze.
- Once the donuts have fully cooled to room temperature, dip the tops of them into the glaze, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.